Tallest Roller Coaster In The World

What is it about a roller coaster that makes it so exciting? Its speed? Its height? Or its length? For me, it is the high point it reaches, the view from the top and the feeling of being on top of the world that makes the ride an exhilarating one. Kingda Ka, which is the tallest roller coaster in the entire world, gives you this thrill in abundance. So how tall is it? How does it work? And how does it feel like to take a ride in it? Well, you will have to find the answer to the third question on your own, while the rest will be answered as you read on.

Kingda Ka is a roller coaster located at the Six Flags Great Adventure Theme Park situated in New Jersey, USA. Kingda Ka opened in May 2005, and holds the record for being the tallest roller coaster of the world. The scary height of Kingda increases its potential energy, resulting in it attaining greater speeds and deadly acceleration. Thus, it is also the fastest roller coaster in the world! The design of Kingda Ka is similar to its close competitor, the Top Thrill Dragster. Kingda Ka attains a monstrous speed of 128 mph in just 3.5 seconds, and takes the passenger to a frightening height of 456 feet (nothing less than 40 stories). After zooming up the tower, the real thrill of the roller coaster hits you in its descent. Here, it falls 418 feet at a speed of a whooping 100 mph through a 270 degree right hand spiral. The coaster is propelled by a hydraulic launch mechanism.

Kingda Ka has a general Indian mythical-style theme and is based on a mythical tiger. If you are a big fan of the scream machines, check out our article on the physics of roller coasters to know more about them.

Unfortunately, just a month after its opening, Kingda Ka faced a technical problem of bolt failure and was shut down for maintenance. Although, it was relaunched with the necessary modifications and inspections, and the thrill fanatics were a happy lot once again. Another mishap that took place with Kingda Ka in May 2009 was that of lightning bolt striking it. This time serious damages made Kingda Ka go in and out of operation for quite a while. Recently, it has kicked back in and is operating with maximum up-time.

Top Five Tallest Roller Coasters in the World

Roller Coaster	Location	Height	Year
Kingda Ka	Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, New Jersey, United States	456 ft	2005
Top Thrill Dragster	Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio, United States	420 ft	2003
Superman: The Escape	Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, California, United States	415 ft	1997
Tower of Terror	Dreamworld Coomera, Queensland, Australia	377 ft	1997
Steel Dragon 2000	Nagashima Spa Land Nagashima, Mie, Japan	318 ft	2000
Millennium Force	Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio, United States	310 ft	2000

Technology is changing and improving at a breathtaking pace. Thus, as long as the thrill enthusiasts exist, theme parks will continue to come up with better, faster and taller roller coasters. It may only be a matter of time when some other coaster breaks the record of Kingda Ka and becomes the tallest roller coaster ever.