originally posted on 3/31/2023 6:04:00 PM
Today, Fun Spot Atlanta in Fayetteville, Georgia debuted their highly anticipated steel roller coaster, ArieForce One! The ride is named after the Fun Spot founder, John Arie Sr., inspired by his love of aviation and flight. Out of the three
Fun Spot properties in Orlando, Kissimmee and Atlanta, ArieForce One is the largest, most thrilling roller coaster at any Fun Spot. The ride was engineered by Rocky Mountain Construction out of Hayden, Idaho, sporting their patented I-Box track.
Though ArieForce One may look like a wooden roller coaster, both the support structure and track are built out of steel.
ArieForce One stands fifteen stories tall, with a fourteen-story first drop. The tallest parts of ArieForce One, namely the first drop, Raven Truss Dive, Zero-G Stall and Outer-Banked Hill, run alongside Highway 85. These elements tower
high above the roadway, making quite the first impression on those driving by.
ArieForce One from the highway.
Photo: Kohl Gribble. View full-sized image.
So what about the ride itself? ArieForce One features bucketloads of strong airtime (that "butterfly feeling" when going over a hill or down a drop) - nearly twenty distinct moments of it, in fact! In addition, riders zoom through four inversions;
the world's first Raven Truss Dive, the longest Zero-G Stall in North America (where riders are held upside down, high above the ground, for nearly three seconds), and a pair of shockingly fast zero-g rolls (the track rotates a full 360 degrees, going
from upright to upside down to upright again, in less than two seconds). From the top of the lift-hill (when the thrills begin) to the start of the brake-run, ArieForce One lasts 45 seconds - but with all these air-time hills and inversions
packed in, there's no time to breathe. Evidently, ArieForce One is one major adrenaline rush!
ArieForce One's ride entrance.
Photo: Kohl Gribble. View full-sized image.
American Coaster Enthusiasts was very fortunate and grateful to be invited to ArieForce One's media day. Starting at sunrise, ACE Members enjoyed back-to-back-to-back rides on this phenomenal new thrill, a special opening ceremony complete
with representatives speaking from Fun Spot, RMC, IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks Attractions) and even a former astronaut, a fireworks show and a strong dose of that well-known Southern hospitality.
ArieForce One's opening ceremony.
Photo: Kohl Gribble. View full-sized image.
ArieForce One's opening ceremony after the fireworks.
Photo: Kohl Gribble. View full-sized image.
ArieForce One before sunrise.
Photo: Kohl Gribble. View full-sized image.
With ArieForce One now open, Fun Spot Atlanta has cemented itself as a must-visit destination for thrillseekers and roller coaster enthusiasts all over the world. ACE can't wait to ride into the bright future that the Fun Spot parks have ahead
of them!
— Kohl Gribble, ACE360 Coordinator
#ACE360