originally posted on 6/11/2021
Stunt Pilot.
Photo: Courtesy Silverwood. View full-sized image.
News about Stunt Pilot broke on September 17, 2020, toward the end of a park season during which nothing much happened — certainly not much in the new coaster department. ACE News covered the initial announcement from Silverwood Theme Park about Stunt Pilot (see the September 25, 2020, post), but at that time there was nothing to do but wait for construction and updates. Silverwood fans welcomed news of a new ride, since the park had not added a major coaster since Aftershock in 2008 (Krazy Koaster, an SBF Visa spinner, opened in 2014). After much anticipation, Stunt Pilot finally opened to the public at the Athol, Idaho, park on May 29, 2021.
Stunt Pilot is the third Raptor Track, single-rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), whose headquarters happen to be only 12 miles from Silverwood. (Of interest, Fred Grubb, cofounder of RMC, is a former employee of Silverwood who worked on the other Silverwood coasters Tremors and Timber Terror in the 1990s.) All three RMC Raptor Track coasters are themed: RailBlazer (California’s Great America, Santa Clara) with an off-road adventure theme and Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster (Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio) with a superhero theme.
Silverwood looked to the park’s history for its theme: the barnstorming air shows that were an integral part of the park and were scheduled daily from the founding of the park in 1988 to 1996. (Silverwood is located on a former airfield.) As part of developing the theme, the park restored a Pitts Special biplane and will hang it upside down above riders waiting to board, providing advance warning of the inversions to come on the ride. Stunt Pilot’s color scheme of bright red and white duplicates that of the biplane. Grubb remarked, “This is one of the nicest looking coasters; it really pops.” Additional theming note: riders have their photo taken as the train enters and exits a barn, and during the ride, the train flies through several rings, perhaps reminders of the rings in the video game “PilotWings.”
The upsidedown biplane hints of the three inversions on the ride. View full-sized image.
Riders fly through both giant rings and a head-chopper barn.
Photos: Courtesy Silverwood. View full-sized image.
Where to put the new ride? It’s a tight fit, but Stunt Pilot is sandwiched between Tremors and the log flume ride. Grubb explained, “We’re able to put a lot of elements in a small space, because of the nature of the track. It’s a thousand feet long [1,800 feet], but we can fit it in that size space.” Silverwood’s director of marketing, Jordan Carter, likened Stunt Pilot’s layout to “a plate of tangled spaghetti noodles.” Its layout almost duplicates that of RailBlazer and is a mirror image of Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster, but the theming elements and the fact that the trains hold 10 passengers instead of eight, distinguish it. Stunt Pilot is the first coaster at Silverwood to run two trains, and it is hoped that the increased capacity will shorten wait times.
Stunt Pilot adds ribbons of bright color between the log flume and Tremors. View full-sized image.
Photos: Scott Schaffer. View full-sized image.
Time to enter the “hangar” and go for a ride! Riders sit single file in trains with lap bars and comfortable over-the-shoulder straps and ascend the 113-foot chain lift hill. After a flat 180-degree turn at the top of the hill, the train plunges into a 90-degree drop, reaching a top speed of 52 mph. What follow are a dive loop and then an airtime hill, after which an ascending banked turnaround provides a nice pop of air. After a hairpin left turn, the train drops and flies through a ring and into a cutback and a corkscrew. After an overbanked turn, riders experience uphill airtime into the brake run. It’s all over in around 1.25 minutes, but what a ride! Check it out:
The 90-degree first drop. View full-sized image.
Photos: Courtesy Silverwood. View full-sized image.
ACEer Brenton Asti, who works for an airline and was visiting from Texas, remarked, “Silverwood and RMC did a great job with incorporating acrobatic type inversions that you would experience as a pilot along with the storytelling and themed near misses or ‘head chopper’ elements such as the barn! The experience itself felt as if you were a stunt pilot from the moment you taxied from the hangar to the moment you landed on the airstrip.”
Photo: Courtesy Silverwood. View full-sized image.
Another positive review comes from Scott Schaffer, ACE member and owner of Upstop Media. “ Stunt Pilot is RMC’s Raptor 2.0. The ride itself feels much more refined compared to the first generation Raptors. The longer trains called for slight reprofiles on a familiar layout, favoring capacity over intensity.” He added, “Don’t let this fool you, as Stunt Pilot is about as extreme as you can get. This ride is exactly what Silverwood needed and is perfect for RMC to have their own creation right next door.”
In addition to the coasters previously mentioned, Silverwood features two others: the Arrow Corkscrew, originally at Knotts Berry Farm, and Tiny Toot, a powered Zamperla family coaster. Adjacent to Silverwood, and included with admission, is its waterpark, Boulder Beach. In all, the combined parks offer 70+ rides, slides, shows and other attractions.
— Lee Ann Draud, ACE Publications Director
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