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COASTER GLOSSARY

AIR TIME: A highly favorable result of a negative G-force, usually ocurring at hill tops, that lifts riders from their seats

BANKED TURN: A curve in which the track is significantly banked to reduce stress on riders and on the track itself

BOBSLED COASTER: A coaster that features semi-circular trough-like track without rails. The coaster cars or trains have special, angled, rotating wheel sets which allow the cars or trains to flow through a winding track course like a bobsled

BOOMERANG: A looping track element in which a coaster train exits a double loop section in the opposite direction it entered, coming back on itself

BRAKE RUN: A section of track equipped with brakes for slowing and stopping trains.

CORKSCREW: A popular element found in several steel-track coasters in which the track "barel rolls," turning riders upside down twice.

FAN TURN: A wide turnaround-usually 180 degrees-in which the whole tunraround (versus the track) is banked.

FIGURE-EIGHT: A coaster with a track plan resembling-if you were to view it from straight overhead-a figure-eight

G-FORCE: Gravitational force, either negative or positive, exerted on coaster riders.

HELIX: A section of track that circles upon itself at least once, either ascending or descending in the process

HYPERCOASTER: A non-inversion coaster of extreme size. To make "hypercoaster" class, the lift hill must be more than 200 feet high and/or one of its drops must exceed 200 feet

INVERSION: A ride element that turns riders upside down

INVERTED COASTER: A coaster that has no floor, meaning your feet dangle, and where the track is above you

LAP BAR: The bar that is lowered and locked over the laps of seated riders to keep them in the coaster cars. If coasters don't use lap bars, they use shoulder restraints.

LIFT HILL: A hill up which coaster cars or trains are hauled, usually via a motorized chain

NEGATIVE Gs: A gravitational force which lifts or even thrusts coaster riders out of their seats

OUT-AND-BACK COASTER: A coaster (usually wooden) with a simple layout in which the track heads more or less straight to its outer ends, turns, and heads back to the station.

OVAL COASTERS: A coaster with a track plan thay is circular or oval in nature

POSITIVE Gs: A gravitational force occuring at the bottom of a hill, whithin a heavily banked turn, or inside a loop that increases the "weight" of a coaster rider

SCENIC RAILWAY: A mild-mannered coaster featuring a heavily themed environment

SIDE-FRICTION COASTER: Wood coaster that utlilize a trough-like track in which side running boards are used to keep the car-equipped with side-friction wheels-on course.

SHUTTLE LOOP: A point-to-point coaster in which the train is catapulted through a loop element(s)

SPEED BUMP: A low hill following a large drop (to take advantage of train speed) that causes riders to float out of their seats

STAND-UP COASTER: A coaster which has trains where you stand up

STEEL-TRACK COASTERS: A new track-fabrication format developed in the late 1950s in which the rails consist entirely of steel tubing

SUSPENDED COASTER: A coaster featuring trains that are suspended from wheel assemblies via a hinged arrangement, thereby allowing cars to swing on curves; track support overhead

TERRAIN (GULLY) COASTER: A coaster that uses undulating or very irreregular terrain to its advantage

TWISTER COASTER: A coaster (usually wooden) with a convolted track twists back and forth, around, overm and/or under itself.

WOOD-TRACK COASTER: Traditional coaster-track constructing of wood track and supports

GOT A COASTER TERM WE DONT HAVE? EMAIL US AT zuben13@aol.com 

                        THE RIDE DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS OF SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA

Bolliger & Mabillard

Vekoma