November 14th, 2024, was a somber day for coaster enthusiasts worldwide. Six Flags Great Adventure silently decided to close the tallest roller coaster in the world: Kingda Ka, much to the disappointment of its fans worldwide. The roller coaster was popular due to its height of 456 feet and speed of 128 MPH, making it the second-fastest rollercoaster behind Formula Rossa in Abu Dhabi and slightly faster than the other strata coaster Top Thrill 2.
Kingda Ka had a relatively short ride time of 28 seconds with a pretty basic layout. The ride had guests go out of the station to the launch area. From there the coaster took riders at 128 MPH in just 3.5 seconds to the max height of 456 Feet at 90 degrees before plummeting back to earth and riding over an airtime hill right back into the station.
This was enough to have guests breathless by the time they returned to the station, as many had never experienced something like it before. Upon opening, many positive reviews came out of the coaster due to it being so high and, at the time of opening, the fastest rollercoaster in the world- a title now taken by another park.
Attached to the rollercoaster was a drop tower named Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, which was 415 feet tall and claimed the title of highest drop tower in the world ever since it opened in 2014 and closed in June of 2024. Due to its closure, the highest drop tower in the world is now Lex Luther: Drop of Doom in Valencia, California.
Before its closure, rumors on social media started to circulate on the fate of Kingda Ka, many already predicting that it would end up closing. These rumors turned out to be true due to the exact date of its closure being known, although, up to that point, Six Flags had still not made a statement to confirm its truth.
Since its start, Kingda Ka faced many technical problems that would affect the coaster’s operation. Its hydraulic launch system had frequent malfunctions, which would lead to temporary closures similar to other coasters with a hydraulic launch such as Top Thrill 2 and Xcelerator. To repair these malfunctions, the park would have to pay a hefty amount of money to keep them running. As everything factored in, it seemed a better choice to close the ride down along with Green Lantern, The Twister, Parachutes, and The Sky Way to make space.
Park officials later teased in their official closing statement that a new “multi-record-breaking launch coaster” would be coming to the park, which has many coaster enthusiasts looking forward to what’s about to come. The new coaster is set to open at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2026.
What’s to come for the Six Flags chain after this loss you may ask? Currently, Six Flags is building a brand new park called Six Flags Qiddiya, located in the country of Saudi Arabia. Along with the new park, a new coaster will be opening named Falcons Flight, which will be the tallest and fastest coaster to ever be built. Although the sad loss of Kingda Ka will surely make some fans upset, there is still lots to come for coaster enthusiasts in riding and experiencing that punch of adrenaline and excitement from a roller coaster.
