Giant Inverted Boomerang

File:Déjà Vu roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain.jpg

Giant Inverted Boomerangs were slated to open for the start of the 2001 season at three Six Flags parks. Sudden errors and malfunctions during testing delayed these. The first to open was Déjà Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain on August 25, 2001. Déjà Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain has since been removed and relocated to Six Flags New England as Goliath.{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Roller Coaster Search Results|location=Giant Inverted Boomerangs|accessdate=20 August 2011|url=http://www.rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&mo=8207}} This was followed by the opening of a further two Giant Inverted Boomerangs named Déjà Vu on September 1, 2001, at Six Flags Over Georgia and on October 7, 2001, at Six Flags Great America. The opening of the fourth Giant Inverted Boomerang was delayed even more after the problems were discovered with the first three. Stunt Fall opened on August 8, 2002, at Parque Warner Madrid (then known as Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid).

In 2007, Six Flags announced the removal of Déjà Vu from both Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Great America. They announced that the Six Flags Over Georgia ride would be replaced with a new themed area called Thomas Town (since rethemed to Whistlestop Park).{{Cite web|url=http://www.screamscape.com/html/six_flags_over_georgia.htm|title = Six Flags over Georgia}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.sixflags.com/overGeorgia/info/news_thomastown.aspx |title=Thomas Town: Six Flags over Georgia |access-date=2007-10-30 |archive-date=2007-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101071200/http://www.sixflags.com/overGeorgia/info/news_thomastown.aspx |url-status=dead }} After the Six Flags Great America ride gave its last rides on October 28, 2007, it was removed and replaced with the Buccaneer Battle ride.{{Cite web |url=http://www.coastercrew.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=104&pos=0 |title=Coaster Crew Gallery - Six Flags Great America/Deja Vu No More |access-date=2008-01-24 |archive-date=2009-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430133238/http://www.coastercrew.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=104&pos=0 |url-status=dead }}

In January 2008, Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho announced on its website that it would install the Déjà Vu from Six Flags Great America with a projected opening date of July that year.{{Cite web |url=http://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/coaster-video.php |title=Coaster-video |access-date=2008-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080127101733/http://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/coaster-video.php |archive-date=2008-01-27 |url-status=dead }} They later announced Déjà Vu would operate as Aftershock. Before opening at its new location, the ride was overhauled by Vekoma in order to make the ride more reliable.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} The ride officially opened July 21, 2008. Rocky Mountain Construction, an Idaho-based manufacturing firm, assisted with the construction of the ride.{{cite web|title=Clients & Portfolio|url=http://www.rockymtnconstruction.com/clients_portfolio.html|publisher=Rocky Mountain Construction|access-date=August 30, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110063519/http://www.rockymtnconstruction.com/clients_portfolio.html|archive-date=November 10, 2013}}

In November 2009 it was announced that Mirabilandia in Brazil had purchased Six Flags Over Georgia's Déjà Vu. The ride was to be renamed to Sky Mountain, but it never opened as the park closed permanently.

File:Quantum_Leap_Sochi_04.jpg

On August 16, 2011, Masslive reported that Six Flags New England was planning on building a Giant Inverted Boomerang for the park's 2012 season where the Shipwreck Falls attraction was located.{{cite web|last=Constantine|first=Sandra|title=Six Flags New England working to add new roller coaster ride to its Agawam amusement park|url=http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/six_flags_working_to_add_a_new.html|work=News Article|publisher=MassLive.com|date=August 16, 2011}} On August 18, 2011, the ride was approved by the Agawam Planning Board, with the Los Angeles Times confirming one day later that Déjà Vu from Six Flags Magic Mountain would be relocated to Six Flags New England and would begin operation under a new name in 2012.{{cite news|last=MacDonald|first=Brady|title=Six Flags Magic Mountain to remove Deja Vu coaster|url=http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-deja-vu-six-flags-new-england-08201119,0,2637256.story?track=rss&dlvrit=70653|access-date=20 August 2011|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=19 August 2011}} An official announcement from Six Flags representatives was made on September 1, 2011, confirming previous reports and announcing that the relocated ride's name would be Goliath.{{cite web|last=Hagist|first=Jenna|title=Six Flags Adds New Coaster|url=http://www.wggb.com/story/15294563/six-flags-adds-new-coaster|work=News Article|publisher=Wggb.com|date=August 18, 2011|access-date=September 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002155826/http://www.wggb.com/story/15294563/six-flags-adds-new-coaster|archive-date=October 2, 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Six Flags New England Announces Goliath – A Coaster Of Epic Proportions For The 2012 Season|url=http://www.sixflags.com/newEngland/info/news_Goliath.aspx|publisher=Six Flags|access-date=September 4, 2011|author=Six Flags New England|date=September 1, 2011}}{{cite web|title=Hey Déjà Vu fans!...|url=http://www.facebook.com/SixFlagsMagicMountain/posts/10150359136147125|author=Six Flags Great America|publisher=Facebook|date=September 2, 2011|access-date=September 4, 2011}} On October 16, 2011, Déjà Vu operated for the final time.{{cite web|title=Déjà Vu fans...|url=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150372377677125&set=a.111563082124.115580.67502107124&type|author=Six Flags Magic Mountain|publisher=Facebook|date=September 13, 2011|access-date=September 13, 2011}} At around the same time, Shipwreck Falls was removed from Six Flags New England to make way for Goliath.{{cite web|title=Last Chance to ride...|url=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150286256343740&set=a.286356748739.146143.52129033739&type=1&theater|author=Six Flags New England|publisher=Facebook|date=September 3, 2011|access-date=September 4, 2011}} Goliath at Six Flags New England was topped off on February 29, 2012.{{cite web|title=Topping off Goliath...|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150602108523740&set=a.10150408902108740.363143.52129033739&type|author=Six Flags New England|publisher=Facebook|date=February 29, 2012|access-date=March 4, 2012}} Goliath opened to the public on May 25, 2012.

In 2011, the first new Giant Inverted Boomerang since 2002 was constructed. Jinjiang Action Park opened the aptly named Giant Inverted Boomerang in September 2011. This ride closed permanently in 2025. In 2014, Sochi Park Adventureland opened Quantum Leap, another Giant Inverted Boomerang.

Goliath was SBNO for a majority of the 2021 season until it began demolition later that year.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/OEukuFosKcU Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20211102065030/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEukuFosKcU Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEukuFosKcU| title = Goliath is Being Demolished at Six Flags New England | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

File:Giant Inverted Boomerang.png

The Giant Inverted Boomerang is a departure from Vekoma's earlier Boomerang designs. This model features a vertical cable lift hill that quickly lifts the train up a vertical tower. Also, this model is larger than previous Boomerang designs. From above, the track layout looks like an 'X'.

File:Ga-dejavu-seating.jpg seating shown on the Great America ride.]]

As a Giant Inverted Boomerang is a shuttle roller coaster, each installation only operates with a single train of eight cars, each utilizing four-across seating, similar to that on Bolliger & Mabillard's inverted roller coasters. Giant Inverted Boomerang seats are staggered such that the outside seats are pushed back slightly behind the middle two seats in each row. The train seats a total of 32 riders.

Goliath at Six Flags New England featured a new train by Premier Rides (different from the originals built by Vekoma). This train had four-across seating, similar to Bolliger & Mabillard's inverted roller coasters. The new train design was chosen in an attempt to make the lines in the station less complicated to navigate and also to give the ride a higher capacity.{{cite web|title=...new train for Goliath?|url=http://www.facebook.com/sixflagsne/posts/10150321741893740|author=Six Flags New England|publisher=Facebook|date=October 2, 2011|access-date=December 7, 2011}}{{cite web|title=...Goliath created Premier Rides|url=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150423087688740&set=a.10150408902108740.363143.52129033739&type|author=Six Flags New England|publisher=Facebook|date=December 7, 2011|access-date=December 7, 2011}}

The ride begins when the train slowly backs out of the station and up the vertical lift, pulled by a catch car. Once reaching the top of the lift, with riders facing straight down, and their legs dangling in the air, the train is released and zooms through the station heading into a {{Convert|110|ft|adj=on}} tall boomerang. This element contains two of the three inversions found on the ride going forward. After twisting through the Boomerang, riders then go through a {{Convert|102|ft|adj=on}} tall vertical loop which crosses over the station and hit the second vertical tower of the ride. A catch car there pulls the train up the second vertical tower, this time with riders facing the sky. After the train reaches the top of the tower, it is released to cycle backward through the layout. The train then goes through the station and heads up the first vertical lift again, where it is caught once more by the catch car and then very slowly lowered back into the station.

After the announcement of Goliath on September 1, 2011, U.S. Representative Ed Markey, with S.I. Sheikh and A.B. Singhal from the Massachusetts General Hospital, told The Boston Herald: “Fixed-site amusement park rides like those at Six Flags New England are exempt from federal oversight due to a 30-year-old special-interest loophole. This means that even as these rides get faster and taller, safety rules remain stuck in a state-by-state patchwork that leaves riders vulnerable. Also, the jerky motions of these rides have been linked to small tears in arteries or a spike in blood pressure, but we aren’t sure if there is necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship.”{{cite news |last=Sperance |first=Cameron |title=Pol calls for stiffer regs as Six Flags eyes Goliath coaster |url=http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20110903pol_calls_for_stiffer_regs_as_six_flags_eyes_goliath_coaster/srvc=home&position=5 |access-date=4 September 2011 |newspaper=Boston Herald |date=3 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912200248/http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20110903pol_calls_for_stiffer_regs_as_six_flags_eyes_goliath_coaster/srvc%3Dhome%26position%3D5 |archive-date=12 September 2012 }}

• 2011 in amusement parks
• 2012 in amusement parks

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.vekoma.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=23 Official website]
• [http://www.rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&mo=8207 Listing] of Giant Inverted Boomerang roller coasters at the Roller Coaster DataBase
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070814094658/http://www.coasterimage.com/roller-coaster-videos/dejavu/index.htm Video of Déjà Vu roller coaster]
• [http://www.rollercoasterking.com/article/deja-vu/ Déjà Vu: Detailed Review]

{{Vekoma}}

{{Parque Warner Madrid}}

{{Six Flags Great America rides}}

{{Six Flags Magic Mountain rides}}

{{Six Flags Over Georgia rides}}

{{SFNE Coasters}}

{{Silverwood Roller Coasters}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giant Inverted Boomerang}}

Category:Roller coasters introduced in 2001

Category:Boomerang roller coasters

Category:Inverted roller coasters

Category:Shuttle roller coasters

Category:Steel roller coasters

Category:Roller coasters manufactured by Vekoma

Category:Vekoma

Category:Ed Markey