Skytrak

{{Short description|Former roller coaster}}

{{Infobox roller coaster

| name = Skytrak

| image =Skytrak.jpg

| caption = Skytrak in operation

| location = Granada Studios Tour

| section =

| coordinates = {{Coord|53.478128|-2.257115|display=it}}

| type = Steel

| type2 = Flying

| manufacturer = Skytrak International

| designer =

| model =

| track layout =

| status = Removed

| opened = {{Start date|1997|10}}

| closed = {{End date|1998}}

| height_ft = 50

| drop_ft =

| length_ft = 1282

| speed_mph = 28

| duration =

| angle =

| inversions =

| capacity = 240

| gforce = 2.5

| restriction_in= 55

| rcdb_number= 2380

}}

Skytrak was a flying roller coaster located at Granada Studios Tour amusement park in Castlefield, Manchester, England. Opened in October 1997, it was the first flying roller coaster in the world,{{Cite book |last=Sehlinger |first=Bob |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/829995870 |title=The Unofficial Guide to Britain's Best Days Out, Theme Parks and Attractions |last2=Testa |first2=Len |last3=Bleiberg |first3=Larry |date=2011 |publisher=Wiley |others= |isbn=978-0-470-68313-2 |location= |pages=25 |oclc=829995870}} in which riders were tilted forward to experience the sensation of flying. It was named after an event from the Gladiators television series,{{Cite web |last=Grimsditch |first=Lee |date=2022-10-01 |title=Skytrak: The lost Manchester 'flying' rollercoaster that only lasted a year |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/nostalgia/skytrak-flying-rollercoaster-you-fly-25013187 |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=Manchester Evening News |language=en}} and was the only roller coaster constructed by Skytrak International, a subsidiary of Fairport Engineering.{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Skytrak International|rcdb_number=7222|accessdate=2023-04-28}}

The ride was a "solo coaster" having only one person per car, which along with a complicated boarding process limited capacity to between 200 and 240 riders per hour. Issues with the ride delayed its opening by several months, and it continued to suffer reliability issues. It closed in 1998, with the park closing soon after. The ride was eventually removed and scrapped.{{cite RCDB|coaster_name=Skytrak|location=Granada Studios Tour|rcdb_number=2380|accessdate=May 5, 2017}}