Boomerang (roller coaster)

Boomerang is a model of roller coaster manufactured and designed by Vekoma, a Dutch manufacturer. The roller coaster model name is from the hunting implement based on the traditions of the Indigenous Australians. there are 55 Boomerangs operating.

The roller coaster model was created in the early 1980s and was first introduced at four different parks around the world in 1984.

Design and ride experience
The Boomerang consists of a single train with seven cars, capable of carrying 28 passengers. The ride begins when the train is pulled backwards from the station and up the first lift hill by a catchcar. After being released, the train passes through the station, enters a Cobra roll element (referred to as a boomerang by the designers), and then travels through a vertical loop. After being pulled up a second lift hill, the train is released to head backwards through each inversion once more, making the total number of inversions per ride six. The train slows down as it passes through the station backwards, and then comes to a complete stop in the station. This coaster model is popular among many amusement parks in the United States, but it has appeared at amusement parks around the world.

Boomerang coasters have occasionally stalled, often in the Cobra Roll element. As a precaution, many Boomerang coasters are built with an access platform just under the Cobra Roll/Boomerang element.

Variant designs
There are three main design variants based on the Boomerang layout, all of which are produced by Vekoma.



Invertigo
The first variant of the Boomerang is the Invertigo. While retaining the same layout as the Boomerang, the Invertigo has inverted track, turning it into an inverted roller coaster. Each car has two rows of seats that are back-to-back, so the riders in the back row of each car would be facing those in the front of the trailing car. The first Invertigo, HangOver at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden was supposed to open in 1996 with a new linear induction motor (LIM) or LSM lift. However, development problems delayed the ride's opening to 1997, and the design was remade to include a traditional chain lift like the original Boomerang. Only four Invertigo models were ever built.

Giant Inverted Boomerang


The second design is known as both the Giant Inverted Boomerang and the Super Invertigo. While maintaining a similar layout to the Boomerang, the track is again inverted, and the size of the ride is increased. The track is 270 ft longer, the two lift hills are almost 80 ft taller, and both hills are vertical. The track also crosses over, with the station underneath the vertical loop. The train has 8 cars, with the four seats of each car arranged in a chevron. As of 2011, four Giant Inverted Boomerangs operate, and one is currently under construction. The ones that operate currently are Goliath at Six Flags New England (Previously located at Six Flags Magic Mountain as Déjà Vu), Aftershock at Silverwood Theme Park (Previously located at Six Flags Great America as Déjà Vu), and Stunt Fall at Parque Warner Madrid. Sky Mountain at Mirabalandia (Previously located at Six Flags Over Georgia as Déjà Vu) is currently in storage. In late 2011, the first Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang to have been built brand new in about ten years opened. It resides at Jinjiang Action Park under the name Mountain Peak.

Family Boomerang
In late 2010, Vekoma announced that they would be manufacturing a Family Boomerang. The prototype opened in Drayton Manor Theme Park as Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission in April 2011 later renamed to the Accelerator. Another, named Velociraptor, opened on 17 May 2016 in the Lost Kingdom area of Paultons Park. Unlike the other Boomerang roller coasters a Family Boomerang does not feature any inversions but it still has a similar shuttle design. The ride has two end spikes and generally a figure-8 design in the layout.