Galactica - Coasterpedia - The Roller Coaster and Flat Ride Wiki (2024)

Not to be confused with Battlestar Galactica, the roller coaster at Universal Studios Singapore.

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Galactica

Alton Towers
LocationAlton, Staffordshire, England, UK
Coordinates52°59′09″N 1°52′57″W / 52.985927°N 1.882511°W
Park sectionForbidden Valley
StatusOperatingsince 16 March 2002
Cost£12,000,000 ($19,340,400 USD) (original ride)

£2,000,000 ($2,586,320 USD) (Galactica)

Rider height140 cm minimum
Statistics
Manufacturer
ProductFlying Coaster (Custom)
Designer / calculationsJohn Wardley (original ride)
TypeSteel- Flying
Riders per train28
Hourly capacity1500
PropulsionChain lift hill
Height20 metres
Top speed75 km/h
Length840 metres
Inversions2
Duration1:40
G-Force3.5
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Galactica (formerly called Air) is a steel flying roller coaster located at Alton Towers in Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK. It was built by and situated in the Forbidden Valley area, in close proximity to Nemesis. The ride was originally scheduled to open in 1998, but due to the complex features of the ride, it was delayed to 2002.[1] Opening instead in 1998 was Oblivion. Before its official name was released, Air was codenamed SW5 (Secret Weapon 5).

For the 2016 season, the name was changed from Air to Galactica as virtual reality headsets were added to the ride. These only lasted until 2018, however.

History

The idea for Air came to fruition after many years of planning, and construction started towards the beginning of the 2001 season. Advertisements for the ride were placed around Alton Towers towards the end of that year. In early 2002, testing began on one of the world's most technologically advanced rides ever made, and the ride opened on 16 March 2002 at a cost of £12 million.

Air opened as the first prototype flying roller coaster designed by Swiss manufacturer .

Early difficulties with unreliability were reduced towards the end of the first year, and problems are now rare.[2]

In July 2015, Alton Towers submitted plans to enhance the ride's theming and station. On 12 January 2016 it was announced that Air would be renamed Galactica. As part of the change, the ride received virtual reality headsets in which guests experience a space-themed film. The building that housed the former Air gift shop became the Rollercoaster Restaurant. The ride reopened as Galactica on 24 March 2016.

For the 2018 season, the virtual reality headsets were removed from all but the back three rows of the train. On 17 March 2019, Alton Towers confirmed that the virtual reality headsets would be gone completely for 2019, in response to guest feedback and the increased queue times.[3]

Design

Elements
  • Chain lift hill
  • Lie to fly
  • Fly to lie
  • In-line twist

Galactica's track layout consists of several close-to-the-ground turns, and dives over and under park paths, giving the illusion of flying. At one point in the ride, the riders are turned on their backs so they face the sky.

Galactica has a dual station which allows two trains to load and unload at the same time. It also has a transfer track which can store a train while not in use.

Galactica is painted mint green with black supports.

Trains

3 trains with 7 carsper train. In each car, riders are arranged 4 across in a single row, for a total of 28 riders per train.Riders board the trains in a seating position. The cars are then tilted back, with guests leaving the station in a flying position.

Theme

The theme of Galactica is a journey through space. The virtual reality film that the ride showed between 2016 and 2018 took riders to numerous fictional planets, including a volcanic planet named Nero 5 and an ice planet named Keplar 9. Before the 2016 refurbishment into Galactica, the ride was named Air and was loosely themed around a calm oasis at the bottom of Forbidden Valley.

Ride Experience

Galactica starts with a short passage through a tunnel out of the station, followed by a lift hill. Galactica's first drop dips to the right, rises up to a 180 degree turn, and drops down in to a large drop to ground level. The track then twists over so riders are riding on their backs, performing a large upward left turn before twisting back so riders are once again in the prone position, flying underneath a small ravine. The track then pitches up in to a tight turn before performing a 360 degree in-line twist. The train then dips down into a left hand curve above the storage track, and into two bunny hops separated by a right hand curve. Afterwards, the ride goes into two curves, one to the left and another to the right. The train then hits the brake run and re-enters the station.

Extra Facts

  • Constructed by: JJ Cavanagh Construction
  • Programmed by: Consign AG
  • VR programmed by: Figment Productions
  • Headsets: Pico Headsets

Images

  • The ride's portal theming element, which was added in 2016 when the ride became Galactica

  • The current interior of the station

  • The test seat

  • The station while the ride was Air

  • Entrance to Air

  • The top of one of the trains

  • The fly-to-lie element

  • The exit from Galactica's fly-to-lie element

References

External links

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Articles on Alton Towers
Coasters
Present
  • Galactica
  • Nemesis Reborn
  • Oblivion
  • Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure
  • Rita
  • Runaway Mine Train
  • Smiler
  • Spinball Whizzer
  • Thirteen
  • Wicker Man
Former
  • 4 Man Bob
  • Alton Mouse
  • Beastie
  • Black Hole
  • Corkscrew
  • Mini Apple
  • New Beast
  • Thunderlooper
Unbuilt
  • unknown
Other attractions
Present
  • Alton Towers Dungeon
  • Battle Galleons
  • Blade
  • Congo River Rapids
  • Duel
  • Gangsta Granny: The Ride
  • Get Set Go Tree Top Adventure
  • Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom ride
  • Heave Ho
  • Hex
  • In The Night Garden Magical Boat Ride
  • Marauder's Mayhem
  • Monorail
  • Nemesis Sub-Terra
  • Postman Pat Parcel Post
  • Royal Carousel
  • Sky Ride
Former
  • 1001 Nights
  • Astraslide
  • Boneshaker
  • Cablecars
  • Chair-O-Plane
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride
  • Cred Street Carousel
  • Dodgems
  • Dynamo
  • Enterprise
  • Ferris Wheel
  • Flume
  • Flying Carpet
  • Gallopers
  • Ghost Train
  • Gravitron
  • Loop-O-Plane
  • Mississippi Showboat
  • Octopus
  • Old MacDonald's Tractor Ride
  • Park Railway
  • Ripsaw
  • Space Boat
  • Spider
  • Submission
  • Swan Boat Ride
  • Tri-Star
  • Twirling Toadstool
  • Turbo Star
  • Vintage Cars
  • Waltzer
  • Water Chute
Galactica - Coasterpedia - The Roller Coaster and Flat Ride Wiki (2024)

FAQs

Why did they remove VR from Galactica? ›

For the 2018 season, the availability of VR headsets on the ride were reduced to the back three rows of each train only, with guests choosing whether to use the VR or not when they entered the station. In 2019, Alton Towers removed the virtual reality headsets altogether due to guest feedback.

Does Galactica go upside down? ›

From 'lie to fly' to 'fly to lie', you'll experience two full 360 degree inversions.

What is the hardest roller coaster? ›

The world's steepest roller coaster may be one of the most terrifying two-minute experiences in the world. Takabisha starts by plummeting riders into a dark tunnel and it only gets scarier from there. The crowning feature is a mind-bending 121-degree "beyond vertical" drop through several loops and inversions.

How long is Galactica ride? ›

Galactica stands at 20m (66ft) in height and lasts around 1 minute 40 seconds. The ride has a track length of 840m (2760ft) with 2 inversions and a top speed of 47mph.

Why was Galactica cancelled? ›

Citing declining ratings and cost overruns, ABC canceled Battlestar Galactica in April 1979. Its final episode "The Hand of God" was telecast on April 29, 1979.

Is VR not popular anymore? ›

Yes, VR is still a dominant force in the gaming industry, but it is also a huge asset for businesses all over the world. The most popular uses of VR within companies involve training, remote collaboration, tests and prototyping, but there are also plenty of creative uses that fall outside these categories.

What roller coaster goes 120 mph? ›

Bert gets an adrenaline rush from the second tallest coaster in the world. The Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio is the second tallest roller coaster in the world. The entire ride only lasts 17 seconds and reaches a top speed of 120 mph!

How scary is Galactica? ›

Nah, it's one of the least intense flying coasters as it was the first, doesn't even feature a pretzel loop and unlike other rides you don't really feel the inversions as much since you're pseudo-prone. The worst part about it is waiting around whilst in the flying position.

How big is the drop on Galactica? ›

How fast is Smiler? ›

The Smiler holds the world record for the roller coaster with the most inversions. The riders must be 140 centimetres (55 in) tall to ride the smiler. The top speed is about 53 mph (85 km/h). Riders experience about the same G-Force as a drag car driver (about 4.5 Gs).

Why did they shut down Echo VR? ›

In an Instagram AMA, Bosworth said that Echo VR's playerbase, while “loyal as all get out,” had fallen into the “low ten thousands,” as transcribed by UploadVR. “Unfortunately, keeping things alive takes work,” Bosworth said.

Why did VR flop? ›

Humans aren't building VR content quickly enough to reach parity with the physical world. Think about how many scans of the Grand Canyon you'd need to replicate the real thing. It took nature billions of years to construct the physical world. Fortunately, we don't need to build everything ourselves.

Is Galactica a VR ride? ›

We took a ride on the world's first VR rollercoaster

WIRED travelled to Alton Towers in Staffordshire to take a ride on Galactica, the world's first rollercoaster fully dedicated to virtual reality.

When did Galactica have VR? ›

Opening instead in 1998 was Oblivion. Before its official name was released, Air was codenamed SW5 (Secret Weapon 5). For the 2016 season, the name was changed from Air to Galactica as virtual reality headsets were added to the ride. These only lasted until 2018, however.

References

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