Superman the Ultimate Flight

Edna (from the Incredibles): «what did I say? I said NO capes!»
I miss Shockwave. Call me crazy, but that ride made one hell of an impression at the front of the park: looming white support structure, royal blue track, 170ft tall, 7 inversions… may it rust in pieces (1988 — 2002) =’(
Superman, while a much smoother ride than the at-​times brutal Shockwave, occupies only half the land of its predecessor and draws ten times the crowd. This, along with slow loading times, a maximum 2-​train operation, and proximity to the front of the park, equates to long lines on nice days. It debuted to much fanfare back in 2003, but the novelty of laying on your stomach has worn off somewhat since then.
If you’re sitting here thinking «oh man, this ride is awesome, there’s nothing else like it!», know that there are in fact two identical coasters in Georgia and New Jersey. There’s really nothing special at all about the Illinois model – in fact, the model at Six Flags Over Georgia has a dual loading station and elements including a tunnel and terrain near-​misses. The Great America model is devoid of them.
Superman also suffers from the same issue that Batman does – blocked views from any row that’s not the first one and severely restricted views from middle seats in rows 2 through 7. Although the back row packs a lot of positive G’s in the pretzel loop, any row besides the front will have you looking at the bottom’s of other people’s shoes. Not exactly what I’d call the best seat in the house. Despite all those criticisms, it’s still a good time. SFGAm has recently implemented a single rider line for coaster gurus like me, which is great to see.
~Special ride elements~
*Pretzel loop (unique to B&M flying coasters)
*In-​line twist
I can’t in good conscience give any Bolliger & Mabillard coaster less than 4 stars. Their coasters run smooth as glass and have terrific re-​ridability. I was one of the lucky ones to snag a media day pass when it opened in ’03 and rode it no less than 25 times that morning, yet I can still appreciate the sensation of flying like the man of steel. Superman is tad overrated in my opinion, but fun nevertheless.

Easily one the coolest coasters at GA. The unique position, the speed, and unique experience of gravity on your back as you twist through a loop is really fun. Too bad this puppy breaks down… all the time

You can fly like Superman here! That’s my favorite part about this ride! There are more enjoyable experiences when you ride this.
First off, there are 4 seats in this car, so I’d suggest bringing you and three other friends for this. You can go with 2 or 3 people. It’s enjoyable to have you and your three friends together on this ride. This is because you don’t have to be cutting people so you can ride together with your 3 friends and yourself too!
This is fun and intense. It might not be the tallest or the fastest roller coaster, but this ride is an enjoyable experience! You go from standing to flying at the station. Then you go up 106 feet in the air. Then you are speeding down the first hill at about 50mph. The first inversion awaits you after the first drop! It’s a one-​of-​a-​kind pretzel loop! It looks like a pretzel! During the inversion, there is a camera that takes your picture. It’s a souvenir, and it is optional if you want to take it home. After the pretzel roll, you go through some twists and turns. Then you go through an in-​line twist inversion. The inversion is very intense which is why the G-​forces can be high for this ride.
There are some other cool things that are part of the ride. A two hour line is common for this ride. It’s one of the most popular rides in the park. If you want the front row, you can wait up to 10 minutes for just the front row! During your wait in line, take a look at some of the facts of the characters in the Superman movies. Some of those facts are very interesting! Also, before you enter the station, you have to wait by a Six Flags employee. This is because the line in the station is long for just the station. I think they do it by how many people can go on one train. I’m not sure
All in all, this is a fun coaster! It is fast and intense. I’d suggest doing the Flash Pass because of its common 2 hour lines. I will be back on this roller coaster.

This is a fun and intense coaster — especially in the back row. I rode the original version of this coaster (this one is a copy) that resides at Six Flags Over Georgia outside Atlanta. The coaster there has buildings and cliffs that gives the turns back and forth have a reason, which do not show up at this version.

This ride is all fun and games until you’re stuck face down and upside down in the air due to a technical issue. What’s even better is they tell you, «don’t worry this happens all the time on The Superman Ride». However, despite this I still give the ride a 3.5 stars because sans issues its a really awesome ride. Yes, I may be insane.

The flying experience is very fun. The pretzel loop is by far the best moment of the ride: inverted going straight down, then on your back at the ground, then head up going up pulling some fun G’s heading up out of the loop. The theming and ride experience work together well. Your flying head first like Superman. Only down side is with this ride’s popularity and proximity to the entrance you can expect long lines (which may change when Goliath draws guests to the back of the park).

IS IT WRONG TO WEAR TIGHTS?
Not if you’re Superman! The Man of Steel wears what he wants even if it is tights. Hey real men wear tights… Right? Well I guess if you can fly, go back in time, bend metal, lift really heavy things and blow out a fire with your breath among other things, then you can wear just about whatever you want. Ha!!!
The good news is that this ride has no tights required but you will feel like wearing a cape, as you fly through the air. This coaster rocks! You are suspended on you’re belly as you fly through the air just like the real super hero.
This ride opened in May of 2003 and replaced the Shockwave. I can hardly believe this ride has been thrilling coaster lovers for 10 years. This is one of the closest coasters to the front gate, in fact you can see it from the parking lot near the RV parking and drop off area. If you’re planning to ride this coaster first then head left after you past the carousel. Superman is located between the Condor and the indoor Batman Dark Knight Coaster. Here’s a fun fact… when it’s lightening outside the whole park shuts down, so head to the Dark Knight cause he keeps going. Superman is not happy about that.
Speaking of rain… there is a giant Superman logo at the front of the ride. When it rains the workers place a red velvet rope around the logo because it becomes dangerously slippery when wet. So be careful and don’t slip because the Man of Steel would laugh at you. So you have been warned.
If the slippery logo doesn’t get you then the 106 foot height, 53 MPH and 2 inversions will. Remember you are laying flat with your belly to the track. I hope you didn’t have a big lunch! I love riding this ride at night and in the front row. The darkness and feeling of flying is amazing. I wish the ride was longer.
Once I got that wish of a longer ride. We were hanging parallel to the ground for a while once. Getting stuck on a coaster is no fun. In that position you see a lot of things but mostly gum, coins and hair ties. It is crazy the stuff that people will drop off of a roller coaster. Another fun fact… after you have been saved from being stuck on the ride, 6 Flags will give you a ticket for a free soda or hot drink! Hey I want a beer! I just hung on my belly for 30 minutes in the hot sun… I don’t need hot chocolate… I need beer! Hopefully that will be one of the new options in 2014 but I’m not holding my breathe.
On a slow night at 6 Flags, my best friend Jeff and I rode in every row of Superman. It was an incredible experience. After all those rides we decided the back row was the best. The G forces in the loop cause your stomach to actually reach the back of your mouth. And I’m totally not kidding. It’s really intense. Yes I’m giving up my favorite spot on the ride but I wanted to share my coaster research with you. It’s a hard job but someone has to do it.
So grab your red tights and cape and get ready to fly like the Man of Steel. Up up and away! Look out Gurnee I’m taking flight!