Flight Deck, Steel roller coaster in Santa Clara, California
Flight Deck is a steel roller coaster in Santa Clara featuring three inversions: a vertical loop, a zero-gravity roll, and a corkscrew along its red track. The ride combines these elements with sustained airtime moments throughout the course.
The coaster debuted in 1993 as Top Gun and was the second inverted model created by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. The design pioneered new techniques that influenced how inverted coasters were built afterward.
The queue area is designed like an aircraft carrier flight deck, complete with rotating radar dishes that carry the aviation theme throughout and make the experience more immersive.
Riders must be at least 54 inches (137 cm) tall to experience this coaster, which operates with two trains carrying four passengers per row. Waits tend to be longer during peak hours, so arriving early in the day helps you get through the line faster.
After Super Bowl LVIII, the coaster was briefly renamed Soaring Chiefs to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs' victory over the San Francisco 49ers. This temporary change shows how the ride connects to local sports moments in unexpected ways.
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