Afterburn, Steel roller coaster at Carowinds, South Carolina, US
Afterburn is a steel roller coaster at Carowinds featuring six inversions along nearly 3,000 feet of track, including a vertical loop, an immelmann, a zero-g roll, and a corkscrew element. The ride operates two trains with eight cars each to move large numbers of passengers through the course.
The attraction opened in 1999 as Top Gun: The Jet Coaster before being renamed when Cedar Fair acquired Paramount Parks in 2006. This change in ownership brought a shift in the park's branding and management approach.
The ride draws inspiration from military fighter jets, with a scale model aircraft positioned near where guests board. You can see this aviation theme reflected in the ride's colors and sleek structural design throughout the attraction.
Riders must meet a minimum height requirement of about 54 inches to experience the attraction safely; younger guests can watch from the ground. Plan for queue times, as the actual ride lasts just a few minutes despite accommodating many passengers per hour.
The coaster reaches speeds of about 62 mph and features suspended sections where riders hang beneath the track in an inverted position. This creates an especially intense sensation during the 125-foot drop near the ride's midpoint.
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