Air is a ‘flying’ coaster, which is the term for a coaster where the rider has a near horizontal seating position whilst riding, giving the impression of flying, like Superman.

I’ve only ridden this a couple of times before this visit, because for some strange coincidence it always seemed to be ‘off’ on my last couple of visits.

Rita Coaster Vital Statistics

• Type of ride: Steel coaster
• Top speed: 46 mph
• Track length: 2,756 feet
• Ride time: 90 seconds
• Inversions: 2
• Height requirement: 1.4m
• Opened: 2002
• Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
• Cost £12m

This ride gives the impression of being longer than the 1m30s or so it lasts, probably because of the variety of movement and the unusual riding style.

It’s a doozy though.

You get yourself into the seat, which initially feels not unlike Nemesis or other coasters that invert, in that you are securely held with an over-the-shoulder harness. The bit you don’t immediately notice are the ankle-clamps, a bit like you’d imagine the electric chair to have.

The reason for this becomes apparent when the ride prep starts and the chair rotates through 90 degrees, leaving the rider in a seated position but facing the ground – strange to say the least.

As is the norm, we find ourselves heading out of the station, almost under ground,  and up a chain lift to get some height. At the peak of the climb we head off with a short dip to the right and swoop down towards the ground.

As we come out of the dip we’re inverted by and now we’re flying on our back round a big sweeping curve. Then a twist out of there and a big outside swoop and into a barrel-roll to disorient us before a couple of dips towards the ground again.

Finally we go into another outside swoop, with a good view of the car-park, before heading back into the station with some brakes.

Verdict: Out of the ordinary and fab.

First up – Rita, formerly “Rita: Queen of Speed” (see below*), is a LSM launched coaster, much like the Aerosmith Rock n Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios Florida, technology-wise. It uses a Linear Synchronous Motor to accelerate the cars from 0-62mph in 2.2 seconds. It does take your breath away a bit.

Rita Coaster Vital Statistics

• Type of ride: Steel coaster (Launched)
• Top speed: 62 mph (in 2.2s)
• Track length: 2,122 feet
• Ride time: 49 seconds
• Inversions: 0
• Height requirement: 1.4m
• Opened: 2005
• Manufacturer: Intamin
• Cost £8m

As for the ride itself, it’s not the longest, but with the accelleration, it’s pretty intense. The build-up includes a creepy babbling voiceover, ultimately urging, “you must escape!”

You can only just feel the brakes coming off and a slight roll-forward, just as the voice says “Go! Go! Go!” and you are launched, with cheeks pulled back, to that top speed in the two or so seconds it takes to get to the end of the straight coming out of the station.

Then we bank heavily to the right in a big curve and climb to the highest point of the track before switching to banking left round another tight curve, with the cars almost on their sides on the downhill stretch. We straighten out from that curve with a mini-climb and hard-bank-right into another tight right-hand curve, parallel with and just below the first curve. We again straighten into a slight lift and easy bank left then it’s over a final crest before we’re onto the brakes and back into the station.

* Rita was originally themed as a drag-racing coaster but was re-themed in 2010 to fit in with the new ‘Dark Forest’ look and feel for that section of the park and the introduction of the coaster Th13teen that year. As a result, it lost it’s “Queen of Speed” tag along with the bright colours and flames, and received the gloomy, dark treatment we see now.

Like a number of rides at Alton Towers, it’s a ‘first’ in a genre; in this case a ‘free-fall’ track coaster.

The coaster was built on the site of the original “Corkscrew” coaster, the initial main attraction when the park opened, which was in itself a world’s first; a  double helix coaster. A piece of Corkscrew’s track is now displayed in the entrance area to the theme park.

‘TH13TEEN’  Coaster Vital Statistics

Type of ride: Steel coaster with free-fall element

• Height: 60 feet
• First drop: 56 feet
• Top speed: 67 mph
• Inversions: 0
• Height requirement: 1.2 meters
• Opened: 20/03/2010
• Manufacturer: Intamin AG

TH13TEEN, to give the coaster it’s branding, is a horror themed coaster. The approach to it is surrounded by faceless wraiths (more of that later) wearing brown sack-cloth and accompanied by eerie music and sounds, the strapline of the ride being, “You’d better not go alone.”

The picture above is the banner above the entrance to the ride, with the neighbouring coaster Rita in motion across the top. The blurb mentions it cost £15m to build. These coasters don’t come cheap.

First thing I noticed was that the height restriction was only 1.2m and we’re only restrained by a lap-bar, so we’re not going to be inverting, what’s this one got to excite us then? The height restriction meant the boy could get on, so he was delighted.

We navigate the queue quite quickly, and hope for the back row in the little trains (as you know the position de choice for coaster fans). But purely by chance we end up right at the front, which turns out to be the best seat in the house for this particular coaster.

So we exit the station, turn right and get hauled swiftly up the chain-pull to the top of the 60 foot climb, and we’re off. A fairly tasty drop to start with and we reckon we’re in for something good, then a few swoops and turns and a little drop through the ‘spooky’ woods and I was beginning to think, “is this it?”

Then, in the middle distance I can see we’re heading towards enclosed scaffolding, covered in white tarpaulin and, as we head in to the dark, things take a turn for the worse (or better really). Under the dark tarp, it’s done up like an archeological dig, with dim lighting. The train grinds to a halt. We hear some creaking and a sudden CRACK! (accompanied with some air-blasts from the side, for effect) and everything goes completely dark and the whole train drops down suddenly, it feels about six inches, into the ground. The passengers all scream and just as the sound escapes, the train drops vertically again, this time some considerable distance (about 15 feet according to some reports). Now we’re talking!

We’re now in a lower ‘tomb’ with wraiths, green lighting and general spookiness. Then we start to go again, this time backwards, and fast, in the dark. We’re only going round in wide circles, on a slightly undulating (side to side) track, but in the dark the effect is pretty cool. After what feels like a couple of circuits, we come back out into the light and slow to a halt again. The points on the track change and we are accelerated into the terminus.

So, not only a first in terms of vertical drop track-coaster, but the use of both chain pull and magnetic induction for propulsion too.

One of the funniest things we saw was when we were heading back on again, along the empty ‘single rider’ lane. We saw a man dressed as a wraith position himself just before the merchandising outlet, but out of site of riders coming off the coaster. As they came round the corner, gabbing to each other about the experience, the motionless wraith, looking like a prop for the shop, suddenly reached out to one of them. We watched a few going past, and if the ride didn’t scare the living daylights out of them, this guy certainly did.

Verdict?

A great novelty coaster, something out of the ordinary.

Over the years, I’ve been To Alton Towers many, many times and when I’m there, I always make a point of having at least a couple of goes on this fabulous coaster.

Alton Towers is in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside in England, equidistant between Derby and Stoke-On-Trent, if you know that area.

You drive on some winding roads through some really beautiful countryside to get from the motorway to the park.

Nemesis  Coaster Vital Statistics

Type of ride: Steel ‘inverted’ coaster

• Height: 43 feet
• First drop: 104 feet
• Top speed: 60 mph
• Track length: 2349 feet
• Ride time: 1:20 minutes (actual 0:55)
• Inversions: 4
• Max G:Force: 4
• Height requirement: 54 inches
• Opened: 19/03/1994
• Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mallibard

Nemesis is an ‘Inverted’ coaster, meaning the cars hang down from the track. You’ve got a full, over-the-shoulder harness, so no danger of you falling out while your legs dangle in the air below you. As mentioned before, I am a big fan of inverted coasters. Nemesis is alien-themed, with all it’s fabricated purple sinuey glory and rivers of purple alien-blood running down the sides of the rides into pools below.

We kick off with the traditional chain lift taking us up to its max height of 150 feet an a wonderful view of the park and surrounding area. Then, we’re over the apex and with a small initial dip and twist to the left we’re off!

First up is a barrel-roll inversion (sideways loop the loop), into a big curve with a good serving of g-forces with a follow-on barrel-roll.

Then we dive below ground-level amongst all the alien blood as a lead-up into a full 360 degree outside loop. With your legs hanging on the outside of the loop, you really get a feel for the speed at this point. Then it’s back below ground-level again for another look at the rivers of blood.

On coming up from the ground the second time, we veer round to the left and back below ground briefly before our last inversion, a clockwise barrel-roll before the slowdown and the all-too-soon end.

Verdict?

Despite being over 15 years old, still one of the top coasters in the UK!