Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Batwing

∆ Direction: 180°
Inversions: 2
Composed of: Reverse Sidewinder, Sidewinder
Opposite of: Cobra Roll

The Batwing is entered via a reverse Sidewinder, leading directly into a mirror-image Sidewinder, giving the element a distinctive heart-shape when viewed from front or back. Often, the half loop elements in this figure are shorter vertically than when found alone or in other figures, such as Cobra Rolls.

Element found on:
Afterburn at Carowinds, NC
Montu (pictured) at Busch Gardens Tampa, FL

Cobra Roll

∆ Direction: 180°
Inversions: 2
Composed of: Sidewinder, Reverse Sidewinder
Inverse of: Batwing

One of the most common figures in steel roller coaster design, the Cobra Roll is entered via a Sidewinder, leading directly into a mirror-image Reverse Sidewinder. Viewed from the front it gives the appearance of a cobra's hood. This element is a fixture in the common coaster design Boomerang.

Element found on:
Two-Face, the Flip Side (pictured) at Six Flags America, MD
Raptor at Cedar Point, OH
Silver Bullet at Knott's Berry Farm, CA

Sea Serpent

∆ Direction: 0°
Inversions: 2
Composed of: Immelmann, Dive Loop
Opposite of: Bowtie

Relatively uncommon, the Sea Serpent is a double-inversion figure. It begins with an Immelmann, which leads directly into an inverse Dive Loop. This unique arrangement gives it a curvy M-shaped profile from front or back, as well as rotational symmetry.

Element found on:
Medusa at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, CA