Drachen Fire



Drachen Fire was a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Operating from 1992 until 1998, the roller coaster was manufactured by Arrow Dynamics. It featured electric-blue track and silver supports, and was located in the Oktoberfest portion of the park, behind the Big Bad Wolf and Das Festhaus. The tagline for the ride was "Feel the Heat." The ride had three separate trains, featuring seven cars each, with each car holding passengers arranged two by two. The cars were red, with grey seats, and featured red trim lights illuminated the trains at night. Upon opening, the ride featured a 150 foot tall lift hill, six inversions, and a zero-gravity camel-back hump element. The ride was shut down in the middle of the 1998 season following a history of low ridership, and complaints of roughness.

Ride experience
After leaving the station, the ride made a small dip and turned 180 degrees to the left, where it entered the lift hill. At the top of the 150 foot lift, the ride made a shallow dive of around 50 feet, then entered a wraparound corkscrew which had an apex of 120 feet, before descending the remainder of a curving drop, ending up facing the opposite direction of the lift hill, and achieving a speed of 60 miles per hour. The ride then entered a first of a kind camel back hump hill, which was designed to balance the riders between positive and negative g-forces, giving a feeling of weightlessness. The ride then entered the Batwing element (cobra roll), which featured two inversions in one element. The ride then turned up an ascending hill to the left, and entered a run of Block Brakes. Next, the ride dove down into a corkscrew, then a slight left turn over the park midway into a cutback. The ride then traversed back over the midway, under the first corkscrew and entered a second corkscrew. It then quickly entered a counter-clockwise helix. Exiting the helix, the ride made a right hand turn onto a final brake run, which would then lead straight into the ride station.

History
In 1991 the Anheuser-Busch Entertainment Corporation announced a myriad of new rides for their various entertainment parks. Keith M. Kason, then current General Manager for Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announced the Drachen Fire ride in the fall of 1991, stating "Anheuser-Busch has shown a commitment to reinvestment and making a real strong quality statement, and we will do it with this roller coaster." Construction began in the fall of 1991, and was heavily filmed. Footage of the design, construction, and testing process of Drachen Fire can be viewed in a 1993 PBS special of their NOVA program, titled "Roller Coaster."

Construction was completed in early 1992, and the ride was set to open on April 4 of the same year. The park hired comedian and self-proclaimed roller coaster enthusiast Dana Carvey to officiate the opening ceremonies. However, on opening day, the ride experienced mechanical issues. Carvey offered an impromptu stand-up comedy routine to entertain the crowd and keep the guests occupied, though the issue was not resolved on what should have been the opening day.

The ride drew large crowds, and was a hit with many coaster enthusiasts. However, less than a month after opening, the coaster gained a reputation for roughness. After increasing complaints, decreasing ridership, and at least one lawsuit filed, the park removed the corkscrew element between the block brakes and the cutback element, replacing it with a straight section of track and trim brakes. Passengers were advised to remove their earrings prior to riding because of roughness.

Drachen Fire was featured on a 1996 edition of "Theme Parks a Go-Go" on the E! network. The segment was hosted by actor Alex Winter who would be shown riding this, at the time fastest in the park, ride through some its many inversions. Upon completion of the ride, he stated that his vertebra was snapped like a twig. Although famous at that time for his comedic roles, this comment stands as a testimony to the Drachen Fire's reputation for being a rough experience.

With decreasing ridership (possibly from its reputation of roughness), coupled with the popularity of the parks 1997 roller coaster Alpengeist, the ride was finally closed in the middle of the 1998 season. When questioned for the reason, park PR director Cindy Sarko stated, "There has been a steady erosion of ridership, combined with the high operating expenses of the ride, it helped officials make the decision to shut it down." Sarko went on to say that they would attempt to modify the ride, but gave no estimate on when the ride would reopen.

The ride was listed for sale in 1999, and stood "Standing but not operating" until 2002. The coaster was tested during the Passholder Preview Day in 2001, leading many to hope it would reopen, however this turned out not to be the case. Sarko made a statement as to the sale of the ride, stating the park initially planned to modify the ride, but decided later to place the ride for sale. She went on to say "We had several inquiries from potential buyers, but for various reasons, we couldn't reach any agreements."

The ride was dismantled in early 2002. When the park opened for the 2002 season, the track and supports were completely gone. The station and maintenance bay are still standing today. For the 2002 and 2003 season, the trains could still be seen sitting in the maintenance bay, although all other track had been removed.