View of the future Rock & Roll heaven zone of the
Hard Rock Park's CEO Steven Goodwin stood on top of the highest point of the Led Zeppelin The Ride roller coaster - 150 feet in the air - on July 13 to announce the park's topping ceremony milestone.
The Led Zeppelin roller coaster will be the highest point in the 140-acre theme park when it opens in May. From the top "you can see the beach and watch planes land," Goodwin said.
The coaster is as high as the Federal Aviation Administration would allow because it's in the flight path of airplanes landing at nearby
``When you're up there, you can wave at the pilots. I think a couple of them waved back at me,'' Goodwin said.
Friday's media event marked the first major milestone in the park's construction, which began with much fanfare a year ago. The $400 million park, the first major theme park to be built in the
It will have music-themed zones, a Jamaican-themed water play area, a 10,000-seat amphitheater, restaurants and a live comedy show featuring acrobatics and pyrotechnics.
The Led Zeppelin coaster, synchronized to the band's 1969 hit ``Whole Lotta Love,'' is envisioned as the park's signature ride, spiraling over a lagoon.
Park officials said the steel construction of the coaster would end in September and testing would begin in December.
Dummies will first ride the coaster to test the weight, then the engineer that designed it, then volunteers, Goodwin said.
Goodwin said he sat down with the band to plan the ride. They picked out the song and offered input on the design, he said. A representative of the band - Robert Rosenberg, managing director with Trinifold Management Ltd. in
``We've partnered with the most iconic rock bank of all time,'' Goodwin said.
The coaster, running along
The coaster, located in the park's Rock & Roll Heaven zone, will begin in a large silver airship, designed to make guests feel like they're stepping onto the cover of the band's debut album. Guests will then watch a five-minute Led Zeppelin performance in a multimedia concert before sitting on the coaster.
The ride reaches 65 miles per hour, goes upside down six times, with peaks and turns matching moments in the riff-driven song. An on-board audio system pumps the song into each car.
Visitors can experience what the ride will be like through a simulation at the park's preview center, called the Backstage Tour.
Amanda Watts, 21, and Santiago Galindo, 26, both of
``Can't wait,''
``It's better than
But Cal McInville of
``I ain't going to ride it,'' he said. ``My youngest boy might.''
He plans to visit the park many times and thinks the coaster will be a hot attraction.
``Seems like they are going to do it right,'' McInville said. ``It's going to change the whole area.''
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Date: 2007-09-17 06:06:32