# Ride of Steel

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Steel roller coaster

For the roller coaster at Six Flags New England previously named *Superman - Ride of Steel*, see [Superman The Ride](/source/Superman_The_Ride).

Ride of Steel Superman – Ride of Steel at Six Flags America Six Flags America Name Superman – Ride of Steel Park section Gotham City Coordinates 38°54′30.5″N 76°46′37.7″W / 38.908472°N 76.777139°W / 38.908472; -76.777139 Status Closed Opening date May 13, 2000 (2000-05-13) Closing date November 2, 2025 (2025-11-02) Six Flags Darien Lake Coordinates 42°55′43.8″N 78°23′21.7″W / 42.928833°N 78.389361°W / 42.928833; -78.389361 Status Operating Opening date May 15, 1999 (1999-05-15) Ride of Steel at Six Flags Darien Lake at RCDB General statistics Type Steel Manufacturer Intamin Designer Werner Stengel Model Mega Coaster Lift/launch system Chain lift hill Height 208 ft (63 m) Drop 205 ft (62 m) Length 5,400 ft (1,600 m) Speed 73 mph (117 km/h) Inversions 0 Duration 2:02 Max vertical angle 68° Capacity 1100 riders per hour Height restriction 54–76 in (137–193 cm) Trains 2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 32 riders per train. Fast Lane available Ride of Steel at RCDB

**Ride of Steel** is a [steel roller coaster](/source/Steel_roller_coaster) based on the [DC Comics](/source/DC_Comics) character [Superman](/source/Superman) at [Six Flags Darien Lake](/source/Six_Flags_Darien_Lake) and formerly at [Six Flags America](/source/Six_Flags_America) (the latter of which was known as **Superman – Ride of Steel**). Both roller coasters are [hypercoasters](/source/Hypercoaster), and were manufactured by [Intamin](/source/Intamin). They feature identical mirrored layouts, and opened one year apart: the [Six Flags Darien Lake](/source/Six_Flags_Darien_Lake) ride in 1999, and the Six Flags America ride in 2000. The roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake, upon the acquisition of the park by [PARC Management](/source/PARC_Management) in 2007, was renamed simply to Ride of Steel, dropping the Superman theme and branding for the sake of copyright. While Six Flags Darien Lake was reintegrated into the Six Flags chain in 2019, the Superman theme was not returned to the ride.

Both roller coasters are 208 feet (63 m) tall, feature a drop length of 205 feet (62 m), and reach a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).

On May 1, 2025, Six Flags announced that the Six Flags America park [would close](/source/Six_Flags_America#Closing) on November 2, 2025.[1] The future of the Superman – Ride of Steel roller coaster was not commented on at the time of the announcement.[2]

## Ride layout

Upon dispatch from the station, the train makes a winding 180-degree turn. It ascends 208 feet (63 m) up the lift hill before dropping 205 feet (62 m) at an angle of 68 degrees. The train reaches the maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h) before entering a sharp turn and the first airtime hill. A 540-degree helix follows, in addition to another smaller airtime hill. The finale involves a 500-degree helix and three more airtime hills before reaching the brake run and returning to the station. The layout of the Six Flags America ride was mirrored from the Six Flags Darien Lake ride.

### Elements

- 5 airtime hills (4 straightforward airtime hills and 1 twisted airtime hill)

- 2 helixes (540-degree and 500-degree)

## VR experience

On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that the ride at Six Flags America would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to integrate a VR system into its ride experience. Riders were given the option of wearing a [Samsung Gear VR](/source/Samsung_Gear_VR) headset, powered by [Oculus](/source/Oculus_VR), to create a 360-degree 3D experience while riding. It featured Superman saving a city from [Lex Luthor](/source/Lex_Luthor)'s Lex Bots, who were causing chaos with an anti-gravity ray. This feature was also added to [Superman: Krypton Coaster](/source/Superman%3A_Krypton_Coaster) at [Six Flags Fiesta Texas](/source/Six_Flags_Fiesta_Texas) and [Superman The Ride](/source/Superman_The_Ride) at [Six Flags New England](/source/Six_Flags_New_England).[3] It was eventually removed.

## Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters Year 1998 1999 Ranking – – Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Ranking – 20[4] 16[5] 13[6] 12[7] 18[8] 23[9] 14[10] 17[11] 28[12] Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Ranking 26[13] 40[14] 43[15] 38[16] – – – – 39 (tie)[17] 47 (tie)[18] Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Ranking N/A – – – – –

		- Ride station at Six Flags Darien Lake

		- Lift hill and first drop at Six Flags America

		- First airtime hill at Six Flags America

		- Ride of Steel at Six Flags Darien Lake

## Incidents

### Six Flags Darien Lake

- On May 16, 1999, a passenger was thrown from the train at the Six Flags Darien Lake installment on one of the final airtime hills, suffering serious injuries. He was awarded US$3.95 million in damages.[19][20]

- On July 8, 2011, a disabled [Iraq War](/source/Iraq_War) veteran who lost both legs during his deployment died after being ejected from the front seat of the Six Flags Darien Lake installment.[21] The state's Department of Labor cited "operator error" as the cause of the accident and issued two violations, in which the park responded by retraining staff and updating ride safety signage before reopening the ride.[22] A final report from the local sheriff's office detailed negligence by the employees, who should have been aware that the restraints required passengers to have both legs in order to be restrained safely.[23] Witnesses reported seeing the man let go of the restraint to reach for his hat that had flown off his head before he was ejected, and evidence suggested that he died instantly from blunt force trauma to the head when he came into contact with the front of a ride car.[23] Following this incident, the ride temporarily ceased operation for two weeks before reopening again on July 22.[24][25]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-wusa1_1-0)** Sopher, Ittai (May 1, 2025). ["Six Flags in Bowie to close later this year"](https://www.wusa9.com/article/entertainment/six-flags-america-closing-maryland-bowie-prince-georges-county/65-4819a65c-6f98-4357-b1be-d139f04ba551). *WUSA (TV)*. Retrieved May 1, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-mayridestatus_2-0)** Marzano, Peter (May 1, 2025). ["Six Flags America, Hurricane Harbor to close after 2025 season, company announces"](https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/six-flags-america-hurricane-harbor-to-close-after-2025-season-company-announces/3735849/). *WMAQ-TV*. Retrieved May 1, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Six Flags adds VR roller coasters"](http://www.digitaltrends.com/virtual-reality/samsung-six-flags-gear-vr-roller-coaster-news/). Digital Trends. 3 March 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2001_4-0)** ["Top 25 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019224631/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2001gta/2001gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*: 7B. August 2001. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2001gta/2001gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2002_5-0)** ["Top 25 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019220844/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2002gta/2002gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*: 7B. September 2002. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2002gta/2002gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2003_6-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019220435/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2003gta/2003gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2003gta/2003gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2004_7-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070403175010/http://www.amusementtoday.com/image/GoldenTicket2004.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2004gta/2004gta.pdf) (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2005_8-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019224730/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2005gta/2005gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2005gta/2005gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2006_9-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019220851/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2006gta/2006gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2006gta/2006gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2007_10-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019220334/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2007gta/2007gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*. **11** (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2007gta/2007gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2008_11-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019222043/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2008gta/2008gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*. **12** (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2008gta/2008gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2009_12-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019224819/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2009gta/2009gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*. **13** (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2009gta/2009gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2010_13-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019221836/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2010gta/2010gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*. **14** (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2010gta/2010gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2011_14-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019215626/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2011gta/2011gta.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*. **15** (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2011gta/2011gta.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2012_15-0)** ["Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://goldenticketawards.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2012gtaissue.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*. **16** (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2013_16-0)** ["2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019223439/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/pdfs/2013_golden_ticket_section.pdf) (PDF). *[Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today)*. **17** (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from [the original](https://www.goldenticketawards.com/pdfs/2013_golden_ticket_section.pdf) (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2018_17-0)** ["2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters"](https://goldenticketawards.com/2018-top-50-steel-coasters/). *[Golden Ticket Awards](/source/Golden_Ticket_Awards)*. [Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today). September 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GTA2019_18-0)** ["2019 Top Steel"](https://goldenticketawards.com/2019-top-steel/). *[Golden Ticket Awards](/source/Golden_Ticket_Awards)*. [Amusement Today](/source/Amusement_Today). September 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Rider thrown from new Darien Lake roller coaster"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080207084729/http://www.rideaccidents.com/1999.html#may20). *RideAccidents.com*. May 16, 1999. Archived from [the original](http://www.rideaccidents.com/1999.html#may16) on February 7, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["Theme-park patron ejected from roller coaster"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070928135146/http://www.verdictsearch.com/jv3_news/newsletter/nat/052604/3.jsp). 2004-03-12. Archived from [the original](http://www.verdictsearch.com/jv3_news/newsletter/nat/052604/3.jsp) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-10-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Army amputee ejected from roller coaster, dies"](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43692529). NBC News. July 9, 2011. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110711013008/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43692529/ns/us_news-life/t/army-amputee-ejected-roller-coaster-dies/) from the original on July 11, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["Ride of Steel Reopens, Darien Lake Officials Answer Questions About Tragedy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120126022513/http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Ride-of-Steel-Reopens-Darien-Lake-Officials-Answer-Questions-About-Tragedy-126048908.html). *WKBW TV Buffalo*. July 22, 2011. Archived from [the original](https://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Ride-of-Steel-Reopens-Darien-Lake-Officials-Answer-Questions-About-Tragedy-126048908.html) on January 26, 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Sheriff_report_23-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Sheriff_report_23-1) Owens, Howard B. (August 25, 2011). ["Final Sheriff's Office report on death at Darien's 'Ride of Steel' contains new details"](https://web.archive.org/web/20191014110655/https://www.thebatavian.com/howard-owens/final-sheriffs-office-report-death-dariens-ride-steel-contains-new-details/27870). *The Batavian*. Archived from [the original](https://www.thebatavian.com/howard-owens/final-sheriffs-office-report-death-dariens-ride-steel-contains-new-details/27870) on October 14, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Darien Lake settles lawsuit stemming from death of Iraq veteran killed by falling out of a roller coaster"](https://www.syracuse.com/news/2013/01/darien_lake_settles_lawsuit_st.html). *syracuse.com*. 2013-01-08. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210707225707/https://www.syracuse.com/news/2013/01/darien_lake_settles_lawsuit_st.html) from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved 2019-04-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Buckley, Eileen (2011-07-22). ["State labor department issues violations against Darien Lake; Ride reopens"](https://www.wbfo.org/2011-07-22/state-labor-department-issues-violations-against-darien-lake-ride-reopens). *WBFO*. Retrieved 2021-07-21.

## External links

- [Six Flags America's Official Page for Superman: Ride of Steel](http://www.sixflags.com/america/rides/SupermanRideofSteel.aspx)

v t e Six Flags Darien Lake Roller coasters Boomerang: Coast to Coaster Hoot N Holler Moto Coaster Ride of Steel Tantrum The Predator Viper Other attractions Darien Lake Performing Arts Center Hurricane Harbor Events Fright Fest Holiday in the Park Former rides Nightmare At Phantom Cave

v t e Former attractions at Six Flags America Roller coasters Batwing Firebird Great Chase The Joker's Jinx Professor Screamore's SkyWinder Python Ragin' Cajun Roar Ride of Steel The Wild One Two Face: The Flip Side Other rides Gotham City Penguin's Blizzard River Hurricane Harbor Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth Events Fright Fest (The Haunting of Hall Manor) Other Holiday in the Park Whistlestop Park

v t e Superman in amusement parks Justice League: Alien Invasion 3D Justice League: Battle for Metropolis Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom Superman El Último Escape Superman Escape Ride of Steel Superman: Escape from Krypton Superman: Krypton Coaster (Six Flags Fiesta Texas) Superman: Krypton Coaster (Six Flags Mexico) Superman: La Atracción de Acero Superman The Ride Superman: Tower of Power Superman: Ultimate Escape Superman: Ultimate Flight Superman: Ultimate Flight (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ride of Steel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_of_Steel) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_of_Steel?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.