Official Name and More Revealed for Universal Studios Japan Flying Coaster

Okay, maybe it is not the most unique name on the globe, but it makes the point of the ride very clear and appears to translate easily as well.  Universal Studios Japan has named their new Bolliger and Mabillard flying roller coaster The Flying Dinosaur.  As the coaster is located within the Jurassic Park themed area, it certainly makes sense from that perspective.

© Universal Studios Japan

Here is the key promotional art that the theme park released for the Flying Dinosaur, showing riders under the claws of a very large Pteranodon.  The ride's premise is located on the park's announcement page for the ride, but even translating it from Japanese has left things pretty choppy.  It sounds like the general storyline is that Jurassic Park researchers have been working for years on a way for humans to ride with the Pteranodons, and though the animals are well trained sometimes they lose control and naturally a wild ride will ensue.

The translation also makes reference to three "elements," which might just be highlighted maneuvers, or perhaps inversions.  We do know the ride ends with an extended heartline roll.

The news also comes with two statistics, and they're both world records for B&M flying coasters.  The Flying Dinosaur will have a first drop of 37.8 meters, or just about 124 feet.  That beats Tatsu's first plunge of 111 feet.  The ride will also be the longest of its kind, at 1,124 meters or about 3,687 feet.  That's also longer than Tatsu's 3,602 feet.

No other facts yet, like the lift height (which I think is much taller than the drop) or maximum speed.  Hopefully the front of the trains have some nice Pteranodon theming!

© Made_In_USJ

As for the current status of the ride, here is a photo from Twitter's Made_In_USJ that shows the latest.  The park is starting to assemble the supports for the first drop, which looks like it may have a turn involved in it after all.

The rest of the ride is still a mystery for now, unless the park puts out more images since the coaster is official now.  Stay tuned!