Kentucky Kingdom Building New Wooden Roller Coaster for 2019 Season

© Kentucky Kingdom

Last night Kentucky Kingdom gave us all a wonderful surprise that we did not see coming when they announced the details of the Kentucky Flyer, a brand new wooden roller coaster being built at the park in 2019.

The Kentucky Flyer will be Kentucky Kingdom's 6th roller coaster.  It is being designed to appeal to families, with only a 40 inch height requirement.  The amusement park has an existing larger and thrilling wooden coaster, Thunder Run, and the new ride serve as a wonderful compliment to it.

© Kentucky Kingdom

Designed by The Gravity Group, Kentucky Flyer will also feature their trademark Timberliner trains.  The out-and-back layout features a crossover mid ride along the 1,280 feet of track.  The trains will navigate a 45 foot first drop at 52 degrees, giving the ride a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour.

© Kentucky Kingdom

As is commonly found on rides created by The Gravity Group, the new coaster will features plenty of air-time hills (12 to be exact) along with some twisted turns that bank up to 56 degrees.

The Gravity Group has created several mid-sized rides like this in the past, including Oscar's Wacky Taxi at Sesame Place in 2018, Timber at Walibi Rhône-Alpes in 2016, Roar-O-Saurus at Story Land in 2014, and the Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park in 2011.  While these rides are smaller in size they are known for being extremely enjoyable and repeatable rides that are loved by families with smaller kids looking for a bigger thrill.

Kentucky Kingdom already has several very thrilling roller coasters, so the Kentucky Flyer will really appeal to many visitors at the park.  Can't wait to see more about the ride, including its location in the park, as details are released in the future.

Here is the full announcement video from the park: