The Bat Returns to Kings Island

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the announcement of the original Bat roller coaster at Kings Island, and to celebrate the park has revealed that Flight Deck will undergo a transformation into the Bat for the park's 2014 season.

Flight Deck will be repainted with orange track and two shades of charcoal for the supports, and the ride's trains will be all black.

"There was a lot of passion and enthusiasm around this name change by our guests," Kings Island's vice-president and general manager Greg Scheid said. "They told us this is a name they wanted us to bring back. We listened and we're excited our guests will again be able to fly The Bat at Kings Island in 2014."

The coaster in recent years as Flight Deck

Originally opened as Top Gun, the suspended coaster ride was renamed Flight Deck when Cedar Fair purchased the park.  The new name better fits with the coaster's dynamics, as it flies riders over the landscape in trains that are meant to swing out during turns.  First opened in 1993, the coaster celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and has given over 20 million rides.

The original Bat at Kings Island operated only some of three seasons from 1981-1983 before being removed due to performance issues, giving 1.8 million rides during that time.

The name change and upgrades to this ride are yet another example of the 'new' Cedar Fair - taking pride in their history and celebrating it.  I'm quite pleased to see the change, and for an Arrow suspended ride to receive such care - there are only a handful left in the world.  Kudos to Kings Island for this news!