New HangTime Coaster to Drop into Knott's Berry Farm in 2018

Last night had one more announcement in store for coaster fans, and that was the addition of HangTime at Knott's Berry Farm for summer 2018.  The theme park will build the new thrill coaster in the Boardwalk themed section, on the plot of land taken up by Boomerang along with several other buildings.

HangTime will be one of Gerstlauer's "Infinity" roller coasters, featuring blue track with gray supports and a vertical lift to 150 feet above the park. 

© Knott's Berry Farm

This concept art shows the features of HangTime, including the vertical lift tower.  Once the cars reach the top they will move onto a piece of track that is angled toward the ground at 60 degrees.  They will be held there for several seconds, after which the trains will plummet down at a beyond vertical angle of 96 degrees.  This drop sequence is leading Knott's to market the ride as the first "dive coaster on the West coast."

The drop will send the cars along the 2,198 feet of track at 57 miles per hour.  Features of the layout include a total of five inversions, including a cobra roll and the second "negative-g stall loop" in the Western hemisphere - this element is described as giving riders the "sensation of floating."

© Knott's Berry Farm

HangTime will feature three trains, each consisting of four rows of four riders, so a total of sixteen passengers per cycle.  It will feature elaborate lighting at night, similar to the very impressive display that can be found on the Monster at Adventureland.  The lights placed along the track are able to transform the ride into different colors to match it to special events during the year, and also follow the trains course through the layout.  Needless to say, this will be a ride that must be seen and ridden after the sun goes down.

No animation of the ride was available at the time of its announcement, but the park promises to have one later in the year.  With ground already cleared, the work of digging foundations for HangTime will start in just a couple weeks.