Supreme Scream is a Turbo Drop amusement ride located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA.

Supreme Scream
View of Supreme Scream in 2002
Knotts Berry Farm
AreaThe Boardwalk
StatusOperating
CostUSD $10,000,000
Soft opening dateJuly 1, 1998
Opening dateJuly 3, 1998
ReplacedXK-1
Ride statistics
ManufacturerS&S Worldwide
DesignerStan Checketts
ModelTurbo Drop
Height312 ft (95 m)
Drop252 ft (77 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
G-force4
Riders per vehicle12
Duration0:45
Height restriction52 in (132 cm)
Acceleration0 − 50 mph (80 km/h) in 3 seconds
Launch SystemPneumatic
Fast Lane available

The ride consists of three individual Turbo Drop model towers arranged in a triangular footprint; the three towers joined at their peaks by a 60-foot-tall (18 m) pyramidal crown and marquee.

The entire structure is 312 feet (95 m) tall from the base to the top of the structure (omitting the topping 13 feet (4.0 m) flagpole) and is the tallest free-standing structure in Orange County. Supreme Scream carries 12 riders per tower in octagonal carriages upward at a speed of 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) before pausing for a brief moment at a height of 252 feet (77 m). Utilizing pneumatics paired with a pulley system, the ride carriages are then accelerated downward faster than a true free-fall to attain a top speed of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h)—exposing riders to a maximum G-force of 4 and negative G-force of -1.

The ride’s tagline is "30 Stories Up. 3 Seconds Down."

History

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Supreme Scream opened to the general public on July 3, 1998, as the tallest turbo drop–type amusement ride in the world. A soft opening for the attraction was held two days prior.[1]

During its opening year, nearby local residents were complaining about the ride's noise. This was due to the screeching, scratching and rumbling sounds of punctuated blasts of air. To address the issue, S&S Worldwide and Knott's Berry Farm engineers would install 14-inch sound buffers in the ride's mechanics to muffle the screaming.[2]

Records

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Preceded by World's Tallest Vertical Drop Ride
July 1998–December 1998
Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ "KNOTT'S OPENS SUPREME SCREAM TO THE MEDIA". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  2. ^ Canalis, John (July 30, 1998). "Piping Down at Knott's". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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