Tornado (Parque de Atracciones de Madrid)

The Tornado is an inverted roller coaster at the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid in Casa de Campo, Madrid, Spain. Manufactured by Intamin, it opened on May 23, 1999.[1][2]

Tornado
Parque de Atracciones de Madrid
LocationParque de Atracciones de Madrid
Coordinates40°24′48″N 3°44′53″W / 40.4134°N 3.7480°W / 40.4134; -3.7480
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 23, 1999 (1999-05-23)
General statistics
TypeSteel – Inverted
ManufacturerIntamin
DesignerIngenieur Büro Stengel GmbH
Height98 ft (30 m)
Length2,624.7 ft (800.0 m)
Speed49.7 mph (80.0 km/h)
Inversions3
Duration2:00
G-force4
Height restriction120 cm (3 ft 11 in)
Tornado at RCDB

Description

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Tornado is an inverted roller coaster with a length of 2,624.7 feet (800.0 meters) and a height of 98 feet.[1][2] It is unusual among inverted roller coasters made by Intamin in using a chain lift rather than a magnetic launcher.[3] It features 3 inversions, 2 loops, a corkscrew, and a 30m drop to 80 km/h.[2]

The ride was designed by Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH and opened on May 23, 1999.[2] It is one of five rides at the park that form the subject of physics problems in a student workbook that won the Madrid award for teaching materials.[4]

Ride experience

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When Tornado starts, the coaster exits the station and goes up a lift hill. Riders then drop 30 metres (98 ft) and reach a speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) before entering the first loop, followed by the second. The coaster then goes through a corkscrew, which is one of the inversions. It then goes into 2 or 3 helices before going through the brake run, which takes riders back into the station, where the ride ends. The ride lasts 2 minutes.

Controversies

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In June 2009 the ride was temporarily closed because it was so popular with teenagers that there was risk of an accident.[5] In 2011, a complaint that noise from the park exceeded legal limits singled out the Tornado as even noisier than two newer roller coasters in the same park, the Tarántula and the Abismo.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Tornado, Atracciones, Parque de Atracciones de Madrid (in Spanish)
  2. ^ a b c d Duane Marden, Tornado - Parque de Atracciones de Madrid (Madrid, Madrid, Spain), Roller Coaster Database, retrieved February 3, 2013.
  3. ^ Matteo Crepaldi, Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, The Parks.it, April 4, 2009, retrieved February 8, 2013 (in Italian)
  4. ^ Beatriz Lucas, "Newton en el Parque de Atracciones: Las instalaciones del principal centro de ocio de Madrid se convierten en un gran laboratorio de física", El País, April 7, 2005 (in Spanish)
  5. ^ "Quejas entre la avalancha de jóvenes que celebran el fin de curso en Parque de Atracciones tras la suspensión de una atracción" Archived 2017-02-23 at the Wayback Machine, Qué!, June 22, 2009 (in Spanish)
  6. ^ "Salvemos la Casa de Campo: el Parque de Atracciones 'burla' la norma de ruido", Noticias agencias, ABC, June 16, 2011 (in Spanish)
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