[cwgator]

This was announced back in November 2013, but no location was given at that time. In fact not much information has come out about the 525 foot Polercoaster....until today. They just announced on WESH 2 (Orlando) that the coaster will be built in Orange county and will most likely be in the I-Drive corridor. It will NOT be in one of the theme parks. This was announced at 5:15pm on May 30, 2014. Even more info to be released on the the exact location in the weeks to come.


Polercoaster coming to Central Florida, sources say

ORLANDO, Fla. —A WESH 2 News investigation reveals the world's tallest roller coaster is coming to Central Florida.

U.S. Thrill Rides, designer of the Polercoaster vertical coaster, has been saying for months that it has a client in Florida to buy and build the ride, but we didn't know where.

Now, documents made public provide evidence the coaster is coming to Orange County.

All indications are that the Polercoaster will be built outside of a major theme park, and the company believed to be leading the effort is already building the new Mango's Café just south of Sand Lake Road.

The idea that the tallest roller coaster on earth is coming to Florida has been racing through the attractions world.

In November, at the amusement industry convention, U.S. Thrill Rides' president Michael Kitchen detailed the plans for the ride and the attraction.

It will feature a concert hall, entertainment, restaurant and retail space, all 570-feet in the air.

"Imagine being 50 stories in the air and orbiting the entire observation structure, rolling inverted and coming down to the ground. It's going to be an incredible ride," he said.

WESH 2 News has obtained a copy of the visitor log that shows Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs or her staff met Thursday with Jeff Forrest, president of Winter Park Construction, Joshua Wallack of Wallack Holdings LLC, Kitchen and Alan Helman, founder of global architectural firm HHCP.

Sources tell WESH 2 News that Wallack, who is currently building a huge Mango's Tropical Café on International Drive, is leading the team to build the Polercoaster in Orange County.

Planning records show Wallack previously planned to build a large parking lot a block away from his café, but that land could be the coaster site,

Since then, Wallack bought a Walgreen's property near Mango's to build a new garage.

The world's tallest coaster could blend well with the nearby Orlando Eye, a 425-foot observation wheel.

Everyone connected to the Polercoast won't comment.

Sources tell WESH 2 News an announcement of the Polercoaster project including the exact location could be revealed as soon as the middle to end of next week.

Here is the announcement in November:
World's tallest roller coaster coming to Orlando, FL

ORLANDO, Fla. —The world's tallest roller coaster is slated to be built somewhere in Florida.

Read more: http://www.wesh.com/news/central-florid ... z33Em0vwJ9
U.S. Thrill Rides has confirmed the 525-foot tall coaster has been purchased by a company in Florida that will soon announce that construction is underway.

The coaster will also be the longest in the U.S. with 8,000 feet of track.

"This is fast, smooth and very, very exciting," U.S. Thrill Rides President Michael Kitchen said.

Kitchen discussed the new coaster at the ongoing convention of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions at the Orange County Convention Center. He said the ride vehicle would be part of the next-generation coaster.

The ride, currently known as the Polercoaster, can be anywhere from 300 to 650 feet tall.

"We use these on the Polercoaster in either a four-person or eight-person configuration," Kitchen said.

More than 90 people can ride at one time in a chain of vehicles, doing inversions and sudden accelerations in a tower-like structure 50 stories high.

The roller coaster also doubles as a high-rise restaurant.

"It will be 525 feet tall, and it's going to have two levels on top with nearly 20,000 square feet of restaurant, retail bar and banquet space available with 360-degree views of Florida," Kitchen said. "Unfortunately, until our customer releases that information, we're going to keep the location a tightly held secret for another couple of weeks."

Kitchen said the buyer has yet to decide the theme, specific design for the store and restaurant space or even the color scheme.

The roller coaster will be almost 100 feet taller than the SunTrust Tower in downtown Orlando and almost 200 feet taller than the Federal Aviation Administration tower at Orlando International Airport.

The FAA, which would have to approve a roller coaster that tall, also said it has no such paperwork for the state of Florida.

[Merthecat]

It may be the world's tallest coaster by over 100 feet, but I bet it won't be the most fun. I actually think that these things would be a bit boring, based on what I've seen so far.

[cwgator]

[url="http://www.wesh.com/orlandomyway/orlando-theme-parks/worlds-tallest-roller-coaster-skyscraper-officially-announced-will-open-in-2016/26342468#!U1DPr"]World's tallest roller coaster 'Skyscraper' officially coming to I-Drive, will open in 2016[/url]

ORLANDO, Fla. —It's official! The world's tallest roller coaster is coming to central Florida.

Michael and Bill Kitchen, of US Thrill Rides, made it official on Thursday morning at a news conference on International Drive.

Last week, WESH 2 News reporter Greg Fox broke the news that the coaster was coming to Orange County.

During the announcement, it was revealed that the ride will be known as Skyscraper and will sit inside a $200 million entertainment complex called the SkyPlex.

The ride will last three minutes and reach a maximum speed of 65 mph. Guests will have to be 48 inches tall to ride.

It will accommodate 1,000 riders per hour.

The Skyscraper, which will be 570 feet tall, will have a 55-story glass elevator that will take guests to an observation deck.

It would also be roughly 150 feet taller than the Orlando Eye observation wheel, now under construction along I-Drive just south of Sand Lake Road.

Officials also said there will be retail on property that will be different than what can be found in a traditional mall. A restaurant will also be located on the top of the Skyscraper.

The new attraction is expected to break ground next year and open for guests in 2016.

[cwgator]

More renderings from the website: Skyplex

[Jonathan]

Looks ridiculous.

[RollerBee]

Not impressed, I doubf these things will last long. Upkeep will get the better of them.

[Jonathan]

I don't see how that can possibly be the actual layout in those renderings because it looks like a ridiculously steep 500 foot spiral of doom. The old renderings back when this first came up showed a much longer and more complex layout.

[Chris]

The renderings make it look 50 feet tall, not 500.

[CarowindsFan]

This link is from the proposed one in Vegas but it shows much better detail. I would assume the one is FL would be similar.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/tourism/full-scream-ahead-company-proposes-650-foot-tall-roller-coaster-strip

[Sokeman]

I don't see how that can possibly be the actual layout in those renderings because it looks like a ridiculously steep 500 ft spiral of doom. The old renderings back when this first came up showed a much longer and more complex layout.

The renderings have gotta be a placeholder. What still mystifies me is how can the length be only a mile long when it should nearing two. Kill two birds with one stone I say. Still I'm hopeful that the multipurpose tower complex will be the way to go for future records on height and, possibly, length. Launched counterparts are just too much of a one trick pony & rider protection will become mandatory with increasing speeds. As for the traditional lift variant I suspect the higher the apex is raised the shorter the ride duration will become. Layouts sporting two, three or even four consecutive hills taller then the lifts on hyper coasters will probably only be appearing in the Orient, Middle East and/or Europe. Doubtful that any park in the USA will pony up the cash for such a monstrosity.

[Edwardo]

I don't care if try build one of these at a thousand feet. Until they build one with a drop height that mirrors the build height, it's more of a gimmick and a worse gimmick than TTD or Ka.

[cwgator]

The design has been released! Opening in 2017 (current projection). (Video on the link is the same as the Youtube video below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmbztkTKUM4

Skyscraper @ Skyplex I-Drive Orlando from Orlando Sentinel

Skyscraper, the world's tallest roller coaster, will tumble, twist, loop and dive from more than 500 feet above International Drive when it opens in 2017, according to the track design unveiled Monday.

A 4-minute computer animation of the attraction was released by Orlando-based US Thrill Rides. The video shows the takeoff from inside the Skyplex entertainment complex and climbing upward. The vehicles hold eight passengers -- two rows of four people. The footage includes on-board perspective -- and day versus night experience -- at times.

"The unique design of the coaster means more incredible, heart-pounding inside and outside loops, dives, spirals and inversions in a vertical area than riders have ever before experienced,” said Bill Kitchen, founder of US Thrill Rides.

The simulation shows blue cars steadily going up a red track that surrounds the white tower capped by an observation deck. The route down is a roundabout path that includes corkscrew moves along with sudden drops and unexpected elevations. Glimpses of International Drive sites, including the under-construction Orlando Eye observation wheel, can be caught.

Once near the ground, the track turns and goes around the edge of the Skyplex structure.

"Skyscraper will not only take riders higher than ever before, but also introduce one thrill right after the next – there’s no ‘down time’ on this four-minute coaster experience,” said Michael Kitchen, president of US Thrill Rides. “It is an absolute cutting-edge engineering marvel that will deliver pure adrenaline unlike any roller coaster in the world today.”

The attraction will be built near the intersection of International Drive and Sand Lake Raod. Developers expect to break ground in 2015 and open for business in 2017.

The 495,000-square-foot Skyplex is designed to include upscale arcading, simulators, rock climbing, bars, restaurants and retail, officials say.

The attraction's observation deck will offer views 535 feet from the ground, and it will be accessible by glass elevators. Skyplex was designed by Orlando-based architectural firm HHCP and will be constructed by Euforria, a construction management division of Winter Park Construction. It will will include a 1,800-car parking garage.

[FamousAmos]

I think it's pretty cool. But that's just me.

[gabed]

I honestly think that this is a terrible idea. What park would ever buy one of these? They are only marketable for big tourist cities, and there are only three that I can think of that might be able to pull off this idea;

1: Myrtle Beach
2: Las Vegas
3: Orlando

Other than that, who else would buy one? I suppose there could be a few international locations. All in all, the Polercoaster is a terrible idea in my opinion.

[Jonathan]

It's quite obvious that parks are not the target market.