It looks like Kentucky Kingdom had already begun planning their 2021 addition before the Coronavirus pandemic hit. We recently discovered height waivers filed by the park back in February for the addition of a 108ft tall roller coaster not-so-subtly named “Raptor”. As you can see on the document below, the construction was planned to take place from September 2020 until May of 2021.
The park filed four separate height waivers for various points of the ride, which I’ve highlighted below. Using Google Earth, I was able to map these
points onto a satellite image of the park so you can get a decent idea of where the ride will be located:
It appears the ride would be squeezed into the area between Thunder Run and the back half of Storm Chaser. Our guess is Eye of the Storm, their Larson Loop, would either need to be relocated somewhere else within the park or removed altogether – but given how recently that ride was added we think a relocation is more likely.
The FAA case currently has an “Interim” status – meaning it’s still under review, which is typical, given Kentucky Kingdom’s proximity to the Louisville International Airport. The ride would be about the same height as all their other coasters though, so I don’t imagine they’ll have much of an issue getting it approved!
The main question now is, will the park still go through with this addition for 2021, or could it possibly be delayed due to the effects of the Caronavirus? With the park re-opening at the end of June, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s any signs of activity in that area of the park – so keep your eyes peeled!
I don’t even think the Larson needs to move. It doesn’t take much of the land used for the former drag racing ride at all. The 69′ marker would be the dive loop so the turn between the brakes and the station would fit just fine leaving the Loop intact. A queue isn’t an issue there either.
I did a measurement using google maps and total length of wonder woman is about 260 LF. Based on the marker locations the Larson Loop is fine where it stands. You are correct Danrarbc.
So, the mirror image of T3 becoming T4 in a heart shape silhouette was a ploy? Very tricky – KK social media team. An RMC raptor makes much more sense and is a great addition to Kentucky Kingdom.