Skyscraper (roller coaster)

In 2012, owners of Mango’s Tropical Café in Orlando selected the Polercoaster design concept pitched by US Thrill Rides to become their flagship attraction at the future-planned Skyplex indoor entertainment complex. After several successful negotiations for land, development of both the roller coaster and Skyplex began.[1] In May 2014, investment for the project was sought, and a website was formed to assist with the endeavor. Documents uncovered by an Orlando news agency revealed that the roller coaster would be located in Central Florida along International Drive at the intersection with Sand Lake Road.[2][3][4]

Skyscraper was officially announced on June 5, 2014. Construction on the main complex was expected to begin in 2015, with the ride opening in 2016.[5][6] However, design changes and a lengthy process for obtaining the necessary permits caused several delays in breaking ground, and the timeline was updated to reflect construction on the complex beginning in mid-2017.[7][8] The addition of virtual reality headsets to Skyscraper was announced in late 2016, and the expected opening date was updated to 2019.[9] By April 2017, portions of the roller coaster's track had been completed by Intamin and were placed in storage, but construction of the complex was still on hold pending permit approval.[10]

In January 2019, Skyplex's budget was scaled back from $500 million to $250 million, with plans to retain Skyscraper's original coaster design but include less retail development around the base of the structure.[11] The complex's projected opening date was pushed back further to 2020, with rides opening sometime later.[11] By June 2019, the website promoting the project was taken down,[12] and reports surfaced in 2020 that Universal used a variety of legal tactics to derail the project.[13][14] There have been no updates from developers since early 2019.[14]

Designed by US Thrill Rides, the steel track of Skyscraper would be approximately 5,200 feet (1,600 m) long. Wrapping around the central tower, the roller coaster would feature seven inversions including zero-g rolls and raven turns.[5][6][15][16] When complete, Skyscraper will operate with several small trains. Each train will have two rows that seat four riders each for a total of eight riders per train. The ride was expected to accommodate a theoretical capacity of 1000 riders per hour. Each seat would feature a lap restraint as opposed to over-the-shoulder harnesses to avoid obstructing the view.[5][6][15]

If completed, Skyscraper would break several world records upon opening. With a structure exceeding 500 feet (150 m) in height, it would break Kingda Ka's 456-foot (139 m) height record and become the world's tallest roller coaster.[3][5][15] Skyscraper would also have an inversion near the highest point of the ride,[16] breaking Steel Curtain’s 197-foot-tall (60 m) record for the highest inversion in the world, set at Kennywood in 2019.[6][17] Another planned feature, a 123-degree drop, would give it the steepest drop in the world, exceeding the 121.5-degree drop of TMNT Shellraiser, which opened at Nickelodeon Universe in 2019.[16]