Amusement Park News

There's a new coaster experience coming to Virginia's Kings Dominion theme park in 2025.

Just in time for the park's 50th anniversary, Rapterra, described as “the world's tallest and longest launched wing coaster,” is soaring in for the celebration.

The coaster rises a towering 145-feet in height and sails its riders over 3,086-feet of track, making it the longest launched wing coaster world-wide. The ride's theme is based on an imaginary bird of prey, given the name Jungle Hawk.

Ride columns are gray, and the track is green. Just like the bird itself, the coaster accelerates rapidly to 65 m.p.h. in just the first four seconds of the ride. That thrill will be followed by one right after the other: a dive loop, three inversions, and a variety of other aerial-focused experiences.

The immersive Rapterra is manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard, and places riders along either side of the track to create the sensation of flying. Two trains, each able to hold 20 passengers, offers a potential to carry some 1,140 guests per hour. The attraction is the second coaster from B&M at the park and is also the park's third tallest. However, it is arguably the park's most thrilling.

After the ride's starting launch, the trains rise the attraction's full 145 feet to what the park has called a “wingover.” The three inversions consist of a dive loop, in-line “raptor roll” and corkscrew flat spin. The ride also includes an airtime hill, S-turn and what the park describes as  a “wing slide” for an all-around thrilling experience.

Bridgette Bywater, vice president and general manager of Kings Dominion, asserts that the innovative ride “promises new thrills for our guests, making it the perfect centerpiece for our 50th anniversary celebration...”



Construction of the ride is complete as of this writing. Rapterra is the 14th coaster in place at Kings Dominion. Its design is particularly unique in that it is a launched wing coaster, and only the third of its kind from B & M. Bywater notes that the ride captures “that feeling of flying” and that it will be an “exceptional” experience for guests next year.

The ride's maintenance manager, Matthew Sienko, adds that “We can push our [coaster] out at a speed that is going to have much more of that flying effect and feel.” He is enthusiastic about “some close elements” that will make guests experiencing the ride the sensation of “‘that was closer than I thought it was.'”

Rapterra will be positioned as a brand-new anchor ride for a recently revamped land in Kings Dominion, now dubbed the Jungle X-Pedition. The reimagined land has its own backstory: a legend that says ancient leaders built a shrine to pay tribute to the Jungle Hawk. Those who entered the shrine became linked to the bird of prey and possessed its powers and abilities.

However, the story continues.  The honoring shrine was built at the base of the Mt. Inferna volcano; when it erupted it also buried the temple itself until archaeologists discovered the volcanic site and unearthed the remains of the Jungle Hawk shrine. And in doing so, they discovered that the bird's fierce spirit remained, and now serves to launch Rapterra's riders skyward.



Bywater notes that the location of the new ride “used to be [the coaster called] Volcano's site, and we wanted to pay homage to that part of our history,” Bywater said. “It's completely different than anything else we've got and anything else in the area.”

The Volcano was a launched inverted coaster which closed in 2018. Built originally in the 1970s, the mountainous volcano structure of the ride was demolished, and the site was empty until Rapterra swooped in to take its place.

Tying the backstory, together with the ride are columns and ruins that are designed to resemble those of ancient temple ruins.

While the ride will officially open for the 2025 season, it received an inaugural preview run July 31st. Guests were invited to test it out, with many riders finding Rapterra's jam-packed 1 minute and 29 second run-time providing a true adrenaline rush.

The ride is officially scheduled to open to the public in April or May of 2025. Kings Dominion season passes for 2025 start at $78 annually. The “world's tallest and longest” winged coaster Rapterra, while a centerpiece, is just one major part of the park's 50th anniversary fun.

The anniversary year will also bring new entertainment and park décor, including a new musical set list for the park's iconic Singing Mushrooms, and the return of the renowned Clown Band. There will also be a special anniversary exhibition of vintage photos and park memorabilia, as well as a new nighttime show, special food and drink offerings, and anniversary merchandise. Special limited-offer menu choices will feature popular foods that celebrate a variety of eras at Kings Dominion: the park's past and present – as well as a look to the future, park officials relate. And new, live entertainment will appear on stage at the park's Kings Dominion Theater.

Kings Dominion first opened in 1975 and was acquired by Cedar Fair in 2006. Kings Dominion is now owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, following the merger between Cedar Fair and Six Flags earlier this year. Bywater stresses the importance of the park to many in the greater Virginia area, calling fan devotion “a humbling legacy to maintain.”