Flight of Fear

Flight of Fear (previously known as The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear) is an enclosed launched roller coaster at two Cedar Fair parks – Kings Dominion and Kings Island. Both locations opened in 1996 and were the world's first roller coasters to feature a linear induction motor (LIM) launch.

History
Kings Dominion began teasing the new attraction in the summer of 1995 by cutting a "crop circle" in a nearby field which featured a UFO, the face of an alien and the letter "F" written in binary. Premier Rides and Paramount's Kings Dominion performed the first successful launch of the ride on April 11, 1996 at 5:33 p.m., proving that linear induction motors could be used to accelerate a roller coaster train using magnetic fields with enough force to complete a full circuit. The launch requires 3 megawatts of electric power, which caused frequent voltage sags to neighboring utility customers. Square D by Schneider Electric developed a complex solid-state capacitor bank to reduce the load on the electric utility.

Both ride locations held a media day on June 17, 1996 and opened to the public as The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear on June 18, 1996. When the rides opened, both had the fastest acceleration of any roller coaster in the world. The attraction was awarded top honors for Major Theme/Amusement Park Ride/Attraction and Technology Applied to Amusements at the November 1995 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions trade show.

The ride was originally themed to the television show The Outer Limits, but due to the license for using the name and theming of The Outer Limits expiring, the ride's name changed to Flight of Fear at the start of the 2001 season.

The Kings Dominion location was closed for much of the 2006 season, only reopening on August 18, 2006 after the park was purchased by Cedar Fair. At Kings Island, the ride is located in the X-Base subsection of Coney Mall. For years it was the only ride on the east side of The Racer. With the addition of Firehawk in the 2007, the area took on a theme center on experimental flight and propulsion systems. During the 2007 season, the ride was equipped with on-board video cameras that recorded riders with the option to purchase the video at the ride exit. These cameras were removed at the end of the season.

Premier Rides built other LIM Catapult models from 1996 to 1999, including Joker's Jinx at Six Flags America, Poltergeist at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and Crazy Cobra at Discoveryland. The two Flight of Fear rides are the only indoor versions. All share a similar layout and have the same technical specifications.