New season takes flight at Dollywood
22.05.12
PIGEON FORGE — Dollywood’s 27th season got under way last month with the official inaugural run of Wild Eagle, the park’s first-of-its-kind-for-the-U.S. steel wing roller coaster.
The $20-million ride — the single largest addition in Dollywood’s history — is expected to draw coaster enthusiasts from across the nation and around the globe.
The ride opened to the masses on March 24, but season passholders got a sneak peek and first dibs at the coaster a day earlier.
That opportunity prompted Louis Eros and Robert Dickerscheid, members of American Coaster Enthusiasts for 12 years, to buy season passes and trek from their home in Columbus, Ohio, to be among the first to ride Wild Eagle.
“We did actually come to Dollywood for the coaster,” Eros said. “This was our third visit over the years and we wanted to be here this time, specifically, for the premiere of Wild Eagle.”
Eros and Dickerscheid each have more than 300 coaster rides “under their belts” from visits to theme parks across the nation over the years. The 2-minute, 22-second journey begins with a 190-foot climb, followed by a 135-foot first drop, and includes four inversions, including a giant loop, a “zero-G” roll and a giant flat spin.
Source: Kingsport Times News