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Preview of Manta, the Flying Roller Coaster at Sea World Orlando in Florida





Back before the park adopted its trendy spelling (when there was a space between "Sea" and "World"), the most thrilling ride--really the only ride--at SeaWorld Orlando was the Sky Tower.

The gentle ride is still taking guests high above Shamu and his marine life pals, but since Busch Entertainment took over the Florida park, it's been adding coasters and other thrills to go along with the animal exhibits and shows.

In summer 2009, SeaWorld will up the thrill quotient with Manta, a themed flying coaster. What's a flying coaster, you ask?
Passengers will be harnessed in a prone position under the coaster train as they soar through the air and skim along the water.



Manta Stats
• Type of coaster: Steel flying coaster
• Height: 140 feet
• First drop: 113 feet
• Top speed: 56 mph
• Track length: 3359 feet
• Ride time: 2:35 minutes
• Height requirement: 52 inches


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Manta will have a compelling and unique ray theme.
Passengers will be placed four across in cars shaped like rays.
The rays will have wingspans of 12 feet.

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The first drop will swoop down 113 feet and reach a top speed of 56 mph.
As it curves at the bottom of the hill, Manta will skim along a lagoon and its wings will create a plume of water spray
that will be quite a sight for riders and onlookers (and might soak them as well).

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While many coaster fans enjoy putting their arms up in the air to more fully experience the rides' airtime and other thrilling sensations,
flying coasters like Manta especially inspire the look-ma-no-hands posture--although the over-the-shoulder restraints make it difficult for passengers to fully extend their arms.
Like comic book superheroes, however, riders are able to soar through the air and perform acrobatic maneuvers. It's a giddy sensation.

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Text taken from screamscape


The Manta flying coaster will create a new level of immersion into the animal world -- in a way only SeaWorld can do -- enveloping riders in a sensation of oneness with the ocean's most powerful and graceful creature as they soar, dive and plummet through the air.. and at times within inches of the sea.
The journey begins the second guests enter a mythical village filled with artisan-created engravings and artwork that celebrate ray legend and lore. No ordinary queue line - the attraction starts with the first step inside. Anticipation builds as guests wind through caverns adorned with ray-inspired art in marble, jewels, and mosaics, all hand-created and left behind by artists who were moved to pay tribute to the beauty, grace and intrigue of these animals.

Whether guests choose to ride or not, the attraction is a world unto itself. Floor-to-ceiling windows create mesmerizing face-to-fin encounters with 300 rays, as well as thousands of fish and mysterious creatures native to oceans all over the world. Shark rays, spotted eagles rays, leopard rays, cownose rays, and oscillate river rays float past guests with fluidity and grace in a view new to SeaWorld. Enhancing the feeling of awe, elaborate lighting, sound and rushing waterfalls further submerge guests into this underwater universe.

The experience then evolves from seeing ... to being.
Inspired by the underwater flight of these powerful creatures, guests will fly face-down, in a horizontal position, underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped as a giant manta. With a wing span of 12 feet, the giant manta will soar over sea and sky in the most graceful flying coaster ever created.
Gliding, swooping and diving up to nearly 60 mph, through four inversions on 3,359 feet of track, riders will feel as if they are a ray, taking flight effortlessly from sky to sea -- so close at times that the Manta's wings skim the waves.

The 4-acre, 140-ft tall attraction will be located inside the main entrance to SeaWorld, and become an icon in the park with its unique design. Towering over SeaWorld's 200-acres, the manta-themed coaster - cloaked in hues of dark purple, ultramarine blue, and cobalt - will lure guests into the world of the mysterious ray.


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Avances de la construcción de MANTA

Cortesia de http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com



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Mas avances del MANTA COASTER

Cortesia de orlandounited.com


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Asombroso!!!... Sea World siempre innovando, y es una manera de combinar una visita educativa al aparque con la adrenalina de las montañas rusas

Manta Test Run - 3/16/2009




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SeaWorld's Manta Coaster Exclusive Preview





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Manta - Fly Now at SeaWorld Orlando




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A full ride on SeaWorld's new Manta roller coaster


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