PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. – Dolly Parton does not do roller coasters. She'll tell you she has too much to lose. Like her wig. She makes no exceptions. Not even for the newest ride, Wild Eagle, which recently made its debut at the entertainer's namesake Dollywood theme park. Not even if it cost a cool $20 million — the most ever spent on a single attraction in the park's history. And not even if it's the first so-called steel-wing coaster in the entire USA.
One patron has already taken the plunge on the Wild Eagle 25 times while doing live TV and radio interviews by Dollywood's opening day in late March. The elementary school teacher from the Dallas area is also editor of RollerCoaster! magazine, published by American Coaster Enthusiasts and has rode more than 900 coasters at last count. His next stop: Six Flags Great America in Chicago, where a similar wing coaster takes off in mid-May. Another variation opens at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pa., on May 26.
You have to be the sort of person who knows a zero-G roll from a giant flat spin to understand why these new coasters are such a big deal. But after a two-minute, 22-second spin on the Wild Eagle, even a hesitant rider begins to get it.
What makes it special
What makes a satisfying coaster is its extremeness but also its grace. This one has elements of both. Because there's no track above or below you, you get these panoramic views.
The wing coasters are also buzzworthy among hard-core fans simply because they're the Next Big Thing.
The first wing coaster rolled out last year in Italy. A second launched in March in England's Thorpe Park, where test-run photos showed mannequins returning to the station without their limbs. Retired fighter pilots were recruited to take their place.
Take a $750 spin for charity
Dollywood took a more charitable approach in drumming up interest. The first 52 rides were auctioned online for about $750 a pop and sold out in less than 12 hours. The $37,000 in proceeds will benefit the American Eagle Foundation, which rehabilitates birds of prey and is headquartered at Dollywood. The $750 donations amounted to approximately $5.28 per second of the ride.
A regular season-pass holder who drove five hours from her home in Lebanon, Ohio, may have spent less money on the venture, but her time investment is considerable. The 65-year-old teacher's aide arrived at the park at 7:30 a.m., waited for the gates to open and inched her way along in line, finally climbing aboard the Wild Eagle more than four hours later.
Exiting the coaster after her second ride of the day, she is positively giddy stating that she would be back in May.
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