Alton Towers

Air

Once again masterminded by the hit-making team of B&M, Tussauds and John Wardley, this coaster flies you into a peaceful oasis, away from the horror of Nemesis. Like a breath of fresh air, it will carry you away on the clouds. Book your flight now and prepare for departure.

You've discovered the apocalyptic Forbidden Valley, the huge excavation site that accidentally gave birth to the mighty Nemesis. Hopefully, you've experienced the awesome power that Nemesis unleashes, and also ridden the heavyweight power machinery that unearthed it - The Blade, Ripsaw, and Dynamo. Now it's time for a change.

At the bottom of the Forbidden Valley you'll find a place for relaxation. A tranquil haven, an oasis far removed from rusty machinery, wasteland and decay. You need a break. You need freedom. You need to feel you can breathe again. You need air...

Air is B&M's first flying coaster. It's been said in the media that it is the world's first flying coaster, but while Air was in development for about 8 years, Vekoma pipped them to the post to an installation with Stealth, the Flying Dutchman product.

skip the following photographs of Air

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So, what exactly is a "Flying" coaster? Put quite simply, instead of sitting down in a seat you lie down beneath the train, facing the ground. While you can theme a flying coaster to be Superman, Alton Towers make no bones about the fact that it is a pure flight machine. As you approach the Air plaza, everything is a fresh, minty greeny blue colour, and the sleek lines of the Air Shop suggest an airport terminal. The entrance to the queue line contains a vague metallic aerofoil-shaped object embedded somewhat bizarrely into a lump of rock. The soundtrack that is continuously pumped throughout the area is a very relaxing new-age piece of music, with occasional whooshing, windy noises. And the ride's logo consists of some swirly clouds. There is no complicated story to this ride - it is pure and simple a theme that invokes images of flying freely through the air and, yes, going on holiday!

On entering the loading station, the operator's booth has outward-sloping windows, like an airport control tower. You are ushered into one of a number of "Air Gates" that correspond with each row of seats. You get into the seat like on any normal coaster, sitting down in the now-expected B&M 'armchairs'. The overhead-restraint is slightly different though. The front of it contains a solid bar that, when you bring it down over your head, locks firmly into each side of the arm rest, resting on your laps. A very comfortable rubber-vest attached to this device rests over your shoulders and is anchored in front of you. The action of pulling down the restraint also forces some ankle-clamps to rotate into position around your feet. You are extremely securely and comfortably held in - by the legs, the pelvis, and the shoulders. No chance of falling out...

When the all-clear has been given, the lights in the station turn blue and a sultry female voice whispers "Prepare for Air...". The seats then suddenly tip forward and you find you are hanging on your stomach facing the floor. "...assume the position...". And a couple of seconds later, the whole train starts gliding smoothly out of the station. "...now FLY!"

The train heads off into a tunnel. This is a bit of a wasted opportunity. Having succumbed to the whole atmosphere of freshness and flight, you are now presented with a waterlogged concrete tunnel with nothing to look at but a hard concrete floor. Sort of ruins the ambience! You then climb out of the tunnel, engaged on the lift hill, and you pass within feet of people on the path underneath and you can wave to them if you want! The top the lift hill contains a shallow curving drop, just enough to get the whole train off the lift chain and running under its own steam. This is a very surreal moment as that small dip actually puts you head first and if you've been looking downwards you'll suddenly find yourself with an upside-down view of where you've just been!

After that 180° turn, the ride then starts in earnest. A large drop straight down to the ground, your nose almost scrapes the floor. The apex of the drop gives riders in the back rows a slight moment of airtime which, because you're lying on your stomach, does give the feeling of free flight. After rising up out of the drop the train performs a half-twist on its own axis, putting you flat on your back. Riders in the right-hand seats will feel a little weightlessness. This is a very weird feeling - you've only just got used to lying on your front, now you're lying on your back travelling head-first backwards. A large swooping turnaround encircles the entrance plaza and here you'll find some relatively high Gs. Better on your back than on your stomach! At the far end of the turnaround, another half-twist causes disorientation as all you can see is the sky and the clouds rotating around you, and eventually you find yourself on your stomach again.

You then dive underneath the pathway and into a short tunnel and rise up past the waiting people in the station into another turnaround. This corner is banked and has you flying not far above the pathway, and is a great viewing position for the anxious people who've yet to ride.

A shallow dip gives the train momentum to take the inline twist - a complete horizontal rotation, providing more disorientation as the sky revolves around you. A quick flight past the train storage shed takes you into the back section of the ride, which unfortunately is hidden and cannot be easily photographed. This consists of a series of small S-curves and bunny hops, following the contours of some grassy hillocks closely. Again, back row rides will experience some airtime here. A high-G corner peeping out into the car park takes you past a strategically-placed rock that makes you curl your toes up. Another small S-curve then the train hits the brakes and the ride comes to an end.

Contrary to what the ride might look like, Air is actually a very tame and pleasant ride. It's not white-knuckle at all, although I suppose it depends on your own personal disposition! It's not an intense nor a fast ride, and many coaster enthusiasts have criticised it for that. However, it would be very uncomfortable to experience much intensity while lying on your stomach. In fact, I have ridden one of the Vekoma Flying Dutchman coasters, X-Flight, which has a layout that is similar to a normal multi-inversion coaster, and I do actually prefer Air. The layout is more imaginative and emphasises the flying feeling and does not induce nausea! That's not to say though that I wouldn't like to try Superman: Ultimate Flight, the second B&M flyer that is actually shorter than Air but has the crazy "Pretzel Loop" inversion. That should be quite an experience!

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