Spinning Dragons

Spinning Dragons is a spinning roller coaster located at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, it was the second ride of its kind in the world after the Fairly Odd Coaster at Mall of America's Nickelodeon Universe. The ride was built in the East Asia area of the park in 2004 following the retirement of the Orient Express the previous year. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.^[1][2]

Spinning Dragons
Riders on Spinning Dragons
Worlds of Fun
Location	Worlds of Fun
Park section	East Asia
Coordinates	39.175405°N 94.487917°W / 39.175405; -94.487917
Status	Operating
Opening date	April 17, 2004
Cost	$4,000,000 USD
Replaced	Orient Express
General statistics
Type	Steel – Spinning
Manufacturer	Gerstlauer
Lift/launch system	Chain Lift
Height	54 ft (16 m)
Drop	50 ft (15 m)
Length	1,345 ft (410 m)
Speed	31 mph (50 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1 min 30sec
Max vertical angle	50°
Capacity	720 riders per hour
Height restriction	42 in (107 cm)
Fast Lane Plus only available
Spinning Dragons at RCDB

History

On October 29, 2003, Worlds of Fun announced that Orient Express would be removed. That same day, the park announced that a new spinning roller coaster named Spinning Dragons would be added to the park.^[3]

The ride was set to open on April 3, 2004, but the opening was delayed. Spinning Dragons officially opened two weeks later on April 17, 2004.

Seating arrangement and capacity

There are 6 cars. The riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, facing each other, for a total of 4 riders per car. Giving the ride a maximum capacity of 24 riders at a time. The ride has an estimated hourly operating capacity of 720 riders per hour.