Great Coasters International

Great Coasters International

Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	1994 (1994)
Headquarters	Sunbury, Pennsylvania, USA
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Wooden roller coasters
Website	greatcoasters.com

Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI or GCII) is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird in Finland, the company expanded beyond the United States and began building coasters in Europe and Asia. Güenter-Engelhardt GmbH handles the company's marketing rights in Europe. In addition to designing and building new roller coasters, GCI also refurbishes and re-tracks existing roller coasters, regardless of manufacturer.

GCI designed roller coasters are known for their often curved drops, twisted layouts, and perception of high speed. Exciting elements such as the station fly-by and station fly-through have been incorporated in many of their layouts.

Many GCI designed roller coasters also contain an on-ride camera midway through or towards the end of the ride.

History

GCI was founded in 1994 by Mike Boodley and Clair Hain, Jr. Boodley was a coaster designer previously with Custom Coasters International and Hain had gained a reputation throughout the industry as a master coaster builder. In 1996, the firm opened Wildcat at Hershey Park which contained many of the signature elements the firm would soon become known for: tight sweeping curves, reminiscent of designs from the turn of the century by such noted coaster designers as Fred Church and Harry Traver. In 2005, Boodley retired and assigned Jeff Pike with the responsibility as lead designer for the firm. The first coaster that Pike is credited with is the Kentucky Rumbler at Beech Bend Park near Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Millennium Flyer trains

Troy at Toverland is one of GCI's roller coasters that run Millennium Flyer trains

Most GCI designed roller coasters run with in-house-designed articulated Millennium Flyer trains. The only exception is Roar at Six Flags America, which runs with Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC)-designed trains. Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and GCI's first roller coaster, Wildcat at Hersheypark, also operated with PTC trains when they first opened, but both coasters have since been modified to run with the Millennium Flyer trains.

These trains are known for their cushioned seats, allowing riders to be comfortable during rides. These trains also contain individual lap bars which automatically lower and lock into a position to accommodate the rider, allowing quicker dispatch times. Millennium Flyer trains are known for their classic look with flared seat sides and individual lap bars. They are easily identified by their open, gate-like fronts, usually customized with the logo for the respective ride they are running on.

Installations

This list was last completed and checked as of July 6, 2013.

Name	Model	Park	Year Opened	Status
American Thunder (formerly Evel Knievel)	Wooden Coaster	Six Flags St. Louis	2008	Operating
Apocalypse (formerly Terminator Salvation: The Ride)	Wooden Coaster	Six Flags Magic Mountain	2009	Operating
El Toro	Wooden Coaster	Freizeitpark Plohn	2009	Operating
Gold Striker	Wooden Coaster	California's Great America	2013	Operating
Gwazi	Dueling Wooden Coaster	Busch Gardens Tampa Bay	1999	SBNO 2016
Joris en de Draak	Racing Wooden Coaster	Efteling	2010	Operating
Kentucky Rumbler	Wooden Coaster	Beech Bend Park	2006	Operating
Lightning Racer	Racing Wooden Coaster	Hersheypark	2000	Operating
Ozark Wildcat	Wooden Coaster	Celebration City	2003	Demolished 2016
Prowler	Wooden Coaster	Worlds of Fun	2009	Operating
Renegade	Wooden Coaster	Valleyfair	2007	Operating
Roar	Wooden Coaster	Six Flags America	1998	Operating
Roar	Wooden Coaster	Six Flags Discovery Kingdom	1999	Converted 2015 Now known as The Joker.
Thunderbird	Wooden Coaster	PowerPark	2006	Operating
Thunderhead	Wooden Coaster	Dollywood	2004	Operating
Troy	Wooden Coaster	Toverland	2007	Operating
Wildcat	Wooden Coaster	Hersheypark	1996	Operating
Wood Coaster (Mountain Flyer)	Wooden Coaster	OCT East	2011	Operating
Wodan Timbur Coaster	Wooden Coaster	Europa-Park	2012	Operating
White Lightning	Wooden Coaster	Fun Spot America	2013	Operating
Python in Bamboo Forest	Wooden Coaster	Nanchang Wanda Park	2016	Testing
Starliner	Wooden Coaster	Miracle Strip Pier Park	2016	Abandoned Project
Heidi: The Ride	Wooden Coaster	Plopsaland De Panne	2016	Testing
InvadR	Wooden Coaster	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	2017	Under construction

External links

• GCI's official website
• Great Coasters International at the Roller Coaster DataBase