#wild eagle

[thrillrid3s]

wild eagle - dollywood

[tacoma-narrows]

Tac Talks Coasters - Post 107: #63

Photo Sources: All photos are mine

Wild Eagle at Dollywood!

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Opened: 2012 Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard Height: 135 ft (41 m) Speed: 61 mph (98 kph) Length: 3,127 ft (953 m) My most recent ride: 2022

Wild Eagle opened in 2012 as the first of it's kind in the US, and as a great fit for a park like Dollywood. Perched atop the hill in the middle of the park and soaring through four massive inversions, Wild Eagle is a huge crowd pleaser as it's thrilling but not overly intense.

Of the three B&M Wing coasters I've done (the other two being X-Flight and GateKeeper), I do find it to be the weakest but by no means does that make it a bad ride. The layout is less like the later Wing coasters that came after it, and is more similar to some of the older B&M loopers and I think that's both a pro and a con in some ways here.

As a pro, the ride feels pretty different, at least from those other two Wing coasters I've done. It's setting on top of the hill also helps with that too. The inversions are big, floaty and offer a lot of hangtime which is a lot of fun. The fact that the ride has a straight drop rather than a dive drop like those other Wing coasters is a bit disappointing, but it makes up for it by supplying some solid airtime, especially towards the back of the train. I thought the ride was also pretty smooth for a Wing coaster, which is also a plus.

The cons of the layout mainly come from the fact that the ride feels fairly short and doesn't feature any near-miss elements. From the first drop to the final brake run, the ride only last about a minute, which feels short, especially for a B&M looper like this. Like I said above, what the ride does have in terms of elements is a lot of fun, but depending on what your expectations are going in, it could feel a little short. The other main downside is the lack of near-misses. Wing coasters thrive on these with the elongated shape of the trains and it's a little odd that Wild Eagle doesn't have any

Think of the keyhole towers on GateKeeper, the control tower on X-Flight or the shed on Thunderbird. All of those are awesome elements and I think Wild Eagle could really benefit from some of those. Since it was America's first Wing coaster, that might have been a factor in why those weren't included, I don't know, but maybe some can be added at some point down the line.

So overall, Wild Eagle is one of those rides that I wouldn't call super standout, but is really just pure fun all around. It's not overly extreme but gliding around high over Dollywood is an experience that I do really enjoy. And also shoutout to that massive eagle statue outside the ride's entrance. That thing is amazing.

Thanks for checking out today's coaster post! Keep an eye out for tomorrow's coaster!

[flojector]

on a wing coaster jag i guess

[questionstime]

Scroll down for coaster details! Check pinned if you are confused about anything.

If you had the physical health to ride this, it was free, and not associated with any park (so don't vote based on disliking or liking the park itself),

would you want to ride The Wild Eagle?

Yes and I am typically a thrill seeker.

No and I am typically a thrill seeker.

Yes and I am not typically a thrill seeker.

No and I am not typically a thrill seeker.

See results

Voting ended onMay 23, 2024

First wing coaster in the US. "The roller coaster reaches a height of 210 feet (64 m) and reaches speeds of 61 miles per hour (98 km/h). The train enters a 110-foot (34 m) vertical loop followed by a slight left, then into a zero-gravity roll where riders experience the feeling of weightlessness. Upon exiting the roll, the train immediately enters an immelmann loop. The train enters a corkscrew then a camelback hill to achieve air-time (feeling of floating out of one's seat)." x 

[sidewaysairtime]

wild eagle 🦅//🦅 dollywood, tn

[mean--streak]

I didn't take many pictures, but dollywood was fantastic!! I can't wait to go back some day

[midgetman82]

Wild Eagle wing coaster at Dollywood.

[lynniezdoodles]

my sisters gonna make me piss myself today with these rides she’s making me go on istg