Afterburn

Afterburn is a steel inverted roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Fort Mill, South Carolina. After more than two years of planning and construction, the roller coaster opened on March 20, 1999. The ride previously operated as Top Gun: The Jet Coaster, before it was renamed Afterburn following Cedar Fair's purchase of the park in 2006.
Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, Afterburn stands 113 feet (34 m) tall and reaches speeds of 62 miles per hour (100 km/h). It features a 2,956-foot-long (901 m) track and a nearly three-minute-long ride time. Afterburn has generally been well received, having been featured several times as a top 50 roller coaster in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.
==History==
In early 1997, Paramount's Carowinds began consultations with roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard about adding a new ride to their park. During 18 months of discussions, several designs and themes for the ride were developed, including theming it to the Godzilla franchise. In July 1998, the park announced the addition of Top Gun: The Jet Coaster for the 1999 season. At a cost of $10.5 million, it would be the single biggest investment in the park's history. The announcement followed Paramount Parks adding Top Gun-themed inverted and suspended roller coasters to several of their parks throughout the 1990s, including Paramount's Great America, Paramount Canada's Wonderland, and Paramount's Kings Island. To construct the attraction at Carowinds, the park's Bayern Kurve ride, Wild Bull, had to be removed. The park intended to keep the ride in storage for a potential relocation elsewhere within the park. The removal of Wild Bull shortened construction time because no trees or buildings had to be removed. Construction began in late July 1998, with the first track arriving in August. Testing was completed in January 1999.
Top Gun: The Jet Coaster soft opened to guests and media on March 16, 1999. Riders of the first cycle included NASCAR drivers Stanton Barrett, Tony Stewart, Jerry Nadeau, and Kenny Wallace. The ride officially opened to the public on March 20, 1999. On July 1, 2006, the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company announced their acquisition of all of the Paramount Parks, including Carowinds. The aforementioned Top Gun roller coasters at other parks were all renamed to Flight Deck by the 2008 season, with Carowinds' installation being renamed to Afterburn. For the 2014 season, the ride's 15th season, Afterburn received a new coat of paint.