The Bat

"*The Bat" redirects here. This article is about the coaster currently operating in the Action Zone section of the park. For the defunct coaster that used to be in the Coney Mall that this one is named after in tribute, see The Bat (Defunct).*

### Previous Names:

*Top Gun* (1993 - 2007)*Flight Deck* (2007 - 2013)

***The Bat*,** formerly known as ***Flight Deck*** and ***Top Gun***, is a suspended coaster located in the Action Zone section of Kings Island. It is the second suspended coaster in the park after the closure of the previous coaster also known as *The Bat* in 1983. The coaster is located in the back area of the Action Zone, and is isolated from the rest of the park as a result, surrounded by many trees. However, it is visible while riding *Banshee*,whose support structures are narrowly avoided during the ride. It can be assumed that the ride was previously very popular with fans, as the queue line is much longer than most at the park.

## History

Following the closure of the previous suspended coaster known as *The Bat* in 1983 due to frequent malfunctions, park officials had worked on plans for a new suspended coaster for years. While plans were being made, the park was purchased by Paramount Pictures, who would later decide the ride would be based on and named after their 1986 film *Top Gun*. *Top Gun* opened on April 9, 1993, and originally featured a significant amount of theming to the film, including music, and billboards showing scenes from the film. After Cedar Fair acquired the park in 2006, multiple rides had their Paramount movie themes removed in 2008, including *Top Gun*, which was renamed *Flight Deck*. The music and theming were changed to a generic military aircraft theme with the many billboards being removed, but it still used the original font style of the original logo, and the same paint job. The ride would later be rethemed to its current rendition in 2014 with a new color scheme, and given the name of *The Bat*, in honor of the previous suspended coaster that had since been closed for over thirty years. The ride experience has not been altered in any of the rethemes. However, various scenery from the queue line, including billboards depicting scenes from the film, and text such as "HIGH SECURITY AREA" and "FIGHTERTOWN USA" were removed from their respective areas.

## Story and Ride Experience

### Story & Queue

In an abandoned U.S Airforce Base, a group of teens (The Riders) find themselves investigating the site for an essay due the following day. However, a group of scavengers who have claimed the land their own are lurking not far behind, and the only way out is to see if they can get an old plane started, one flown by a navy pilot nicknamed "The Bat."

When guests enter the ride, they navigate through the queue, decorated like a long-abandoned U.S Airforce Base. They walk through the passage. A left turn follows a straight section to a small staircase. Guests continue to walk through the pathway, until they approach the loading station. A stairwell leads to the station.

### Ride Experience

The cars immediately begin to go up the lift hill. Upon reaching the top of the lift, the cars provide a view of the nearby Great Wolf Lodge before doing a U-turn towards the first drop, which falls lower than the loading station. The cars then begin to twist and turn, narrowling missing the fences near the exit and the support structures of *Banshee* before the ride finishes and then begins to return to the loading station.

## Trivia

* When the ride opened as *Top Gun*, it was the first ride in the park to be themed after a Paramount film.
* During its run as *Top Gun* and *Flight Deck*, the coaster featured a primarily grey color scheme based on military bases, with the ride cars also featuring red and black lower areas. When the coaster was rethemed to *The Bat*, the coaster was given a new color scheme of orange and black.
* Formerly During Halloween Haunt, part of the queue line for *The Bat* was redesigned to create lines for the haunted mazes, due to the queue line being considerably long. Originally, from (2007-2014), *Club Blood* was the maze that occupied the building near this ride's entrance. Then from (2015-2019) *Blackout*. The former queue line of *Son of Beast* is also located within the exit of *The Bat*, and was used for the *Wolf Pack* maze that took place in the former ride's loading station during this event as well from (2010-2019).