ArieForce One
Steel roller coaster at Fun Spot America Atlanta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ArieForce One was a steel roller coaster located at Fun Spot America Atlanta in Fayetteville, Georgia. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, the ride was first announced by representatives of the Fun Spot America chain in May 2021, and the coaster was formally unveiled at the IAAPA Orlando Expo on November 16, 2021.[2] At an accumulated cost of $18 million, ArieForce One represented the single largest investment on any ride in Fun Spot America's history.[3] ArieForce One officially opened to the public on March 31, 2023. On August 2, 2026, Fun Spot America Atlanta, including ArieForce One, closed permanently to guests.[4]
| ArieForce One | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Fun Spot America Atlanta | |
| Location | Fun Spot America Atlanta |
| Coordinates | 33.4973°N 84.4287°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | March 31, 2023 |
| Closing date | August 2, 2026 |
| Cost | $13,000,000 USD[1] |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Rocky Mountain Construction |
| Designer | Joe Draves |
| Model | I-Box |
| Track layout | Out and back |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 154 ft (47 m) |
| Drop | 146 ft (45 m) |
| Length | 3,400 ft (1,000 m) |
| Speed | 64 mph (103 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 1:40 |
Max vertical angle | 83° |
| Capacity | 900 riders per hour |
| G-force | 3.75 |
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 5 cars; riders arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train |
| Website | Official website |
| ArieForce One at RCDB | |
History
Background
Fun Junction USA originally opened as Dixieland Fun Park in 1990 with go-kart tracks, batting cages, and a miniature golf course. Management eventually added a small selection of rides over the years, including the Hurricane coaster in 2007.[5] In July 2017, Florida-based Fun Spot America Theme Parks announced the acquisition of Fun Junction USA as their first property outside of the state, with plans to roll out new attractions and branding.[6] Chief among these investments was a new go-kart track for the 2018 season; Fun Spot America CEO John Arie Jr. hinted at a signature new coaster to eventually be built at the park.[7][8]
Announcement
On May 25, 2021, Fun Spot America Atlanta announced that they had selected Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) to construct a major new steel coaster for the 2022 season.[2] Management attempted to secure a naming rights deal with the Atlanta Hawks professional basketball team, although such efforts fell through the following month.[9][10][11] Fun Spot America Theme Parks subsequently trademarked the name "Arie Force One" on June 11, 2021.[12][13]
Throughout the summer, Fun Spot social media accounts systematically released conceptual renderings of the coaster.[14] ArieForce One was officially unveiled on November 16, 2021, at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida.[1] The coaster train's lead car was also unveiled that day at RMC's event booth, and was kept on display at Fun Spot Orlando for a few months before moving to Atlanta.[15][16] Budgeted at $13 million at the time, the coaster represented the single largest investment ever put into a Fun Spot park.[3] An animated on-ride point-of-view video was released on Christmas Day.[17]
Construction
Work on ArieForce One was marred by serious delays, with progress bogged down by supply chain bottlenecks, zoning issues with Fayette County, and a modest construction crew. The issues ultimately pushed back ArieForce One's scheduled opening into 2023. In August 2022, John Arie Jr. stated that "[the] project has been delayed by about eight months. We have had to invest $5 million more into property changes to satisfy the county". Fayette County officials ordered the park to construct a new parking lot and more storm drainage, which required the removal of their miniature golf courses. As stated by Arie Jr.: "Basically, we had to remove one income source to build another".[18]
Steel first began arriving for the coaster in late 2021.[19] Fun Spot America held ArieForce One's groundbreaking ceremony on January 6, 2022.[20][21] The first pieces of the support structure were installed in February, with construction continuing up until the end of the year.[22]
Closure
On June 25, 2026, Fun Spot America announced that its Atlanta location, along with ArieForce One, would permanently cease operations on August 2, 2026. Company CEO John Arie Jr. described the decision as "extremely difficult", citing the park's inability to sustain operations despite significant investments in new attractions. Daily operations continued through the closing date while the company provided transition assistance to employees. Their Orlando and Kissimmee parks were not affected by the closure.[23]
The announcement raised uncertainty over the future of the coaster. Industry observers speculated that the roller coaster could be relocated to another amusement park, although the company had not announced any plans for the attraction at the time of the closure announcement.[24]
Ride experience
Departing the station, the train traversed two bunny hops before ascending the 154-foot (47 m) tall lift hill at an angle of 45°. Upon reaching its peak, the train plummeted down a 146-foot (45 m) first drop at 83°, reaching an advertised top speed of 64 mph (103 km/h). Riders rose up into the coaster's first inversion, a dive loop (dubbed a Raven Truss Dive) acting as a turnaround. A speed hill directly proceeded such, leading up into the second inversion, a large zero-g stall underneath the lift hill. A large outwards-banked airtime hill followed, redirecting the train 90° to the left and into the park. After speeding through a double up, riders sharply dropped into the third inversion, a tight barrel roll overtop of the arcade. Behind the park's main buildings, the coaster twisted through an off-axis hill, a right-hand turnaround, and a final zero-g roll. A second low hill above the arcade lead riders into the coaster's final stretch, consisting of an extended quad-down. Riders popped up into the final brake run and proceeded back to the station through a 90° turn to the right. One ride on ArieForce One was advertised to last 100 seconds.[25]
Characteristics
ArieForce One stood 154 feet (47 m) tall, 3,400 feet (1,000 m) long, and reached a top speed of 64 mph (103 km/h) throughout the ride. The natural topography resulted in a total elevation change of 180 feet (55 m) throughout the ride layout. The coaster ran two 5-car trains, each car of which seated riders in two rows of two, resulting in an occupancy of 20 passengers per train and an estimated hourly capacity of 900 people per hour. In terms of the layout, ArieForce One contained an 83° first drop and four inversions, including a headlining "Raven Truss Dive" and the largest zero-g stall in the United States.[1] G-forces throughout the ride varied, with riders being subjected to vertical g-forces between 3.75 g and -1.0 g, as well as lateral forces of +/- 1.25 g.[26]
Awards
ArieForce One received the 2023 Golden Ticket Award for Best New Attraction Installation from Amusement Today.[27] It also ranked at position 25 for the world's best steel roller coasters its debut year.
| Year | 1998 | 1999 | ||||||||
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| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
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| Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Ranking | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| Ranking | N/A | – | – | 25[28] | 17[29] | 13[30] |