Built by Premier Rides and designed by famous roller coaster designer Warner Stengel, Flight of Fear features an out of this world journey upon 2,705 feet of track. The ride would open on June 18, 1996. What would make this ride special is the technology behind it, as it won top honors in two categories at the November 1995 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions trade show: 1) Major Theme/Amusement Park Ride/Attraction, and 2) Technology Applied to Amusements.

The ride goes from 0-54 mph in just four seconds. How? With the help of old technology being revitalized. The ride is launched using magnets, or to be specific, Linear Induction Motors (LIMs). Underneath the trains would be airplane-like aluminum fins on both sides. The fins pass through a series of LIMs lined up on both sides of the track down the runway, propelling the ride to its maximum speed.

The story of Flight of Fear begins with Hangar 18, Fort Cooper. As you enter the military base, it is clear that something seems - off. The Bureau of Paranormal Activity has been residing over all the extra paranormal activities that have been recently occurring and have been very stern and quiet with the public and members of the media. For the first time, locals are being authorized to discover for themselves what mysteries surround the research and strange auroras that have been lingering around the base. Upon entering the base, guests will discover a massive flying saucer, one that is being analyzed and carefully watched. What visitors don’t realize, however, is that they are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest inner mind to the outer limits. Guests are “invited” to enter the vessel and discover that which lies beyond this mortal sphere. Invited by whom, exactly, is unknown.

Being launched would act as a metaphor to being captured by the extraterrestrial. At first, executives weren’t convinced about the ride needing to be indoors, which would mean that an entire structure would have to be built with the existing budget. But Esparza got with his team to create a model with preliminary drawings, which blew executives away.

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