American Eagle (roller coaster)

American Eagle is a wooden racing roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America. It was the first wooden roller coaster designed by Intamin of Switzerland and was built in 1981 by the contracting firm Figley-Wright. While the records have since been broken, American Eagle had the longest drop and fastest speed among wooden roller coasters when it debuted and is still recognized as a top racing coaster in the United States. In 2006, American Eagle celebrated its Silver Anniversary (25th Anniversary).OverviewSoaring high above the County Fair section of the park, this massive dual-track wooden racing coaster spans almost the entire southern edge of the park. The out-and-back design features a very recognizable 560-degree helix at the turnaround point and a first drop that dips 20ft below ground level. An original design feature was a set of holding brakes that would perch trains at the top of the lift hill for a brief moment, giving riders a bird's-eye view before releasing them to soar down the 147ft-tall (45 m) first drop at a 55-degree angle. Use of the holding brakes was short-lived and the brakes themselves were eventually removed so that the trains just go right down the drop. The ride was also originally designed to run with a total of six trains; however, that number has since been reduced to four (two per track). American Eagle uses three-bench, five-car trains built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The trains were originally designed with single-position lap bars but are now equipped with individual lap bars and seatbelts, making the trains on both American Eagle and Viper similar.