Legoland grounding its Flying School roller coaster
Legoland Florida is closing its Flying School roller coaster. Its last day of operation will be Aug. 16, the Winter Haven theme park announced this week.
Legoland has not said what will take the place of the ride, an inverted/feet-dangling coaster, located in the Lego City section of the park near the entrance to the water park. Also in the area are the Ford Driving School, Boating School and Rescue Academy attractions.
Flying School is a relic from the property’s Cypress Gardens years. It opened in 2004 as Swamp Thing under owner Kent Buescher and his “Cypress Gardens Adventure Park” era, which added several rides and the water park to the historic attraction.
The coaster tops out at 26 mph and goes as high as 48 feet off the ground, according to the online Roller Coaster Data Base. It has no inversions.
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“What it lacks in intimidation, it makes up for with claustrophobic near-miss views of blurred poles and pilings,” Eric Michael wrote about Swamp Thing as part of his Action Figure column in the Orlando Sentinel in 2005.
Pictures: Cypress Gardens through the years
Legoland Florida opened on the Cypress Gardens grounds in 2011, retheming some attractions, creating Flying School. It also revamped the Triple Hurricane wooden coaster into current-day Coastersaurus.
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