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Why did Firehawk close?

While still popular with many guests, park officials state the ride has simply reached the end of its service life, officials said. Final rides (or rites) will begin this weekend, with its last days of operation occurring the final weekend of Halloween Haunt and The Great Pumpkin Fest.



Firehawk, the Vekoma "Flying Dutchman" roller coaster at Kings Island, officially closed on October 28, 2018, primarily because it had reached the end of its service life and was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. As the ride aged, the mechanical components became prone to frequent breakdowns, and the cost of sourcing specialized replacement parts for an older, less common model became financially unsustainable for the park. Furthermore, its closure made way for the construction of Orion, the park's massive "Giga Coaster" which opened in 2020. The land previously occupied by Firehawk in the "Area 72" section of the park provided the necessary footprint for Orion's station and lift hill. While Firehawk was a unique experience—allowing riders to fly in a face-down position—the park's management decided that replacing the high-maintenance older ride with a world-class, high-capacity modern steel coaster was a better long-term investment for the resort's future. The ride was eventually scrapped for parts to support its sister coaster, Nighthawk, at Carowinds.

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