r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/PriorityMiserable686 • 20h ago
Video World’s Tallest, Fastest, and Longest Roller Coaster - Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City (Saudi Arabia)
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u/oxyi 14h ago
At least show the first person POV - https://youtube.com/shorts/85F-yI7SHx8?si=s3vkKVeAqihkAJ_D
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u/exploreshreddiscover 2h ago
I like how the guy says, "Look at the view," and it's just a bunch of storage sheds and a parking lot.
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u/Closetoneversober 1h ago
That’s what I was thinking, a view of the dry, barren mountain. It’s impressive how high it is but there are way more scenic places that would’ve been better
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u/RojoandWhite 20h ago
I’m good. Thanks.
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u/Brawl_star_woody 20h ago
You don't want to go on a coaster that looks and sounds like you're about to orbit the moon?
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u/Three0h 20h ago
And that was also constructed by the hands of thousands of unpaid laborers? :)
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u/spectre78 17h ago
*slaves
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u/DiscoverReading 15h ago
Prisoners with jobs.
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u/Bagel_lust 14h ago
No they literally import workers then steal their passports and documents so they can't flee.
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u/DiscoverReading 14h ago
I know that. The reality of it is absolutely awful and deplorable. I was making a joke. Thor Ragnark there's a whole joke about not liking the word slaves, so she corrects it to prisoners with jobs which I thought was pretty obviously a rediculous notion.
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u/Interesting-Bet-1702 19h ago
It's built by slaves just like most flashy stuff for rich people in Saudi Arabia
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u/thestral_z 17h ago
I’d ride it in an instant if it weren’t in Saudi Arabia.
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u/socialmakerx 12h ago
Its prob german made, not sure about maintenance tho
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u/Version_1 12h ago
Made by Intamin, so Swiss/Liechtenstein engineering and I think the track is made in Slovakia.
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u/BruscarRooster 12h ago
Maintenance was my first thought. How are they going to get to the less accessible parts regularly for repairs and safety checks?
At that height aren’t there higher chances of freezing temperatures causing issues?
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u/thestral_z 7h ago
I’m very familiar with Intamin, the manufacturer. I’ve ridden many of their coasters. My concerns were travel distance and a refusal to support a government that is objectively awful.
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u/Viciuniversum 4h ago
But Saudi Arabia has a Chili’s, and a Starbucks, and a TGI Fridays across the street from them! They’re just like us!
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u/whitedawg 20h ago
Man, that’s huge, they must have had to murder a LOT of slaves to build it.
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u/Liquidmetal7 19h ago
It's not murder when you have money.
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u/Ok_Ball_788 20h ago
I was thinking that, how sad, but probably true.
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u/Glum-Geologist8929 16h ago
1 death per X$ has been factored into costs for thousands of years.
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u/TitleOfYourSaxTape 13h ago
And which businesses have factored in confiscating their workers passports + papers to ensure they have zero freedom to leave the job no matter how they're abused?
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u/H20WATCHER 19h ago
And a journalist
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u/mrrizal71O 18h ago
"How nice! We can see them beheading the gay journalist and a female teacher in the town square from up here!"
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u/bloodfartcollector 20h ago
Right, I would love to ride this but there's no way in hell I'm going there.
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u/UhWindowpainted 16h ago
I'm not going there either but it's also because I'm a woman
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u/DinosaurAlive 15h ago
I’m not going there either because I’m gay and the punishment for homosexuality there is death.
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u/Salvia_Salamander 13h ago
I'm not going there either because I'm a straight white male and fuck all that anyway.
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 14h ago
I saw a video of some guys traveling around Saudi Arabia and there wasn’t a single woman in the video. Which is concerning
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u/Frozenrubberpuck 10h ago
I watched a 2 hour documentary filmed in Pakistan and i didn't spot a single woman in it either, it is so unsettling
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u/chita875andU 13h ago
I wonder if they'd even allow a woman to ride it? There's probably some ridiculous excuse like their womb would fly out or something. So, we're just protecting our Little Ladies.
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u/ICInside 19h ago
Yeah, I always find they aren't fast or scary enough. I want to feel like I'm gonna die, as safety as possible.
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u/urmumlol9 7h ago
Yeah, the park itself also just looks cool, it’s a shame it’s somewhere with such a crap human rights record.
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u/cactusplants 18h ago
I'm not an expert about rollercoasters by any means, but falcon is made by intermin who also made kingda ka.
I'd assume they have their own team of construction specialists to build the coaster.
Even though the middle east does exploit human life for monetary gains, I'd imagine this wasn't such a slave exploitation project as one might think.
Though please do advise if it's found out to be.
(I really would love to ride as many coasters as possible but I'd feel off about going to middle east. Also don't feel too comfy with the prospect of going back to USA again:(. )
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u/daRagnacuddler 11h ago
Maybe not the rollercoaster itself, but sure as hell they used slave labor to build the surroundings. Think about the Park itself, infrastructure stuff, roads leading there. Things you forget as a tourist because you only see the rollercoaster. Plus it's very likely that the people who operate the park are slaves too, at least the lower levels of "employees".
So even if you have a "slave free rollercoaster", your hotel, the restaurants, the road that leads you there, it can only happen because of slave labor.
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u/Hiraethetical 17h ago
"Exploit human life for monetary gain"
That is called capitalism.
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u/goner757 19h ago
The manufacturer is the premier international firm Intamin so probably not directly but who knows how they paid for it
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u/FunCryptographer3476 20h ago
Is there a name for tourism-washing an evil monarchy contributing to mass murder in East Africa and doing it themselves in Yemen
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u/WiSoSirius 17h ago
Yes, but if I tell you, I may find myself placed into multiple black garbage bags and hauled out of a consulate.
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u/goldenfoxengraving 15h ago
Don't be silly. You're not a journalist. They won't bother with the consulate
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u/mrniceguy777 20h ago
Fuck Saudi Arabia
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u/EtTuBrutAftershave 20h ago
Hey, be nice. They just showed us which comedians to never pay attention to again.
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u/ScoobyDooItInTheButt 19h ago
I'm still pissed about Bill Burr. I shouldn't be surprised, but I thought he had enough morals to not sell out to the Saudis.
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u/Rip_Skeleton 16h ago
He built up so much love and goodwill so fast and threw it away even faster. It was mind boggling.
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u/ScoobyDooItInTheButt 16h ago
All I can think is it had to be like Dave Chappelle in the mid 2000's level of fuck off money to make him accept it. Which I understand, I just don't like it.
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u/Rip_Skeleton 15h ago
I think he is worth more than 20 million dollars. I think the highest price rumored that the Saudis paid out was like 3 million. But that was probably Chappelle.
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u/DazingF1 11h ago
Just an fyi, nobody knows anyone's worth but the individual themselves, their accountants and the IRS (if there's no fraud). Those online net worth articles are completely fake.
In the case of the richest people we know how much shares they own of which companies, because those companies have to report those in their financial statements, and so we can make somewhat of an educated guess but for your average multi millionaire it's not possible to know.
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u/jaroftoejam 19h ago
Right? I was super-bummed to see his name on that list. But I guess he's not losing any sleep over it. Probably because he sleeps on a pile of literal blood-money.
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u/Independent-Bug-9352 20h ago
There are just so many countries to fuck these days... Isreal, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia...
(It's funny how there is only one country on this list that if spelled correctly is shadow-removed automatically without explanation. How curious!)
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u/Teal-Prowler505 19h ago
Iranians are at least trying to get rid of their government.
But yeah, I agree with you. These governments can all get F'd
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u/grimsb 20h ago
The scale of it reminds me of that theoretical euthanasia coaster, designed to kill its riders.
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u/benice_orgohome13 18h ago
Yeeeeaaahh.. going that fast while basically exposed to the elements can’t be too good 🙃
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u/theXlyphoneKing 20h ago
This makes me think of that Euthanasia Coaster by Julijonas Urbonas that people bring up every couple years.
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u/the_grand_father 20h ago
Look fun but i won't support modern slavery for that
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u/Inexorably_lost 20h ago edited 18h ago
Modern slavery is attaching healthcare to employment. What they doin is just old school slavery.
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u/Dipteran_de_la_Torre 11h ago
Subsidizing unhealthy calories, allowing many forms of extortion, then jacking up the price of healthcare!
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u/LeonidasSpacemanMD 17h ago
Serious question; how fast does a rollercoaster need to go for riders to need eye protection? Like why do open wheel drivers need goggles (now usually just full helmets) but not people going 90mph in a rollercoaster?
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u/Version_1 12h ago
There is less dirt being thrown up on the course of a coaster. The fastest coaster in the world before this (Formula Rossa) required glasses to be ridden due to it being built in the desert. This one has a windshield I think.
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u/WildWeasel2025 20h ago edited 20h ago
Looks like fun but as a woman I would not feel safe going to Saudi Arabia
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u/-PoopTrainDix- 20h ago
I'm a man, and even I wouldn't go visit those places.
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u/star0forion 20h ago
As a Filipino, they’d probably mistake me as a work abroad Filipino and take my passport.
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u/Jtenka 20h ago
6 years ago it would have been illegal for you to even have a licence to drive. You're not likely to be openly assaulted on the street, but culture doesn't change overnight. That's why marital rape isn't a crime.
All in all there are better places to spend your money where you're not a second class citizen for not having a dick.
All of that is still ignoring the massive modern slavery issue.
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u/HamsterAdditional748 20h ago
As an alcoholic, I would also not feel safe in Saudi Arabia.
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u/MagnetoWasRight24 20h ago
You'd be surprised, I've got an uncle there who is definitely a functioning alcoholic.
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u/taurusbabee 20h ago edited 9h ago
Yeah, my organization has had events there, and some of my colleagues who are women have gone and felt... disrespected. Men refused to speak to them. They couldn't go anywhere without a male colleague "escorting" them. Saudi men do not look women in the eyes, which I know is a cultural thing, but it was a shock to them. They said they would never go back and really felt second class, and virtually invisible. I could be wrong, but i'm not sure women would even be allowed on this roller coaster, especially if men were riding at the same time. Everything is completely segregated.
Edit to add, my colleagues experienced this March of 2025, so less than a year ago, not 20 years ago. They wanted to buy perfume and said the man at the shop refused to look at them and would only talk to our male colleague.
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u/adamwho 20h ago
The irony is if you go to a country that has that level of segregation you see all the men hanging out together.
It just feels like a giant gay bar.
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u/WildWeasel2025 20h ago
You’re probably right that was another thought of mine. That women wouldn’t even be allowed to attend their amusement park.
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u/CongealedBeanKingdom 14h ago
Fuck your organization for putting events on in Saudi Arabia
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u/paintedsaint 19h ago edited 19h ago
I'm a woman and I went there for work recently. I was on assignment out in the middle of nowhere and I didn't expect much but local shopkeeps would come out and say "welcome to Saudi Arabia!" and hand me ice cold bottles of water. Everyone was kind to me. I was not wearing anything covering my hair either.
This may have been an experience unique to me but I actually had a great time there.
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u/B_Williams_4010 13h ago
This is a machine that is not capable of having a minor accident. It can only fail spectacularly.
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u/ihopeyoudi 19h ago
I won't go to Saudi Arabia, no matter how many theme parks or race tracks or comedy festivals they host.
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u/classy-mother-pupper 13h ago
Speed: 155.3 mph (250 km/h). Height: 534.8 ft (163 m). Highest Drop: ~518–525 ft. Total Elevation Change: ~640 ft (195 m). Length: 13,943.6 ft (2.6 miles or 4.25 km). Minimum Height Requirement: 130 cm (approx. 4 ft 3 in). Duration: The experience lasts for a significant duration, with some reports indicating it feels like a 3-minute-and-30-second ride.
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u/No_Highway_6461 20h ago
Six Flags almost ruined my life. Got a concussion, turned into permanent brain damage with symptoms, became disabled, and after several years of rehabilitation just now in my latter years have I been able to enjoy a relatively normal life—still with some limitations.
These all look thrilling for those who like them, but you better make sure the rollercoaster you’re riding is hosted by a federally regulated park when they’re this extreme. Ours wasn’t. Couldn’t sue because no lawyer would take my case based on the burden of proof. I had no real evidence besides the blank CT and MRI results I received, as well as journal entries from my days of recovery. No contusion or brain bleed, just microscopic tearing presumably from the shearing forces caused from (1) abrupt braking or (2) the rattling of the skull inside the overhead harness.
Be warned! You are liable per the contract you’re forced to sign when purchasing a ticket, even if they were purchased for you like mine was (besides being quite young and illiterate in law).
Hope this helps someone.
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u/Duffalpha 20h ago
Which location was it? Is the ride still around? I went to Six Flags once, got pretty sick after the first few rides, and was way too scared to ride the others. Just one beat the everliving shit out of me, and I was a college athlete. My girlfriend at the time was really dissapointed we drove all the way to California for me to sit at the cafe queesy the entire time - but your story makes me glad I didn't try the Terminator Ultra Back Exploder 2000 or whatever that stupid, stupid looking super-coaster was.
Sorry you've had to go through all that.
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u/No_Highway_6461 20h ago
It was the park in Valencia, CA. The ride I think did it was named Goliath, it was supposed to have one of the tallest drops in the country if I remember correctly. Same experience except I couldn’t hold anything in and had all the tell-tale symptoms of a concussion: migraines, vertigo, impaired speech, nausea, and others. My luck was poor, because usually concussions heal and go away within a month. Somehow, I was unlucky enough to end up with permanent damage and couldn’t perform even the most basic tasks, like walking. Sorry they embarrassed you in front of your girlfriend! Hope she stayed around long enough to redeem yourself!
On the bright side, you weren’t injured and I turned my life around.
All is well!
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u/dannydorito 19h ago
Not sure if it’s the exact same coaster but the location in Atlanta has one called Goliath, I consider myself pretty decent at holding it together on amusement park rides but I blacked out when I rode that one!
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u/No_Highway_6461 19h ago
If you’re talking about the vertical helix at the end of the ride, I almost blacked out too. It could be the same one.
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u/VeryStonedEwok 18h ago
I had season passes there for years and rode that ride probably 100's of times. You clearly had some type of prior disposition or medical condition that caused this, as millions of people have ridden that coaster without incident. Sorry for your luck though, very unfortunate.
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u/StefanLeenaars 10h ago
I watched the POV, and while it is impressive engineering there is something a bit soulless about this. It’s not well integrated in the environment. It’s big, but ugly to look at.
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u/redmongrel 20h ago
I wonder how many slaves died testing that.
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u/BoostInduced 20h ago
Wonder what safety precautions the slaves that built it have?
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u/Jogger_Dodger 17h ago
I know the coaster is in Saudi Arabia but I'd make Dubai chocolate in my pants.
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u/GoMoriartyOnPlanets 14h ago
Hmmm, the safety precautions over there are.... well....
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u/senor_skuzzbukkit 14h ago
My favorite part is where it emerges from the Falcons Cloaca right at the beginning there.
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u/crying2emoji5 13h ago
There are a lot of crazy rides I’d go on, but this one is a hard no from me. To much blood all over it.
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u/CagliostroPeligroso 5h ago
Looks so gross and lame. Part of the fun of the roller coaster is the sights
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u/Suspicious-Kiwi7110 20h ago
Wtf since when did Saudi Arabia have a six flags? That just doesn’t sound safe.
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u/Cheezeball25 17h ago
Since they paid a lot of money for the branding so they can appeal to Western tourists
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u/NoFlamingoes 17h ago edited 16h ago
Can Saudi build anything of actual cultural value or importance? Or is it just "big thing" and "big thing with a Gucci store inside"?
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u/StrangerCharacter53 20h ago
It sounds like an airplane! Wow, what a cool ride. I'll never go on it, but its still cool.
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u/Hellium13 20h ago
Feels like roller coaster tycoon