Thunderbird at Holiday World
Upside down 4 timesin wing seats off the track's side Launch out of the barnkicks harder than nearly any LSM

Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana

Thunderbird

POV
Ride it: back row POV
Back row
it leaves you wanting to get back in line
What riders love
  • The launch kicks harder than nearly any other LSM, and the elements hit harder than those on other wings.
  • The launch is among the punchiest I’ve experienced in a long time, and the inversions and positives all hit hard without any noticeable rattle.
  • The launch surprisingly has a great punch to it and the ride absolutely hauls for a B&M wing.
  • First wing coaster I ever rode did not disappoint, providing my favorite inversion ever - the in-line twist into the brakes.
  • The Zero-G Roll is so satisfying as it whips around, and even has a decent near miss moment with all the trees growing under it.
  • All of the near-misses are so fun and the roll at the end is iconic!
  • The launch is punchy, the first three elements provide sustained positive Gs, and at 10 years old it's still amazingly smooth.
  • Thunderbird is an incredibly well rounded roller coaster, with a nice punchy launch that runs glass smooth.
  • Smooth, comfortable just a great coaster.
Thunderbird Watch Performance Should I ride it? Specifications Reviews Planning History

Watch POVs and more

Thunderbird front row undercarriage on-ride POV @60fps Holiday World

youtube.com › CoasterForce

Thunderbird right back seat on-ride 4K POV @60fps Holiday World

youtube.com › CoasterForce

Thunderbird Roller Coaster POV Both Sides 60FPS Side by Side Holiday World 2015

youtube.com › Theme Park Review

Thunderbird with first riders off-ride HD @60fps Holiday World

youtube.com › CoasterForce

Thunderbird Review Holiday World Launched Wing Coaster

youtube.com › Coaster Studios

Thunderbird Review - Holiday World (Santa Claus, Indiana) Launching Wing Coaster

youtube.com › XscreamThrills

Holiday World Took a HUGE Risk With Thunderbird…Was It Worth It? | B&M Wing Coaster Review

youtube.com › TheCoasterCore

Holiday World's Thunderbird commercial

youtube.com › Holiday World & Splashin' Safari

Holiday World's Thunderbird train

youtube.com › Holiday World & Splashin' Safari

Performance

Vs. other coasters at Holiday World

Coming out of the first inversion, you get several seconds of complete weightlessness and this row provides the most head-choppers!

Coaster101

The launch is more powerful than expected and the inversions deliver great airtime.

George Simpson

It of course has the same weak points of other wing coasters in that there is limited airtime

Tom Fairnie

The launch is among the punchiest I’ve experienced in a long time, and the inversions and positives all hit hard without any noticeable rattle.

Ryan Armstrong

Eric: As for the ride itself, it is a great experience combining a smooth ride and great airtime and inversions.

Coaster101

It gives multiple one-of-a-kind experiences while being incredibly well-paced and smooth.

Coaster Critic

As you might expect from B&M, the rollercoaster is smooth and graceful.

Theme Park James

Ride has a very noticeable rattle that shouldn’t really affect the ride experience, however the vests get really tight towards the end.

J&B FitzTubeKidz

The launch and height of this are its strengths but like most B&M loopers it just hits me in the head too much with its strong positives.

David

It is very fun; it’s intense but not too intense.

Coaster Critic

My main complaint though is that I almost fully greyed out in the first loop, it really caught me off guard.

NorCal Coaster Media

This ride is way more intense the other wings I’ve done and the vest restraints didn’t tighten like they did on the other ones.

Jack Jack J.

The ride really isn’t that forceful to me, but I’ve heard a lot of people, including coaster enthusiasts, saying that it was a forceful ride.

Storming Coasters

Andrew: I only got to experience Thunderbird from the right side, and it was crazy to me how much faster the launch felt in the front row compared to the second row.

Coaster101

The launch surprisingly has a great punch to it and the ride absolutely hauls for a B&M wing.

Carter Eckhart

This is my one problem with Thunderbird: it’s fast, it’s punchy, it’s fun, but it’s short.

Elijah Bacelieri

The last time I was at Holiday World, this was running insanely fast and I loved it.

Chris Jones

The beginning is what scared me and it is way faster in real life on this it looks so slow

@Ja.leiiii

The first half does have a good sense of speed though.

Canobie Coaster

The day we were there, it was a walk-on and I think we sessioned it 10-12 times in a row.

Brian Sheldon

Should I ride it?

Organize by

Specifications

140 ftHeight
159 Voyage 140 Thunderbird 99 Legend 80 Raven
130 ftFirst drop
154 Voyage 130 Thunderbird 113 Legend 85 Raven
60 mphTop speed
Voyage67 Thunderbird60 Legend59 Raven48 067 mph
4Inversions

What riders say

Praised for

Great launchRider favouriteSmooth rideGreat inversionsHangtime

Criticised for

Too short

Thunderbird is likely the best and most intense wing coaster.

holacoasters, Captain Coaster review

This may not be the highest of bars but Thunderbird is definitely the most forceful B&M wing I’ve been on.

Bryan Bonafede, Captain Coaster review

The launch that begins is not the most intense, but it still manages to be plenty of fun, especially since it has a simple yet effective dispatch sequence.

I'm NotHere, Captain Coaster review

Kyle: Having been on Cedar Point’s GateKeeper and Dollywood’s Wild Eagle, I would have to say Thunderbird takes the cake.

Coaster101, published review

The laterals in the corkscrews on a wing coaster are so unique that it’s worth doing once, and the launch feels impactful in a way I’ve never experienced before.

Caleb Vines, Captain Coaster review

John: Thunderbird definitely takes the top spot on my wing coaster list (beating Wild Eagle and X-Flight).

Coaster101, published review

Photos

Thunderbird at Holiday World
Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0
Thunderbird's first two inversions
Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0
Thunderbird at Holiday World
Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0
Thunderbird Orange Bolliger and Mabillard Wing Coaster with Hybrid Wood Coaster, Voyage, manufactured by Gravity Group
Josh Brown, CC BY-SA 4.0
Thunderbird at Holiday World
DD Lover, CC0
Thunderbird at Holiday World
DD Lover, CC0
Thunderbird after its first loop
EditsGod, CC BY-SA 4.0

7 photographs. Swipe or drag sideways.

Planning your ride

History and awards

April 25, 2015Opened

Built by Bolliger & Mabillard.

$22 millionTo build

Golden Ticket Awards, top steel coaster: ranked in 3 polls, 2016 to 2018

34th2016, its first poll
49th2018, most recent

Sources

Restraint types: Captain Coaster. History, incidents and awards: Wikipedia. Specifications and status: Coasterpedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. From the park and maker: Holiday World guide. Also read: Captain Coaster (converted to feet and mph). Rider sentiment and performance scores: rider reviews on coaster101.com, Captain Coaster, coastercritic.com, themeparkjames.co.uk, youtube.com, read and scored by AirtimeFever.

Photographs via Wikimedia Commons: Jeremy Thompson (CC BY 2.0), Josh Brown (CC BY-SA 4.0), DD Lover (CC0), EditsGod (CC BY-SA 4.0). Video thumbnails remain the property of their channels and link back to them.

What riders love, by theme (themes in the order riders pick them most on Captain Coaster): Brian Sheldon, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The slow roll out into the barn really builds…”; Ethan S., rider review on Captain Coaster: “The launch kicks harder than nearly any other LSM,…”; Ryan Armstrong, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The launch is among the punchiest I’ve experienced in…”; Carter Eckhart, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The launch surprisingly has a great punch to it…”; Rollertoaster, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The final inline twist really lets you dangle; it…”; NorCal Coaster Media, rider review on Captain Coaster: “First wing coaster I ever rode did not disappoint,…”; I'm NotHere, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The Zero-G Roll is so satisfying as it whips…”; Megan Isovitsch, rider review on Captain Coaster: “All of the near-misses are so fun and the…”; Caleb Vines, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Smooth as silk through the whole layout with basically…”; Duncan G., rider review on Captain Coaster: “The launch is punchy, the first three elements provide…”; Liam Dodds, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Thunderbird is an incredibly well rounded roller coaster, with…”; Glass Cannonn, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Smooth, comfortable just a great coaster.”; Em McMahon, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Instead of meandering and wearing out its welcome, it…”.

The photo slider at the top and the fading stills: CoasterForce's back row POV, Thunderbird right back seat on-ride 4K POV @60fps Holiday World (YouTube), and the page's Wikimedia Commons photographs.