Six Flags' 'Flying' Roller Coaster

GURNEE, Ill. – A winged roller coaster will debut next year at Six Flags Great America between Chicago and Milwaukee, Wis.

Riders on the X-Flight coaster will have no track above or below them. They will sit in pairs suspended on either side of the track with their feet dangling. The coaster will include a 12-story plunge, 3,000 feet of drops and reach speeds of 55 mph. Six Flags announced the new coaster Thursday.

Six Flags Great America president Hank Salemi says "the coaster's train actually looks like a plane with seats suspended on either side of the track." A news release describes the ride speeding "straight toward a structure, before making a last-minute vertical flip to fit through a keyhole cut-out."

Construction starts this fall and X-Flight will open in the spring.