Arrow Dynamics

Beginnings Arrow Dynamics' forerunner, Arrow Development, was founded in 1946 when Ed Morgan, Karl Bacon, Bill Hardiman, and Angus "Andy" Anderson, started a machine shop in Mountain View, California. They started out selling used machine tools, building truck parts, and repairing cars until about 1950 when they built their first merry-go-rounds for San Jose's Alum Rock Park. Design and manufacturing costs for new, larger ride systems were increasing and competition grew. Bankruptcy loomed once again just as Arrow introduced X (subsequently known as X2) at Six Flags Magic Mountain, a 4th dimension roller coaster designed by Alan Schilke. X opened to massive media attention and received an initially positive reception; however, several mechanical problems caused the ride to be closed for repairs during much of its first year of operation. The company filed for bankruptcy again on December 3, 2001. At the end of October 2002, the remaining assets were sold to S&S Worldwide, a limited liability company related to amusement ride manufacturer, forming S&S Arrow. In November 2012, Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, acquired a 77.3% interest in S&S. ==Milestones==

, the first roller coaster in the world to pass the 200 ft mark. • 1959: The first tubular steel track coaster, Matterhorn Bobsleds, at Disneyland • 1963: The first Log Flume, El Aserradero at Six Flags Over Texas • 1966: The first mine train roller coaster, featuring the first underwater tunnel, the Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Over Texas • 1975: The first modern inverting coaster, Corkscrew, at Knott's Berry Farm • 1976: The first coaster with three inversions, Corkscrew at Cedar Point • 1977: The first coaster with consecutive vertical loops, Double Loop, at Geauga Lake • 1978: The first interlocking loops, Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg • 1980: The first coaster with four inversions, Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds • 1981: The first modern suspended coaster, The Bat, at Kings Island • 1982: The first coaster with five inversions, Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake • 1983: The first and only bowtie element. Record-breaking lift hill requiring two lift chains, Dragon Mountain, at Marineland of Canada • 1984: The first successful suspended coaster, XLR-8 at Six Flags Astroworld and Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg • 1987: The first coaster with six inversions, Vortex at Kings Island • 1988: The first coaster with seven inversions, Shockwave at Six Flags Great America • 1989: The first hypercoaster, Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point • 1990: The first suspended coaster to go underground, Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures • 1991: The first looping coaster to feature an underwater tunnel, Anaconda at Kings Dominion • 1991: The world's fastest roller coaster, Steel Phantom, opened at Kennywood • 1993: The first roller coaster to feature three consecutive corkscrews, Fantasia Special at Fantasia • 1994: World's tallest and steepest coaster, The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Great Britain • 2002: Designed the steel supporting structure for the Olympic Cauldron used at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City • 2002: The first fourth-dimension coaster, X, at Six Flags Magic Mountain ==See also==