News imageImage (c) Dollywood
(News) Dollywood, the Tennessee-based theme park, launched its new $20 million Wild Eagle, the first steel wing coaster in the U.S. last Friday.

“Wild Eagle was a long time in the makin’ but truly worth every minute as that incredible bird took flight over Dollywood,” Dolly Parton said. “From everything folks are telling me, Wild Eagle is somethin’ else, and I hope folks from around the world come to Dollywood to earn their wings. Or as I like to say, be an eagle not a chicken!” 

Hosting approximately 1,000 invited guests and dignitaries, Parton presided over Dollywood’s Wild Eagle grand opening festivities, complete with confetti cannons and a special flight by the American Eagle Foundation’s (AEF) specially trained bald eagle Challenger.

The 52 first official rides on Wild Eagle were offered on ebay in March and generated $37,000 for the AEF, which is headquartered at Dollywood. Auction winners were on hand for the inaugural ride. Wild Eagle’s innovative floorless design allows riders to experience the sensation of flight. Riders sit four abreast in a forward-facing position, with two riders seated on the “wings” along either side of the coaster’s track with nothing but air above and below them. Perched on the park’s highest peak, Wild Eagle rises 21 stories into the sky. Wild Eagle’s nearly two-and-a-half minute journey includes a plummeting 135-foot first drop. 
 
Wild Eagle is the largest single capital investment in Dollywood’s 26-year history. The park’s development team collaborated with Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the world’s premier coaster manufacturer.