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Vliegende Hollander
Location	Efteling
Park section	Ruig Rijk
Type	Steel
Status	Open
Opened	1/4/2007
Manufacturer	Kumbak Coasters
Designer	Karel Willemen
Model	Water coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift
Height	73.82 ft (22.50 m)
Length	1,377.95 ft (420.00 m)
Max speed	43.5 mph (70.0 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	3.43 minutes
Capacity	1900 riders per hour
Cost	€ 20.3 million
Max G force	0.2-2
Height restriction	3 ft 11 in (119 cm)
Vliegende Hollander at RCDB Pictures of Vliegende Hollander at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

The Flying Dutchman (or "De Vliegende Hollander" in Dutch) is a combination of a Water coaster and a dark ride in amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. It should have gone operational on April 16 2006 Easter, exactly 328 years after the disappearance of the legendary Dutch merchant The Flying Dutchman; due to construction problems the opening was postponed to April 1, 2007.

The legend and the attraction

Flying Dutchman Ride building

Willem van der Decken, a captain of the Dutch eastindian corporation VOC, the first limited company, is a wealthy trader in command of the fastest ship of the VOC, named the "Hollander" (Dutchman). But greed takes control of him and secretly he starts practicing piracy. He recruits his crew from orphanages.
On Easter 1678, despite a heavy storm blowing into port, he sets sail for the Dutch East Indies. When all despair for this lack of fear for God, he proclaims: "I will sail, storm or not, Easter or not, prohibited or not. I will sail, even into eternity!" (old Dutch: "Ik zal vaeren, storm of gheen storm, Paesen of gheen Paesen, verbod of gheen verbod. Ik zal vaeren, al is het tot in den eeuwigheid!").
Against the wind he sailed toward damnation. The house of van der Decken is part of the scenery for the queue line. After walking through this abandoned house the queue continues down into so-called 'smugglers' tunnels', where van der Decken's treasure can be seen hidden behind a small door. The tunnel ends in the cellar of a pub in 17th century style. In the harbor, under a dark clouded sky the coaster ride begins. The 14- person barge goes into open sea where it meets a holographic ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman, and dives under its bow into the Underworld. The barge is then towed to a height of 22,5 meters. Here, it halts, and a ghostly voice is heard stating: "You shall sail into eternity!" (Old Dutch: "Gij zult vaeren, tot het einde der tijden!") Doors open and the barge shoots in a curved declination through a tunnel. After this some airtime in a bunnyhop and a 85 degree horseshoe. A steep fall and a left curve bring the barge back into the water. A special technique allows for variation in the size of the “splash”, thus preparing the ride for winter opening .
In The Flying Dutchman, visitors defy the curse of the famous ghost ship still known from the centuries-old legend. They’ll travel back in time to the Dutch Golden Age, the time when the Dutch East India Company celebrated its many triumphs. During a breathtaking trip in a longboat, visitors reach a height of 22.5 metres, then “fly” at more than 70 km. per hour over the track, zoom another 420 metres, and finally land in the water with a tremendous splash. The ride subjects its daring passengers to up to 2 G’s – the reason why anyone wanting to ride on The Flying Dutchman has to be at least 1.20 metres tall. Visitors located on the town ramparts of the seaport town or at the terrace of De Kombuys (a catering outlet) have a gorgeous view of the outside of this exciting ride.

Music

The music was composed by René Merkelbach and consists of 16 parts that are synchronous with the ride. The Prague philharmonic orchestra performed the music for the recording

References

• Fansite
• Company information
• Flying Dutchman Website
• Rollercoaster Database

Construction of 'Vliegende Hollander'

Coordinates: 51°38′53″N 5°02′51″E / 51.64805°N 5.047392°E / 51.64805; 5.047392