Adored Atlanta-area roller coaster gets new life in new home. But where?

“Part of the excitement is that the story isn’t over,” Mark Pauls, chief operating officer of Six Flags, said in a statement. “We know fans will immediately begin theorizing about which Six Flags park is the perfect fit. The passion surrounding ArieForce One is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent years, and when the time comes to reveal its new home, we believe that announcement will be just as exciting as the acquisition itself.”

The coaster, which boasts a top speed of 64 mph and is said to have the longest zero-gravity stall in the United States, made headlines in July and early August around the time it closed. One local fan had ridden it more than 28,000 times.

Heralded as a top 10 coaster in the world, ArieForce One was the crown jewel of the roadside amusement park it lorded over. But in its off-the-beaten-path location 8 miles due south of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Fun Spot was hamstrung, as the park’s owner John Arie Jr. said in July, by “not enough attendance.”

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Arie, whose family name serves as the coaster’s namesake, which Six Flags said will be preserved, said at the time he had “been contacted by a lot of people” interested in acquiring the coaster. “We’re gonna find a home. This thing cannot go down to the ground.”

A Fun Spot America spokesperson declined to comment on the transaction, referring questions to Six Flags.

Arieforce One cost $13 million to build, according to Coaster 101, an online publication.