Why you should experience Afterburn at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Afterburn at Carowinds is a thrilling inverted roller coaster where precision engineering, aviation-inspired design, high-speed inversions, and world-class coaster craftsmanship deliver one of the Southeast's premier adrenaline experiences.
Set within the Crossroads section near Carolina Goldrusher and just steps from Carolina Cyclone, this suspended steel coaster sends riders hurtling through sweeping inversions, near-ground maneuvers, and dramatic terrain-hugging elements while their feet dangle freely beneath the track. Carefully choreographed transitions, exceptional ride smoothness, and an immersive military aviation atmosphere combine to produce an experience that remains as exhilarating today as when it first debuted. The result is an attraction defined by engineering excellence, relentless pacing, and one of Carowinds' signature thrill rides.
What you should know about Afterburn at Carowinds.
Afterburn at Carowinds is best known for opening on March 20, 1999 as Top Gun: The Jet Coaster, becoming Carowinds' largest single investment at the time with a construction cost of $10.5 million before being renamed Afterburn following Cedar Fair's acquisition of the Paramount Parks in 2006, preserving one of Bolliger & Mabillard's most acclaimed custom inverted coaster designs while seamlessly transitioning into a new aviation identity. Designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard with layout engineering by Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH after nearly two years of planning that began in 1997, the coaster rises 113 feet before plunging 125 feet to speeds approaching 62 miles per hour across 2,956 feet of track during a 2-minute, 47-second ride featuring six inversions consisting of a vertical loop, Immelmann, zero-g roll, batwing, and corkscrew. Construction required the removal of the park's Wild Bull Bayern Kurve attraction to accelerate development, while the original queue immersed guests inside a military hangar featuring a two-thirds-scale F-14 Tomcat fighter jet that reinforced the Top Gun theme. Since opening, Afterburn has consistently ranked among North America's finest inverted roller coasters, earning repeated recognition in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards while remaining one of the highest-rated Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coasters for its smooth ride quality, aggressive terrain interaction, and expertly paced sequence of inversions. A comprehensive repaint completed for the 2014 season refreshed the attraction while preserving the layout that has thrilled millions of riders for more than a quarter century.
Every element of Afterburn demonstrates Bolliger & Mabillard's philosophy of combining intense forces with exceptional rider comfort, allowing trains to dive through ravines, skim above pathways, race beneath the park entrance, and thread dramatic inversions with remarkable fluidity. More than twenty-five years after its debut, the coaster continues serving as one of Carowinds' defining attractions, illustrating why thoughtfully engineered inverted coasters remain among the most celebrated experiences in the amusement industry.
How to fold Afterburn at Carowinds into your trip.
Afterburn at Carowinds works as the highlight of a day exploring the park's premier thrill attractions.
Begin at Carolina Goldrusher, whose classic mine train provides an ideal introduction before escalating the excitement aboard Afterburn. Continue to Carolina Cyclone, where five inversions showcase another chapter of the park's coaster history before concluding at Fury 325, whose record-breaking speed and height provide a spectacular finale celebrating Carowinds' internationally acclaimed collection of roller coasters. The progression naturally builds from classic thrills to precision inversion riding before culminating aboard one of the world's greatest giga coasters.
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