Drachen Fire was a roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Opened in 1992, it stood 150 feet tall and had a top speed of 60 mph.
Initially, Drachen Fire was to be a Bolliger and Mabillard creation. It is said that Busch Entertainment had contacted the young company to build two sit-down coasters at its Busch Gardens parks in Virginia and Florida. However, B&M was busy creating two stand-up coasters for Paramount Parks (one at Great America and the other at Carowinds) and preparing to debut its first inverted coaster, Batman: the Ride at Six Flags Great America. They could deliver on their coaster for Busch Gardens Tampa (that coaster, Kumba, opened in 1993), but not for its Williamsburg sister park. Busch understood and instead handed the contract for the Williamsburg coaster to Arrow Dynamics; the concept given to the company by B&M was unlike anything Arrow had done to date. One particular problem the company faced was designing the vertical loop to wrap around the lift hill. When Drachen Fire was completed it had six inversions, including several unique elements: a wraparound corkscrew midway into the first hill (first), a batwing (second and third), and a cutback (fifth). Two corkscrews, the fourth and sixth inversions, completed the inversion count.
From day one, Drachen Fire had numerous problems that resulted in low ridership. First, its trains were a new, more streamlined body style that made for a more uncomfortable ride than the older, standard trains. Instead of giving riders freedom of movement, the new trains boxed them in as tightly as possible. Second, Arrow designed the coaster using the center of the train as the center of gravity. In sharp contrast, B & M coasters placed the center of gravity on the riders’ hearts. Also, the coaster was placed in the back of the park with few attractions to lead people to it.
Because of complaints of roughness, the first corkscrew (inversion #4), which immediately followed the midcourse brake run, was removed after the 1994 season. Drachen Fire continued to operate without incident until it mysteriously closed July 11, 1998. For the remainder of that season and for the next three seasons, it lay dormant as the park attempted—without success—to sell the coaster. A train was traveling on the track on Opening Day, 2001, raising hopes that it would re-open, but it never did. In February 2002, the coaster was torn down and its steel melted.