Patriot – the longest, tallest and fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the region – is scheduled to open April 2006 at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Mo.

The $14 million roller coaster was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, of Monthey, Switzerland. It contains 3,081 feet of tubular steel track.

“We are excited to unveil the highly anticipated Patriot roller coaster to our guests this spring,” said Phil Bender, vice president and general manager at Worlds of Fun, in a release. “Adding this monster ride to our vast collection of attractions reinforces the park’s dedication to being the region’s leading thrill park and family entertainment destination.”

Hanging beneath the track, riders climb a 149-foot lift hill, then plunge down a 123-foot curved drop reaching a speed of nearly 60 mph. The ride will include an 89-foot vertical loop, a zero-gravity roll, an Immelmann loop, an inclined banked curve, an s-curve, a corkscrew and a high-speed spiral.

Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun are owned and operated by Cedar Fair, a publicly-traded partnership that is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol FUN.