20 Greatest Roller Coasters In England

Opened: 2002

Manufacturer: B&M

Type: Flying Coaster

Alton Towers really, really loves doing world-first coasters. They had the world's first Dive Machine (Oblivion), the first roller coaster to invert fourteen times (Smiler), the world's first coaster to utilise a freefall drop-track (Thirteen), but their biggest triumph in this regard was delivering the first example of the B&M Flying Coaster in 2002, which is still the only such Flying Coaster in Europe.

Galactica, which used to be called Air, is completely brilliant. B&M Flying Coasters are an absolutely fantastic model and this masterwork, with its wonderfully smooth and endlessly enjoyable ride experience, was a great sign of things to come.

Of course, Galactica isn't nearly as big as B&M's other Flying Coasters in America and Asia but it more than makes up for that and still provides a delightful layout that, like all of Alton Towers' coasters, uses the terrain to great effect.

Galactica used to include a virtual reality option but this has since been removed. Honestly though, this phenomenal coaster doesn't need any such gimmicks; it's great as it is.