Immelmann

The Immelmann turn is one of B&M's signature inversion elements, consisting of two phases: the track pulls up into a half vertical loop, carrying riders over the top and briefly inverted; then a half-roll flips the train right-side-up while simultaneously reversing the heading by 180 degrees. The combined effect is a stomach-dropping inversion fused with a significant direction change — all in one fluid, high-speed movement. The element is named after World War I flying ace Max Immelmann, who used a similar aerial manoeuvre to disengage from a dogfight.

Immelmanns are found on almost every B&M sit-down, inverted, and hyper coaster worldwide and are one of the most recognisable elements in modern coaster design. They tend to produce strong sustained positive G-forces on the entry arc and a brief negative-G moment at the top before the roll. Notable European examples include the Immelmanns on Shambhala at PortAventura, Nemesis at Alton Towers, and Silver Star at Europa-Park.