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Flight of Passage

Take to the skies of Pandora on your very own Banshee!
Location:Animal Kingdom
Pandora
Type of Attraction:Flight simulator
Height Restrictions:44″ or taller
Typical Wait Time:90-240 minutes
Is It Scary?Mildly scary

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Magical Moments
Hidden Mickeys & Other Secrets
Did You Know…?
Touring Tips
Photo Gallery

Your adventure actually begins as you enter the queue, leading you to the PCI laboratory. This portion of the queue is simply jaw-dropping, and is one of the most impressively themed areas in all of Walt Disney World. In the laboratory, PCI is conducting a variety of tests on the Pandora ecosystem, including an impressive water purification test. It’s here you’ll come upon a Na’vi Avatar floating in a massive water tank. The Avatar is amazingly realistic, and appears to be actually breathing, complete with periodic twitching of arms and legs!

Next, you’ll enter a large room used by PCI to track all of the mountain banshees in Pandora, which are displayed on massive video screens. The room also features a massive wall mural of a banshee being ridden by an Avatar (or perhaps an actual Na’vi). You and your fellow Guests are then divided into separate queues that lead to different chambers where you’ll be “linked” to your Avatar.

A pre-show film gives you some background on the matching process, including some very cool special effects. If you haven’t seen the film Avatar, this part of the experience will fill in those missing pieces, and you’ll learn what an Avatar actually is. Simply put, an Avatar is a character that looks like the Na’vi, but is controlled by a human, giving that human the sensation that they really are a Na’vi. So why go through this process in the first place? Simple, humans cannot ride banshees, only the Na’vi can!

Once you board your banshee,  you’ll see a video screen located directly in front of you displaying a multitude of information about the linking process. When all Guests in the group are ready, the wall in front of the ride vehicles disappears, and the incredible sensation of flight aboard a massive banshee immediately begins! You’ll dive down jagged cliffs, soar high above a jungle canopy, and swoop down above numerous exotic creatures. Gentle breezes, stunning visuals, and other amazing facts will make you feel like you’ve boarded a banshee and are flying through a beautiful, alien landscape!

Flight of Passage is truly one of the greatest attractions ever created at Walt Disney World, and must be experienced to be believed!

Magical Moments

  • You’ll really feel like you’re flying! The incredible combination of beautiful visuals, gentle breezes, and realistic movement come together to create one of the most magical attractions ever created.
  • While the flight itself is amazing, be sure to take note of all the detail in the elaborate queue! You’ll find numerous primitive drawings of the “Ikran,” the Na’vi word for banshees. These caves eventually transform into the long abandoned barracks of RDA (Resource Development Administration); the company formerly responsible for the mining operations that took a devastating toll on the Pandora environment.
  • You can actually feel the banshee’s breathing as you race through the sky, creating a heart-stopping experience you won’t soon forget!
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Hidden Mickeys & Other Secrets

  • Look for a Hidden Mickey in the stand-by queue, formed out of the native plants.
  • You can also spot an elusive Mickey up on the rocks as you approach the entrance. (Look for it in the light-colored “moss.”)
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Did You Know...?

  • Look for the pair of “ACE” signs at the attraction’s entrance. “ACE” stands for Alpha Centauri Expeditions, and as you would expect, the Imagineers at Disney have crafted an elaborate backstory for ACE: “Until recently, deep space travel was only an adventure traveller’s dream. Now, Alpha Centauri Expeditions, together with Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, has made it possible to travel light years across space to Pandora – a world of beyond-belief expeditions and new possibilities for those seeking interplanetary travel. Our dream is that all those who crave exciting adventures in nature can find that with ACE. We look forward to helping you discover the wondrous beauty that the World of Pandora has to offer.”
  • The most dramatic portion of the Flight of Passage queue is the ultra-realistic Na’vi Avatar that is floating in a massive water tank. The Avatar is incredibly detailed, and appears to actually be breathing, complete with periodic twitching of his arms and legs.
  • The London Symphony Orchestra recorded a captivating score for Flight of Passage, and it is a perfect fit for the setting, mood, and feel of the attraction.
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Touring Tips

  • Flight of Passage is one of the most popular attractions in all of Walt Disney World. Lines can get extremely long…this is definitely an attraction you’ll want a FastPass+ for. Even then, these FastPasses go quickly, so be sure to mark your calendar for the moment your FastPass window opens!
  • You can also try visiting early in the morning, or at the end of the day. If you visit as the park is getting ready to close, you can sometimes find that the wait isn’t that long, since most people are leaving the park.
  • You must be 44″ tall to ride. Flight of Passage is a simulator attraction, so those who are prone to motion sickness should use caution. That being said, the motion isn’t actually that intense…it’s more akin to Soarin’ Around the World than it is to Star Tours. You’re basically swooping and soaring through the sky.
  • The “vehicle” for Flight of Passage is very unique. The best way to describe it would be to imagine you’re climbing aboard a futuristic motorcycle. Once you’re aboard you’ll lean forward (over the handlebars, to keep with our analogy), and a few restraints will slide against you. If you’re prone to claustrophobia or are uncomfortable in a scrunched position, you’ll want to use caution.
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Photo Gallery

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