Busch Gardens theme park officials say their new ride, Falcon’s Fury, is the tallest, free-standing drop tower in North America and the only one in the world to feature forward tilting seats.

The ride, which began construction in June 2013, will open on 1 May as the centrepiece of Busch Gardens’ magical land Pantopia.

It is 335ft tall (102m) and at the ride’s highest point, riders pivot 90 degrees in mid-air to a face-down dive position – like a falcon – before they plunge downwards at 60mp/h (96km/h).

“It’s a different kind of thrill ride than a roller coaster,” said Jeff Hornick, director of design and engineering at Busch Gardens. “It’s really polarising. You’re either really going to want to ride it or not want to ride it at all.”

Taller drop towers can be found in the US, but none of them are free standing. For example, Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California stands at 400ft (122m) and the Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom at Six Flags Great adventure in New Jersey will soon feature a 415ft drop (126m).

These rides are integrated with other rides or buildings, unlike Busch Gardens’ Falcon’s Fury.

Parts have been shipped from Spain, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany. A 383ft tall crane (117m) was used to assemble the tower and 6,000 bolts were used to secure the parts.

The electromagnetic Eddy Current Braking system is used to halt the ride at the bottom, employing a 68-tonne counterweight.

The ride’s 32 seats, separated into eight rows of four in a circular formation around the central tube, are held at the top of the ride for randomised lengths of time – for suspense – before five to six seconds of free-fall time.