Have you ever dreamed of flying through the air, wind roaring in your ears, heart pounding in your chest? Would you prefer to do it without the heights? Well, iFLY Indoor Skydiving is your solution.
“It’s an indoor flying experience where people can live out their skydiving dreams and dreams of being Superman,” says Reuben Rolf, General Manager of the Houston, Texas location. “You feeling like you’re floating on a cushion of air.”
Before every session, fliers are suited up in their own jumpsuits and equipment and given a brief training course by the instructors. “It gets pretty loud in the wind tunnels, so it’s good to know hand signals so they can tell you if you need to bend your knees or change position,” says Rolf.
After that, it’s into the flight chamber for your skydiving experience. Once you’re in, it’s nothing but the constant sensation of flying. And it’s hardly a one-hit wonder—he says they get lots of first timers, but also plenty of return fliers, too. “Not every flight is the same. You’re always learning something new and getting better.”
The team in Houston is full of great flight instructors. “Our team has a passion for flying,” says Rolf. The team members practice each week and are all certified by IBA flight standards. Many are even former professional skydivers.
But what makes iFLY better than “real” skydiving? Well, aside from not having to jump out of a plane, it’s less stressful. “It’s different from traditional skydiving because it gives more relaxed experience,” says Rolf. There’s no parachute to worry about, no heights, and it’s incredibly safe. “Generally, it’s not scary. There’s no jumping, there’s no falling. You’re just floating on a ball of air.”
Typically, you have to be at least 18 to go skydiving, but with iFLY anyone from ages 3 to 103 can do it. That makes it popular for family bonding, birthday parties, and especially field trips. In fact, iFLY STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) field trips are incredibly popular in Houston. They use its unique vertical wind tunnel facility to make STEM exciting, relevant, and accessible to all students. He says, “It’s like a field trip where you can go to a museum and jump out of it.”
But kids aren’t the only ones to take advantage of the facilities. Aside from training for the military and professional skydivers, Rolf notes it’s often used for corporate events. “It’s great for comradery and for building that team chemistry.” With the gas shortage in Houston, he says that these skydiving sessions have been really great for bringing up the morale of local businesses.
It’s really is one of those things that stands apart from other forms of entertainment. “That’s what drew me to iFLY; there’s nothing else like it,” Rolf says. “It’s something interactive that anyone can do.”
Aside from Houston, iFLY currently had 36 other facilities, though the company hopes to someday have up to 800 worldwide. “Our vision is to deliver the dream of flight,” says Rolf. “At any age and any skill level, you can live out that dream. That’s what we’re passionate about; delivering that to all of our guests.”
-By Ettractions Digital Content Editor, ALLISON BENNETT
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