We all have that one friend who is a die-hard adrenaline junkie who loves to discover their next greatest adventure. That friend is me…
This feature is all about uncovering Lake Nona and Orlando’s greatest activities, especially if you enjoy living life on the edge!
Something I’ve done before that I’ve wanted to revisit was indoor skydiving. I was lucky enough to try it for the first time for my 16th birthday, went skydiving for real at 18,000 feet when I was 18 at Skydive Space Center in Titusville, and now here I am once again at iFly Orlando at age 24. Located on International Drive, iFly looks like a pretty normal building, until the wall of doors is opened and you see an all-glass tunnel and potentially a floating person within one.
I was excited to have this experience a second time, but I was mostly interested to see how my thoughts would change, from having done this once before actually jumping out of a perfectly good airplane and, now, having made that jump. Would it even compare?
It did.
Obviously, indoor skydiving is nowhere near the real deal, but this is a perfect opportunity for those who might have a fear they cannot overcome, health conditions that prevent them from actually being able to jump out of a plane, or are just sane enough to keep their feet planted safely on the ground. (At least some would argue/question my and every other skydiver’s sanity.)
The experience begins with entering a small classroom to learn the basics when it comes time to enter the wind tunnel. My instructor, Darin, went over the appropriate stance on how to enter the tunnel (feet shoulder-width apart and arms raised above your head, with your hands by your ears). He directed my attention to a wall in the classroom to explain the four hand signals I may see as I’m flying: Relax/Breathe (the classic hang-loose sign with only the thumb and pinky extended); Legs Straight (a horizontal peace sign); Legs Bent (same as the Legs Straight signal, but with your middle and pointer fingers bent at the middle knuckle); and Chin Up (pointer finger extended upwards only). After reviewing the hand signals, an instructional safety video was played. The instructors at iFly Orlando are skydivers as well, so they definitely know what they are doing, whether it’s in a wind tunnel or in the open sky. It was now time to suit up!
I exited the classroom to grab my gear. As I slipped into the provided bodysuit, I got a helmet fitted along with some earplugs and goggles. Side note: There is absolutely no looking cool in this outfit, and longer hair must be secured.
I entered the tunnel area and, out of a group of three, I agreed to go first. Once they turn the fan on, everything gets pretty loud, making it difficult to hear anything or anyone over the monstrosity of the wind. (This is the whole reason for the hand signals.) I assumed the flight position, and with Darin’s help, I leaned forward into the wind and off I went; floating around the wind tunnel like a leaf in the wind, although I like to think it was a lot more graceful than that. Darin guided me where need be, occasionally letting go when my body form was correct and just letting me fly. I began to laugh, which was a small mistake, as the wind hit my mouth just right and I kid you not, spit flew out of my mouth and onto my goggles, and I COULDN’T WIPE IT OFF WITHOUT MESSING UP MY FORM AND SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL. I was so embarrassed and was laughing even harder now. Word of advice, try to not open your mouth completely while in a wind tunnel with 120+ mph winds. Oh, also…photos and videos are being taken during your flight, so chin up and have fun! Memories are being made!
The 60 seconds went by quickly, as you can imagine, and I was guided back to the opening to return to my feet. Each flight is one minute long, which seems really short, but for some perspective, it’s about the same time of freefall when you’re actually skydiving before you throw your chute. I jumped from 18,000 feet and had a minute-and-a-half of freefall time.
The rest of the group went, and then it was time for my second flight. This was the final one, and Darin would take me on a “high-fly.” It’s where he grabs one of your arms and legs and helps fly you up high and low, all while slowly rotating throughout the tunnel. He was a lot more lenient in this flight, allowing me to fly solo a bit more than the first round. I ended up bumping into the glass a few times, laughing along with the family outside whom I was facing. With one slight push off the glass, I was centered once again.
With my final flight closing out, I tried to soak it all in, but then quickly noticed how I felt the skin on my neck jiggling in the wind. Quite the feeling, actually…I did not like that at all. I exited the tunnel once again. After everyone in the group finishes their final flight, you are offered the option to fly again for an additional $20. Once any additional flights end, the instructor hops into the wind tunnel to show off his/her skills, and this is super cool to watch. It made me want to learn how to do all of those moves, twists, turns and flips (which I learned you can actually take classes to learn how right here at iFly!). That’s something I might need to revisit. The best part was yet to come in my indoor skydiving journey.
I was stoked to try out iFly’s new Virtual Reality Experience. I ended up being one of the first to test out the experience, as the VR was just released to the public that very day! Darin swapped out my normal helmet for the VR one and gave me my options of locations to fly over: Dubai, the Swiss Alps, California, or Hawaii. I immediately and without any hesitation chose the Swiss Alps. Me and my undying love for the mountains…
The video was loaded onto the phone, placed into the headset, and I entered the VR world for the next minute or so. It was time to fly over the Swiss Alps, and I was so ready! Darin had to help guide me to the entrance to the tunnel as my vision was pretty distorted. My video began to play, and I was watching two other skydivers alongside me, standing on the outside of a helicopter, hovering over the natural snow-capped beauties at 13,000 feet. They began to count down on their fingers…three, two, one, and we jumped. This is where I leaped into the wind tunnel, or at least it felt like I did. Darin was guiding me throughout the entire experience, allowing my flying to match up with the video I was viewing. All I had to worry about was looking around and taking in the views. No concerns about the parachute not opening up here! I watched on as I fell with the two other skydivers, who were play fighting in the air. I laughed at this and continued to admire the open sky around me. It felt real. I believed I was in Switzerland. I continued to freefall until I watched the other two throw their chutes, knowing my experience was coming to an end. Realizing I was now lower than the peaks of the Alps, I knew my chute would be thrown at any second as I quickly descended. Once the chute was thrown, the video ended and Darin led me back to the opening of the tunnel. I exited the flight chamber, changed out of the gear and received a flight certificate.
WHAT. A. JOURNEY.
So, there you have it, iFly Orlando is one heck of an adventure! I experienced flight and freefall over the Swiss Alps through VR and joked with the instructors that I was ready for some Raclette and chocolate. Although a bit pricey starting at $69.95 for two one-minute flights and a VR add-on starting at an additional $20 (photos and videos can be selected for purchase after your flight; photos are $3.95 each and videos are $7.95 each), I would definitely recommend everyone experience this form of flight at least once, especially for those who don’t think they will ever make the leap out of an airplane. This experience might just change your mind…it’s crazy what adrenaline can do! Maybe I’ll find myself jumping out of an airplane again sometime soon. Who knows? *insert wink here*
Have a suggestion? Send an email to nicole@nonahoodnews.com or fill out our NonaVentures column form at http://nonahood.to/nonaventure. What do you want to see me review next?
