3 minute read
At iFly, You Fly
At iFly, You Fly
By Joe Motheral
Indoor sky diving sounds like a classic oxymoron, at least until the development of the vertical wind tunnel in the early 1960s.
Sky diving itself can be traced back to the late 18th century, and the indoor version is now accessible to the general public, including a Loudoun County facility called iFly located at One Loudoun in Ashburn that opened in 1998, with similar facilities nationwide.
Dwight Miller is the Ashburn iFly general manager and explained how the system works.
“We invented the recirculating wind tunnel for flight and continue to lead its innovation to allow us to deliver the dream of flight to everyone,” he said. “Four fans in the optimal flow quality position drive the air around a single and efficient loop. The airflow is narrowed below the flying chamber to speed and smooth the flow for maximum enjoyment.”
Alan Metni was iFly’s founder and first CEO. According to Dwight, “Alan’s commitment to innovation led to the creation of cutting edge wind tunnel technology, making iFly the world leader in vertical wind tunnels.”
The action in the wind tunnel resembles all the earmarks of sky diving. An instructor and his client make all manner of moves, up and down, twisting, turning, rising and falling. The instructor handles the client throughout one minute of flight time. At one point, a ZEST reporter watched an instructor get into the tunnel by himself and swoop up to the top of the building and back down again.
According to the iFly website, “each flight within the wind tunnel lasts 60 seconds. However, total flight length depends on the package that you choose. When jumping out of an airplane, the free fall portion lasts approximately 45 seconds. If you reserve a package that contains two flights, you will have two turns in the wind tunnel with an instructor lasting 60 seconds each.”
And is it scary?
“Generally, no,” the website added. “There’s no jumping, no falling, and no experience is needed. You simply float on a column of air. There is no sensation of falling or anything that would make you feel motion sickness.”
One father and his ten-year old son were waiting to for a chance to “try something new.” At iFly, children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent.
First timers must go through a training session before they skydive. According to iFly, “You will get a lot of important and helpful information as well as some preflight practices of your flying positions.”
If a client has flown within three months of his next flight, no training session is required. The flyers wear tight fitting suits with handles provided by iFly in part to insure the instructor has something to hang on to.
Flyers should allow about an hour and 45 minutes to accommodate their sky diving—preparation, suit fitting and instructions followed by an absolutely thrilling and unforgettable 60-second joy ride.
Details: https://www.iflyworld.com
