iFLY

I recently moved to Hurst and, within a week of the move, my boyfriend (Mike) and I visited iFLY. Mike has always wanted to skydive and when I saw this place, I knew we had to try it. If you have ever wondered if you could handle skydiving, iFLY is the place to find out, before you are 12,000 feet up.

iFly creates a vertical wind tunnel that cushions you with air while still allowing you to experience the freefall of skydiving . It is safe for almost all ages and for any level of experience. Paired with a certified flight instructor, every flier is expertly watched over and guided through maneuvers, from basic to expert.

Mike has been talking about his experience for days. I asked him to give me a direct quote but most of his direct quotes have emphatic cursing in them, rendering them useless. He did say that it was the “one of the most fun and exhilarating things he has ever done”. I, personally, enjoyed watching his cheeks fly back like a puppy hanging out of a station wagon’s window. There were two people in his session, Mike and a young girl that had been surprised for her birthday. It was also fun for me watching the flight instructor control Mike’s movement compared to the little girl. She handled both amazingly but, she was half the size of Mike. Watching her maneuver him by the handles on his flight suit was impressive.

Before the flight, fliers watch a training video and get suited up. Each flier gets one-on-one time with a certified instructor. Each time you visit you move up in training and learn different things. For Mike and the birthday girl, it was the first visit for both and they learned the basics…keep your chin up and legs straight. Mike’s first experience in the tube he stayed low but, the second had him ten to fifteen feet up. The better you get, the higher you can go and the more you can do. After both fliers had their turns, our instructor showed us what you can accomplish with her level of practice. She was doing flips and all kinds of acrobatics and zipping up and plunging back down. She did that one maneuver from Mission Impossible; she was coming down fast, face down, stopped and hovered, inches above the netting. The moms in the room all gasped; she was awesome.

In addition to hosting the most amazing birthday party or corporate event you could ever imagine, iFLY also hosts STEM events. Classes from elementary to college levels are invited to come have a group session to learn the science behind the wind tunnels. It is a hands-on lesson the students will never forget. The teacher can coordinate with flight instructors or teach the lesson all on their own. If you have a specific concept in mind, flight staff can cater to those needs. At the elementary school level, the focus is on the basics: matter, force and motion. Middle school students will apply Newton’s laws to objects in the wind tunnel and conducts experiments on surface area. High school students explore flyer displacement, velocity and acceleration. If you have an AP group or college level class, instructors can take things even higher!

If you are looking for something different to do, iFLY is the place to try! The staff is friendly, professional and very experienced in what they do. They made Mike’s first flight one he will never forget.