I've never had the desire to jump out of a plane. This was going to be the only way I'd attempt to skydive. And it was great!
Arrived prior to our appointment/flight time, computers were down. Waited a while, checked in on a monitor and had more wait time.
Finally got to meet up with our group (10 total) and our instructor. Axel, brought us into a small room and was enthusiastic about us all flying for the first time. He is pretty darn cute, too....beautiful eyes. We went through our short training session which covered the essentials; talked about some safety tips, how to enter the tunnel, how to fly, hand signals and watched we a short video.
Then, we got suited up, Axel picked out everyone's flight suits and helmets and goggles. They also had shoes you can borrow, peds (not socks) and ear plugs. All this included! Best to bring your own closed toed shoes or sneakers. If you wanted an upgraded helmet that had a window that enclosed your face rather than open face, that was a bit more.
Once we were all dressed and ready to go, we were escorted to the tunnel and sat on the benches and watched each participant enter the tunnel with Axel and once he bends you over, face down and you are in position (this all sounds so sexual, but it's just not)... he let go where he could to see what you could do on your own. Each flight suit had handles on the back and If you needed to be repositioned, he would grab onto a handle or touch just an arm or leg and mostly do all that for you or move you from one part of the tunnel to another....my feet touched the glass a couple times and my hands too. But overall, supposedly my form seemed ok. I didn't see one hand signal the entire time. :)
Once the flashing lights came on, it was time to turn us around and face the hole we came in from and get out of the tunnel so the next person gets their turn. Axel high-fived everyone as they left the tunnel (or fist-bumped, if you have drool on your hands...). He was very encouraging. Even excited for each of us. It was fun, so you're excited to be in there, it's a cool feeling and difficult, yet not.
We did this twice. Some folks paid for an upgrade to fly up high, then back down and up again (3 times in total). Side note: When you check in, they said you go up 8 to 10 times. Not the case...
The only complaint I'd have is that it seems kind of expensive for the amount of time you get, but believe it or not, that amount of time seems a lot longer than it really is. I do wish I had another minute or 2 in total to try to do something different than just maintain the one position.
All in all, this was a very fun experience. I would totally do it again. I might even pay for the upgrade to go up high a few times. The add ons and upgrades and photos/videos are all very reasonably priced. Love this concept! I would still never jump out of a plane. read more