If you always wanted to experience the thrill of skydiving but the thought of jumping out of a plane frightens you, there's hope.
Vegas Indoor Skydiving simulates the free fall aspect of skydiving. When you jump out of a plane, the fall lasts about 30 to 45 seconds. Here, you'll get more time and experience the same feeling. While the view may not be the same, you will never have to worry about bad weather or terrifying heights. It's a win-win situation.
"There is nothing like the sensation of floating on air," said Brad Hess, general manager of Vegas Indoor Skydiving.
Instead of taking a plunge high from the ground, you'll be in a padded room, similar to a bouncy castle at a birthday party. In the center underneath the wire netting, you'll see a DC-3 propeller. This "fan" generates winds up to 120 miles per hour. Once the propeller kicks into full gear, you'll float up to seven feet above the net. And if you look up during your flight, it intensifies your experience that much more. You'll have R. Kelly's song, "I Believe I Can Fly" playing in your head in no time.
After checking in on the first floor, your guide will take your group upstairs. After watching a brief safety video and demonstration, you'll be fitted into your jumpsuit, helmet and gloves. We recommend wearing comfortable clothing, a short-sleeved shirt (it gets hot in there!) and tennis shoes.
The guide takes small groups of five, so you don't have to wait long between turns. Once you enter the padded room, you'll practice your "tuck and roll" landing. It's important to form into a ball when you land and not on your feet. Your guide will signal when your turn is done, so you'll have time to curl up. Since the walls are soft and bouncy, you won't feel any pain as long as you land properly.
Each person has a total of three turns to fly. On your first turn, your guide helps adjust your form. You'll lie on your belly on top of the net and before you know it, you're up in the air. On the second turn, you'll have more of an idea what to expect. This time, you'll jump to the center and fly up. And if you do really well on your third round, your guide will spin you in circles, flip you over on your back and even fly with you. If you want to achieve your best flight, the most important thing to remember is relax. And keep your head up -- you'll see people from the outside observation area snapping photos. For a moment, you'll feel like a celebrity. Who doesn't like this type of attention?
Total flight time is about three minutes per person, an average of a minute per round. Don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. No experience is necessary and your guide will help you the entire time.
After your experience, your hair will be a hot mess. But who cares? You had the time of your life. After you remove your flight gear, head back downstairs and see your photos taken during the flight. DVDs, custom photos and flash drives with your pictures are available for purchase.
The following day, your body might be a little sore. But it's a feel-good, just-worked-out type of sore. We believe it's worth every bit of it.
