21 posts tagged with "hobbies"

Today was fun - and a little frightening. I would have been all set to start my level 2 skill set after testing out of level 1 last time I was at iFly, however I had booked today's session in advance, the flying rules state that voucher time can be used for belly flying only.

I had a great time working more on all the level 1 skills with my trainer. He even flew with me a few times to practice docking and show me knee flying. That was all fine and dandy. At one moment though, one of my descents caused part of my body to fly directly over his, interrupting the air flow and bringing me semi-crashing down to the ground. Neither of us was hurt, luckily, though I was a bit shaken.

On my very last 2-minute flight I got to just free style it and do whatever I wanted. That was a blast, although I wish I had more tricks up my sleeve to show off :-). Hopefully that will change in the near future, as my next scheduled visit to iFly is dedicated to level 2 skills development! In the meantime, here are a few moments from today's visit:

Total time iFlying as of today: 2 hours, 25 minutes. And my new adjusted wind speed is 70.

As Napoleon Dynamite would say, "YUSSSSSSSSSSS!" I did it! I passed my level 1 set of flight skills!

I'm sure I've already said this one or five times in the past, but this was my favorite set of flights so far. For the first time, I didn't feel nervous or like I was setting out with a mindset of checking skills off the list. I went in with the mindset of just having a fun time (and yes, hopefully passing my side slides so I could stick a fork in level 1 flying)!

I got to do a couple new styles of tunnel entrances. I’m not sure what they are called (side fly entrances?) but they went pretty well. I learned later that the wind was unintentionally set a little high for one entrance - and you can definitely tell which one based on the video below.

I also got to do a ton of doubles flying (if that’s the term?) with my instructor where I had to mirror her movements as we did various formations around the tunnel. I felt pretty good about those, but the box flying (again, I can’t remember the terms…this is just what I’m calling it) still makes me nervous. It’s a weird sensation to feel the wind give out from under you ever so briefly as someone flies underneath you. I didn’t mind that feeling so much when flying solo, but for some reason, having someone fly right underneath me makes me worried I’ll fall out of the sky like a boat anchor and cause both of us to crash! Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Here are my favorite moments from this visit:

Going forward, I get to start working on my level 2 skills, which is rad! The other thing that changes is I get to start using what’s called block time. With block time, I no longer need to buy vouchers and schedule visits on the iFly Web site. Now I can call up the office directly, ask to get on a specific trainer’s schedule at a specific time for however many minutes I want. Then I just pay for the total minutes flown at the end of the visit. That’s cool! I’ve talked to some experienced flyers during my past visits, and they said they like to book 5 minutes with one trainer, then take a quick break and have another 5 minutes at the next time slot with a different trainer. I actually already booked my next iFly visit, so I’ll have to use the block scheduling going forward after that (I already asked if I could use my next visit to work on level 2 skills but no, voucher minutes can be used for belly flying only).

Total time iFlying as of today: 2 hours, 10 minutes. And my new adjusted wind speed is 68.

Today was a beast! For the first time ever, I flew 15 minutes in one session (chopped up into chunks of 1:30 I believe)! It wasn't my idea, though. A buddy of mine (who I flew with for the third time) planted the idea in my head last time we were here, and although several people told us not to do it, we did. The way it works (in case anybody reading this wants to do it in the future) is you have to buy three 10-minute flights. That books you and a friend (or two) the full 30-minute flying window. So my pal and I decided to trade off flying for ~1:30 at a time for 30 minutes straight. The good news is you don't have to take turns with a large group of other flyers. The bad news is this environment makes for a very short recovery time between flights!

As nervous as I was from an endurance standpoint, I think both my friend and I fared the flights pretty well. I was super pumped because I got introduced (with no prior notice) to a couple of new moves! I don't know what they're technically called, so I'm just going to call them knee stands, doubles tunnel entrances, and "OMG I'm standing in the tunnel and it feels suuuuuuuuper freaky and unnatural!" Check it out:

The instructor really gave us a nice mixed bag of skills and drills. And I was happy to keep working on my one remaining level 1 skill: side slides. I feel like the move is getting smoother and more under control, and I'm hoping by the next visit or two I'll have it checked off on and graduate to level 2!

Total time iFlying as of today: 1 hour, 55 minutes.

I'll probably say this a lot in this blog series, but today’s visit was my favorite so far. Why? A few reasons!

First off, I got to fly with a buddy of mine today for the second time, and I think he’s getting the flying “bug” just about as much as I am. In fact, the two of us are buying out an entire half hour session next week, which is super fun (and maybe crazy?)! That means we’re going to fly 15 minutes a piece, broken up into ~2 minute flights.

The other reason I loved this session is I’m finally doing a better job of engaging my legs. My instructor gave me a few exercises where I had to push against him by fully extending my legs. He also had me fly much higher in the tube and do side slides while he interrupted the air flow beneath me. Kind of scary to feel like I’m gonna drop out of the sky like a rock, but thrilling at the same time. He also had me fly all the way down to the mat and then extend my arms and legs fully to shoot up into the air with a bit more force.

Oh, and I also got to do my favorite tunnel entrance where I step into the tunnel with my back to the wind, grip the door, and then let my legs hit the air one leg at a time. It kind of feels like someone is tripping you from behind, except you don’t fall (hopefully :-).

Last cool thing to share is I got my belly fly exits signed off on - booyah!

Below are some highlights from today’s flight. Total time iFlying as of today: 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Welp, I’m still absolutely loving playing Smash Drums as a way to relieve stress. I recently completed one of my favorite songs in the SD library, Something I Can Dance To, on extreme difficulty level! Check it out:

Such a fun flying session! This time I went with my boys again. It was their third or fourth time, so they got to spend some time doing belly work - that's where the instructor brings down the wind speed so you're flat on the mat, and then works with you on turns and towards/away movements. On their final session, the instructor had them stretch out their arms and legs while also lowering their heads. These are the movements that start lifting you into the air on your own! I loved watching both my boys get an "OMG!" face when that happened, and come out of the tunnel with huge smiles on their faces!

I got to work more on side slides, which still frustrate me but I'm gonna get 'em one of these days! We also worked on flying with more of the body - I had to put my hands on my head and fly up and down, which was both scary and exhilarating. It might sound weird, but I think my favorite part was learning what I think is called a reverse entrance(?), and that's where you get into the tunnel, face the door, grip it, and then let your legs get carried up into the air. It felt like I might fall on the ground and break my face, but once that DIDN'T happen, I loved it! Check out the video below.

Total time iFlying as of today: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Welp, I’m a member of a gun club now. This is a sentence I never thought I would write at this age, if ever. But a bunch of events happened around the same time that sealed the deal for me:

First, about a month ago I completed the concealed carry course, then a few weeks ago I learned a bunch of interesting tips in a self defense class hosted at the gun club. Finally, I got my permit in the mail and bought a gun. Since I drive near a gun club almost every night of the week for my kids’ extracurricular activities, I figured I should stop by to learn more about membership options.

The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. They probably spent 30 minutes giving me a tour of the place, answering questions, and (gently) selling me on the advantages of a membership. It definitely is one of those memberships where even if you only use it two times a month, it is a better deal than just walking in off the street and shooting. Plus, I'm the kind of person who guilts myself endlessly if I spend money on something I don't use.

Anyways, I had a pretty decent first round of shooting with the new pistol. These hits were from about 15 feet away:

In my 2022 to focus more on play in my work/play balance, I picked up a fun game for Oculus Quest 2 called Smash Drums. It's similar to the Guitar Hero series, but with (air) drums. I'd definitely file the game under the "You feel awesome playing it, but look like a complete idiot to people watching you play" category. I find that playing the game at the end of a hard work day is a real stress reliever. When I play on the higher difficulty levels, I work up quite a sweat - my watch even kicks in sometimes, asking "Hey, you doing a workout, fella?"

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to post some video clips as I conquer songs on the highest difficulty level. Below is my favorite song in the Smash Drums song library, called Lips are Locked:

Today’s session was really challenging. In addition to focusing on my side slides (the last skill I have to conquer before moving on to level 2), I had a few curve balls thrown at me:

• I had to remain in a solid flying position while my instructor tugged at my arms and legs, attempting to destabilize me
• I had to remain in a solid flying position while my instructor interrupted my wind flow.

I laughed when I watched the video replay because I didn’t realize my instructor was literally flying under me to interrupt the wind flow!

Outside of these fun exercises, I did a lot more drilling of up/down/diagonal flying, side slides, and tunnel entrances/exits. I also got to do a bit of turning using my legs instead of my arms. I got those turns half right. Apparently whether I turned my left or right leg outward, I was always turning counter-clockwise. That actually brings up a point I’ve been meaning to emphasize since I started this blog series. I don’t know if there’s a name for it (maybe “tunnel vision” or something like that?), but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been confused about an instruction given during a lesson, but then immediately understand it once I see the video playback. I want to just kick myself sometimes, but my instructor assured me this feeling is normal.

One thing I learned after my flights were over is they had cranked the wind speed up to 70 for my first flight, but I struggled a bit with that speed so they lowered me down to 68 again. Apparently with the way I hold my arms, it makes it more difficult for me to lower myself to the ground and stay there. The instructor said next time I should tuck in my arms closer to my body, T-Rex style, to reduce wind resistance. The T-Rex arms thing is definitely a theme for me, and seems to be a key to better arm-led flying. I should also note that I’m getting much more comfortable using my legs to drive movement, and if I could just get them to listen to my brain a bit more, I’d have those side slides DOWN!

As of today my total tunnel time is: 1 hour, 20 minutes and I think my base speed is still 68.

This visit was extra fun because I brought a buddy with me, who had flown once many years ago. We also flew with a group of first-timers. Now I know I'm a big dumb animal, but it is so fun for me to watch people do iFly for the first time. I love seeing their reaction to hitting the wind - whether it be an expression of joy or terror. I try my best to root for them from the sidelines, but I'm not sure if it does any good, since some first-timers clamp their eyelids shut!

After my last visit, I came into today's flights with only the tunnel exit and side slides left in the level 1 skills list. My instructor spent one run having me do several entrances and exits. I overshot a few of my entrances and almost tapped the tunnel glass, but after the third or fourth time I hit the pocket pretty well. My exits went smooth for the most part too, though one time I came at the door way too high, so it was recommended to me that I don't do that again - it's a safety issue. Speaking of that, one of the new flyers must've forgotten the tunnel exit instructions because he didn't hold on to the door frame at all and almost went head first into the ground!

My side slides still elude me. I can picture what my arms and legs should be doing, and I've watched the instructional video a bunch of times, but it's still not fully clicking for me. It just feels like if I even look left or right, my body goes there immediately...which is probably good, but if I add any arm or leg movements I fear I'm going to slam into the side of the tunnel. I'm kind of getting a hang of it - and captured at least one decent slide in this video:

Good news is that the instructor said my exits look good and would sign off on them in the Tunnelflight portal. That means I only have these pesky side slides to master and then it will be on to level 2 and back flying!

On a side note, the buddy I brought with me today asked what it would take to rent the tunnel exclusively for just the two of us. Apparently you have to buy three of the 10-flight passes and then we could (theoretically) fly 15 minutes a piece at 2 minutes per flight. Even a dork like me is concerned that it might be too much flying for one sitting, but if we make that epic flight visit happen, I'll most certainly blog about it :-)

As of today my total tunnel time is: 1 hour, 10 minutes and my new wind speed is 68!