16 posts tagged with "ifly"

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.

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

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!

Oh yeah! Another super fun visit with little improvements. I feel like this whole flying thing is starting to click!

After my last pretty decent set of flights last week, I was anxious to get back in the tunnel today. I was also nervous because I would be flying with an instructor I hadn’t met before. But as I mentioned in previous posts, it’s really awesome to get to work with a variety of instructors since each one has given me different tips and tricks to work on, or given me a different way to think about an existing skill to make it easier or less tiring for my limbs.

Since this instructor hadn’t worked with me, my first run in the tunnel was mainly so he could see where I was at skill-wise. They kept the wind speed a little lower, and he ran me through a set of the level 1 skills: neutral belly position, belly forward/backward, belly turns, belly up/down, belly fly side slide and belly fly enter/exit. Overall I felt pretty solid with everything but the tunnel entrance and belly side slide.

One thing I really appreciated this time around was that my instructor gave me some tips at the beginning of each turn (normally instructors gave me a debrief once all the turns were over and we were back in the lobby getting changed out of our flight suits). He told me to suck in my butt more during the tunnel entrance, and kind of “curl into it” by bending at the knees as I fell forward. That really helped, because my landing was a lot more smooth. However, I think I got too excited and pushed too hard off the ground, because I almost crashed into the other side of the tunnel. The next time, he gave me the goal of not pushing out quite so hard and trying to end up right in the center of the tunnel. I did it (video below)!

On the next turns, we worked a lot on side slides, which I’m still struggling with. It’s sometimes frustrating to watch the Tunnelflight videos on skills like this, because they’re always so smooth and perfect! However, I am starting to get the hang of it.

Overall though, I accomplished the goal I set for this visit: I wanted to engage my legs more to support the different movements. I definitely felt a difference during my back/forward flying, as well as my tunnel exits. Now if I can just get my legs to do what I want during side slides, I think I’ll get those nailed pretty quick too.

After my turns were over, my instructor gave me a ton of encouragement and good advice for what to work on next time. He even said he would sign off on belly forward/back flying and tunnel exits, so I shot those approvals over to him! That leaves only tunnel entrances and belly side sliding and then I’ll have conquered level 1 of flying skills!

Update #1: My instructor signed off on my new skills - check it out!

Update #2: Also, going forward I wanted to start keeping track of my total elapsed tunnel time, and update it in future posts. As of today my total tunnel time is: 60 minutes

Update #3:
Oh and I almost forgot: today they moved my wind speed up from 66% to 67%. I want to brag about this to somebody, but I'm not sure who outside of the iFly staff would think that's neat :-)

Update#4:
I learned that when you're flying and wobbling back and forth and/or side to side, it's sometimes called "potato chipping."

Oh yeah! After having a pretty sucky last set of flights, I felt I was in much better flying form today! I had a new trainer today, and I always love learning new tips, tricks, and ways to think about different skills. Each trainer brings unique experiences and background to what they do, so I try to just put myself in “sponge mode” and take it all in. However, I have a tendency to overthink everything, so I was careful to not psych myself out as I was putting on my flight suit.

One really good tip my instructor shared that I did ponder this time, though, was to try and focus on improving control in one area of my body. Last time my instructor said I was exhausting myself unnecessarily with my arm position, and that I should try more T-rex style arms by bringing them in closer to my body. That tip definitely helped during this visit, as I felt like in general, my neutral position was more stable than in the past. We also played a few games of “tap the stickers,” and I felt more in control this time around than probably any flight in the past.

Last time I was at iFly I just totally stunk at entrances - I would either have my feet kick up/out halfway into the tube (didn’t give myself a hard enough outward push) or headed up towards the sky (body wasn’t flat). On a side note only nerds would care about, this week I practiced my tube entrances at home…kinda. Every morning, once I got up and ready for work, I’d come to the side of my bed, reach my hands in the air, keep my eyes glued to the ceiling, and fall.

The practice at home definitely helped once I got to do the real deal! My “trust fall” version of the entrances went pretty well, and my exits are fairly solid too. But my “straight out” entrances are still a bit wobbly. A good tip I got was to think of the entrances as “You are flying the whole time,” rather than the way I was approaching it, which was “I’m going to push myself out on to a pocket of air and try to balance on it.” I’ll give that a go next time.

Another thing I struggled with this time was staying high up in the air. I thought my new T-rex arm position would take care of that, but I still found myself slowly crashing and burning (so to speak) several times. My instructor said next time I should really focus on powering the moves with my legs, because sometimes those were bent too much to keep me up and stable. I’ll give that a go next time too!

Well, I hate to use PG-13 language, but if I had to give this iFly session a nickname, I’d call it iSucked. I’m not sure what my deal was, but I just couldn’t get my act together, and I left frustrated.

After I tried the 10-pack of flights for the first time a few weeks ago, and then getting a few of my level 1 skills signed off on just last night, I was excited to come back again to keep banging away on my skills. But they banged on me. Big time.

I felt like a wobbly bathtub during most of my flights. The more I tried to steady myself into a solid belly fly position, the more I teeter-tottered back and forward, making my turns wide and sloppy.

I was also excited to do more tube entrances and exits. The exits went ok, but wow, the entrances were…rough. For at least two of the entrances, my legs kicked out from under me and I had to be helped into a neutral position. My instructor showed me another way to enter the tube by crouching with one leg in front of another, and then kind of tipping/falling forward. It looked straightforward, but I only half-entered the tube and kind of had to be pushed the rest of the way.

I was getting really pooped by the end. Because I had signed up for 10 minutes of flight time and there were only two other flyers in my group, I flew every other turn - for two minutes a piece. It might not sound like a lot, but boy were my arms jello by the last flight!

My instructor gave me some good tips for next time:

• Relax. I am realizing that I really struggle with this. It’s supposed to be fun, and I’m too concerned with doing things “right” - like it’s some sort of graded test or something. I guess I’m also pooping myself out by tensing my body so much. I need to let the air do more of the work.

• Push the hips down. Apparently some of my wobble is from sticking my butt up in the air when going in and out of turns. I need to push my hips toward the floor to establish a more balanced base.

• Look up! My instructor showed me my tube entrance videos, and I could see that although I thought I was looking to the sky during my “trust fall,” I started looking a bit forward and also bending my body a bit straight, which was working against me.

• T-rex arms might provide more endurance. One exercise I did was to take one hand at a time and slap my helmet. Then I was prompted to tuck my hands under my chin like that one scene from Wayne’s World (pic below). My instructor suggested I change my arm position to be about halfway between the pseudo-Superman arm pose I use now and the Wayne’s World pose (T-rex arms?). Apparently that will help my arms not get fatigued so quickly.

Oh, and because I was so frustrated with my work today, I didn’t bother grabbing the videos. Nobody wants to see those. Even my mom. But, like Schwarzenegger, I’ll be back.