16 posts tagged with "ifly"

My two sons loved their iFly journey so much, they’ve been asking if we could all come back as a group and do it again. I was thrilled they wanted to come again. My wallet? Not so much. But it's all good, as I don't think you can put a price on finding something all three of us enjoy and the boys will get along doing. Well there is a price, but....you know what I mean.

It was surprisingly quiet in the iFly building this time, which is maybe not surprising since we took the last flight available on a weeknight. We were paired with a couple who had never flown before, and then an extremely experienced flyer. It is so fun to watch both newbs like me and seasoned professionals get in that tube and rip it up! The instructors are always encouraging, and it was fun to have a spirit of support amongst our flyer group as well.

This time, my boys got to do some "ground work" where they went down on their bellies and practiced doing left and right turns, as well as moving towards and away from things. They are really starting to get the hang of it, although Atticus would like to graduate right to the part where you get to do flips in the air.

My flights went pretty well too. I have to say that after enjoying the 10-pack of longer flights during my last adventure, this time each of my flights felt like it was over in a blink of an eye. I worked on my turns, up and down floating, and forward/backward movement again. But I also got to do two entrances into the tube by myself (mostly)! I didn’t get videos this time around, but I’ll be back with another 10-pack of rides in the near future and will post some updates on my progress at that time.

However, I totally geeked out the next morning to find that my instructor had signed off on three of my level 1 skills - yusssss!!! I'm on the board, folks!

Oh my goodness. I just had the best iFly session yet!

After having a great fourth session, I bit the bullet (well, my wallet did) and bought a ten pack of flights. Essentially that gives you 10 minutes of flying time, which breaks down to five flights of two minutes each, or six flights of a minute and 40 seconds a piece. I initially had a twinge of buyer’s remorse because my newbness and imposter syndrome were raging pretty hard, but the instructors assured me it’s a great way to really dig into your skill set without that feeling of “Oh, I’m finally starting to get a skill and…what? Time to go already?” that I’ve experienced a few times already.

Similar to my last visit, we worked again on flying up/down, left/right turns, as well as flying towards and away from things. There are a variety of stickers with numbers on them that are scattered around the flight tube at various heights, so my instructor had me work a lot on giving them high fives. In my previous flights, I had kind of crashed into them at diagonal angles and almost fell out of my flight pattern and onto the ground. He reminded me again that a better strategy is to fly up or down to line up with the target, and then fly in a straight line to it.

I know I’m still a little wobbly, but I felt much more under control this time around - fewer slams into the stickers, and even some smooth touches!

I feel like my progress during this visit was absolutely boosted by the fact that I was able to do five or six flights in a row. I was in a group with another family of new flyers, so the instructor had me go first, then let two of the family’s members go, and then me again. It was just the right amount of time between flights to rest and think about what I needed to improve on next time. Speaking of rest and reflection, I didn’t realize until this visit that the big monitors in our seating area not only have a live video feed of the current flyer, but an “instant replay” of the previous flyer. Watching those playbacks really helped me zero in on moments where I thought my arms and legs were doing one thing, but were clearly doing another.

Perhaps my favorite part of my flights was a few new skills I got to try for the first time! My instructor showed me how to enter the tube solo. I described it to a friend as “Raise your arms to the sky, look to the heavens, suck in your butt and do a trust fall….with nobody there to catch you.” It is definitely a weird feeling, and I had to fight my body’s urge to tuck my legs under me to break my fall. I also got to try a tube exit, where you have to line up your flight height first, then slowly move forward to grab the exit door before lowering your legs to the ground.

On my final flight of the day, my instructor surprised me by introducing me to the belly side slide without notice. It’s a move that made me feel pretty insecure in the air since you have to take one hand and one leg slightly out of their neutral position, and then also lean to one side to fly left or right. I explained this move to my oldest son as “strafing in Fortnite” and then he knew what I was talking about. I’m excited to work more on this movie

I definitely feel like I got a significant amount of practice with my level 1 skills. So at the end of my visit, I signed up for another 10-pack of flights without hesitation. Now, will I have to take a second mortgage on my house to afford this iFly passion of mine? Yes. Will it be worth it? I hope so!

Well, after dreaming about getting my body positions down better so I could fly more independently, I signed up for another round of three flights at iFly Minneapolis. I was excited to take my boys along after they joined me on the third flight, but unfortunately most of the Johnson household has been under the weather, so I went alone. I’m fortunate to be able to make my own work schedule, so I grabbed the first time slot available on a week day. Boy is that the way to go! It’s nice to walk into an empty lobby before they’ve even fired up the tunnel for the day’s flights. It’s also a little weird to have visited the establishment enough where some of the staff recognizes me now.

My instructor wanted to continue working on the skills I started learning last time: left and right turns, forward and backwards movement, as well as some up and down motions. In this round of flights, I really felt like I got the left and right turns smooth. I was originally taught just to tilt my hands left or right, and that does work. But it feels like I get a bit more power by using some shoulder/arm movement as well, like the Tunnelflight video shows.

I’m still struggling with the back and forth flying. After watching the Tunnelflight video, I came prepared to move both my arms and legs at the same time to get my body moving. That movement felt uneven to me, so at the end of my sessions the instructor suggested I first learn the skill by moving just my arms or legs. My up and down movement is the skill I’m most excited about, but also struggling with. I learned that when I put my head down and stretch my arms out, I am also plunging them slightly down, which was working against me.

As you can see here, I'm still kind of flailing and a bit out of control:

As is typical with my iFly visits, I had a Keanu Reeves “WHOA!” moment on my final flight. I finally did get my body to raise up in a fairly controlled motion, and brought it down as well. During the last seconds of my flight, the instructor had me give high fives to various stickers hung up around the tunnel. I kind of crashed into them more than gave them a clean high five, but at least I had some success. My instructor said a good strategy was to get lined up from a height standpoint first, and then do the forward moment towards the stickers:

When the flights were over, my instructor told me a bit more about the Tunnelflight site, and how once I start getting some of my skills down they will be able to “sign off” on them so I can start advancing up the progression ladder. Dang, that would be cool!

He also talked a bit about one skill we hadn’t worked on, but that I’d need to master as a level 1 flyer: getting in and out of the tube without assistance. One way to get in is to raise your arm, keep your chin up, and kind of do a “trust fall” into the center column of air. That part I got to practice a little on my third visit. I guess another way people enter the tube is butt first - gripping the edges of the entryway and pushing their legs out behind them to catch air. Seems like that might be a more stable way to go, with less chance of faceplanting?

Well, my wife has created an expensive, flying monster - actually, three of them.

At the end of 2021, I went flying at iFly Minneapolis for the first time, and loved it so much again I came back for another round two days later. After seeing the pictures and videos from those experiences, my sons Cameron and Atticus expressed interest as well, so this past weekend we headed out to iFly Minneapolis for their maiden flights.

My sons have extremely different interests and hobbies, and honestly, cannot get along for more than five minutes at a time. So as a dad, I was cautiously excited that this might be something the three of us could enjoy together. On our drive to iFly, that excitement quickly turned into concern when I started doing some quick mental math on what it would cost me if they both started wanting to do this on a regular basis.

We got checked in at the front desk, then fitted for our flight gear. I have to say, we looked pretty sharp:

As we waited to be ushered into the training room, the boys were in different places emotionally. My older son, Cameron, had been 100% psyched about this experience from the minute I had told him we were going, but my youngest son Atticus had some reservations. I could tell he was nervous because he was a little bit quiet (he’s never, ever quiet) as he studied the current group of students doing their flights.

Our instructor brought us into a training room to watch the short safety video. Atticus watched with quiet intensity. When it was over, our instructor came into the room to review the hand signals we would use while in the tube. I was so proud of Atticus for shouting out correct answers to all the questions. I could tell he was taking this seriously and wanted to do his best.

We got our earplugs in and helmets on, and were escorted to the room on the side of the tube to line up for our flights. My son Cameron went first and had what my wife would call “a big dumb smile” the whole time. To see him light up like that is one of those moments that, as a parent, you forget about how much a thing costs because there isn’t a dollar value you can place on that level of joy:

I took my turn next, and got lowered to the floor of the tube to resume work on specific skills. Per the video below, I’m trying to gain better control of left and right turns, as well as moving up and down and back and forth. I’m getting the hang of it, but still feeling like I’m an airplane constantly seconds away from a crash landing. It helps having videos like these so I can see where to make small corrections towards better flight control:

Last up was my youngest, Atticus. He actually came with me during my second iFly trip and was pondering joining me for a flight, but ultimately decided to pass. However, once he saw the trainers doing front and back flips, he changed his mind again and wanted to join me, but by that time it was too late. This time, however, he was all in - and judging by his expression, all business:

When he came out of the tube, he was all smiles. He sat down next to me on the bench and gave me a hug while he continued to beam. I had to laugh because even though in the waiting room you can’t hear anything, both sons kept tapping me continuously, wanting desperately to tell me all about their awesome experience.

We lined up a “high flight” for each boy’s second ride, and I loved watching them smile even bigger and wider as they sailed up high in the tube while twirling around in circles, Superman style. As they awaited their third and final ride, Atticus started tapping me on the shoulder and flashing me a peace sign followed by two “zero” signs. I gave him a gesture indicating I was confused. I thought maybe he was asking for a two-minute ride by flashing me “2-0-0.” He leaned forward and shouted loudly with a big grin, “TWO HUNDRED MORE TIMES!”

And while I would’ve loved to be able to take us all on another 200 rides, our adventure for the night had unfortunately come to a close. Suffice to say, I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be back again soon. I was encouraged to setup a Tunnelflight profile, which will allow the iFly instructors to vouch for my progress and help me advance to the next levels of flight. I'm definitely interested in keeping the skills progression going, especially after seeing my final flight of the night below, which I think demonstrates a little improvement!

Just two days after my first iFly adventure, I went back for more! I found out that the 10-pack of rides I purchased during my first visit has to all be consumed in one future visit, so I bought a "return flyer" pack of three flights from the iFly Web site. Note to self: returning flights are cheaper than your maiden flight, but you still get the best discounts by buying flights in person.

This time I got to work on some new skills! As you'll see in the video below, the instructor brought me to the ground and worked on teaching me hand tilts to get my body to turn left and right. He also showed me how to move my body up and down, as well as side to side.

Even though it is an extra charge, I'm glad I bought this video off the iFly Web site. I can see now, after a few repeat viewings, that I wasn't fully understanding the instructor's instructions to get my body to move the right way. Watching this video, as well as the ones from tunnelflight.com, are getting me more prepared for session 3, which I've scheduled for next weekend. This time I'm bringing my two boys along as well. I'm excited for them to experience the sensation of flying, and also afraid of the inevitable dent in my wallet that will follow if either of these guys decides they want to take up flying as a hobby!

At the end of December, my wife announced she was taking me out for an early birthday surprise. I was given no information except that I could dress casual, and that I should be ready to leave the house at a very specific date and time. As we headed out towards an unknown destination, I started trying to guess the surprise. I had previously announced that I really wanted to get a keyboard, but she didn’t know the specific model (plus every store nearby was out of stock due to holiday demand).

Just as my mind was running out of ideas, we arrived at our destination: indoor skydiving at iFly Minnesota! My wife had done a flight years ago on a work trip and loved it. And, being the thoughtful person she is, she remembered how I had expressed interest in doing a flight some day too.

I got checked in at the front desk to claim my reservation for two flights, which my wife had made via Groupon. I’ll say more about this later, but I think the iFly business model is absolutely genius. I could’ve certainly just taken my “standard” two flights, which last a minute each and focus mainly on the instructor helping you get the basic skills down. However, for a small upgrade charge, you can have the instructor fly you up in the tube about 14 feet high and spin you around! Did I take that extra add on? You bet your upsold rear end I did!

After the check-in (and weigh-in) was complete, I was offered a seat in the lobby to watch the current group of students until my instructor was ready to check me in. Honestly, I was kind of nervous as I watched student after student take their turn in the tube. Everybody in that group was half my age, and looking at the other people scattered around the lobby, I was going to be the oldest in my group as well. Suddenly my mind sparked a thought I hadn’t had since junior high gym class: “All I want to do is not be the suckiest in my class.”

Soon, my instructor called me forward, introduced himself, provisioned me a flight suit and helmet, and brought me into a room with the rest of my class to watch the safety/training video. I’m not to proud to admit that my nerves got even worse once we were told that we’d be relying on hand signals to communicate. It’s not that the hand signals themselves were hard, it’s just that I was already freaking out. So I could envision myself forgetting my own name once inside the whooshing and roaring of the tube.

When the briefing wrapped up, we were escorted into a plexiglass room with a long bench - ready to line up and take our turn in the tube! I was set to go almost dead last - a group of 20-somethings head of me, and two little 5-year-olds behind me. I watched each student before me with intensity, trying to make good mental notes of the common corrections the instructors gave to each student.

One thing everybody seemed to struggle with was hand and arm placement. It looked like everybody’s instinct was to do long, straight, Superman-like arms as they started their flights. But the instructor had to correct the arm shapes into a more C-shaped position, with hands raised slightly above the ears. People also seemed to struggle with their legs - either extending them straight and stiff as a board, or kicking them frantically to try and level their bodies. The instructor flashed many students the “hang loose” hand sign we learned in training, indicating they just needed to loosen up their appendages a bit to have a smoother flight.

Soon it was my turn. I stepped up to the edge of the tube, raised my arms and head, and “fell” into the tube as instructed. The sensation that followed as I started my flight was something that is difficult to describe, and that’s probably because I had a real emotional connection to the experience. As a kid, I loved the old Christopher Reeve Superman movies. I spent countless hours running around the house with a red and blue bath towel attached to the back of my shirt with clothespins, hoping if I ran fast enough or jumped high enough I might actually take flight. Now, over 35 years later, in a blue flight suit and red helmet, I was finally using the superpower I had always wanted.

Suddenly I was overly aware of the flight experience and, just like the students before me, learned that this flying stuff is much harder than it looks! Every tiny little movement of an arm or leg moved my body in a different direction, but the instructor steadied me and started flashing various hand signals (a “V” with his fingers to tell me to straighten my legs, a “loosen up” signal to tell me to relax). After a few arm adjustments and bending my legs in a few different angles, I felt the rush of almost hovering without any assistance! But just as I was starting to enjoy that sensation, the instructor grabbed me and pushed us up into the air, doing a carousel-style spin as we headed up, then back down to ground level. That gave me butterflies in my stomach and, my wife would add, a “big dumb smile.” After a few more short trips up and down the tube, the instructor brought me back into the plexiglass room. And just like that, the adventure was over.

I got to fly two or three more times as part of my birthday package, each time feeling like I picked up a few more pointers to get me flying with more confidence. When all the students had completed their turns, the instructor did a quick demo of all the cool things you could do some day if you kept up with your training. My jaw dropped a bit as he jumped into the tube, sailed to the very top if it, then flew head first toward the ground, only to brace himself from a crash at the last minute. He did various twirls, flips and swoops, then landed back in the plexiglass room like Superman coming back from a zip around the neighborhood. Then he offered us one last chance to fly again at a discounted price (here is another instance of iFly having a genius business model). I mouthed “One more?” to my wife and pointed to my watch, as I had no idea what our plans were after this. She gave me a thumbs up, and off I went for one final flight, wishing I had bought two.

When it was all over, the instructor encouraged me to check out tunnelflight.com to pick up more of the finer details of basic flight skills. Still on a “high” from the flight experience, I bought a 10-pack of flights for a future visit. Again, iFly is genius in that they offer you steeply discounted future flights if you buy them during your current visit.

Suffice to say, I’ll be back. Am I worried that this could become an extremely expensive new hobby that will result in me needing a second mortgage on my house? Yes. But in 2022, I’m vowing to level out my work/play time balance, and flying seems like an awesome way to do just that.

P.S. On my way out, they handed me a flight certificate with the skills I had learned during my sessions: