iFly Denver

Pre Flight

Nisha

Sanjiv

Diya

The family finally made it out to iFly Denver.  We got a good rate through a military discount and me and the girls were prepared for two 1 minute flights each.  We got roped into the high flight and pictures for an extra $30 each.  In retrospect it was not worth it.  Ratna took great pictures and videos from the gallery.

The facility is clean, safe and well organized.  The instructors are super friendly.  Our instructor was Kai.  After the flight, the instructors fly around a little to show how good you can get with practice.

We wore street clothes and lace up shoes and were given a flight suit, ear plugs, head sock, goggles and a helmet.  I feel like it would have been more comfortable with a full face helmet.  The wind hitting my face got me slobbering on the second flight.

Floating on air comes more naturally to some than to others.  Diya and Nisha did much better than I did.  Essentially you are doing a Superman hold pushing your hips forward and a slight bend in the knees.  The amount of band propels you forward or back.  The arm position keeps you flat.  Chin up is an important cue.

The facility caters to one and done folks and people who want to get really good at flying.  For the one and done, get the high flight and video and tell your friends about it.  Of the three of us, Diya was most excited to go again.  For those who want to get good at flying, you can buy vouchers for future flights.  Normally it is around $80 for two 1 minute flights.  You can purchase vouchers for four 1 minute flights ($65), ten 1 minute flights ($140), or ten 1 minute flights to share with up to 5 people ($200).

We ended up getting Diya a four pack and I will take her again.  If she really gets into it, I might reconsider doing it more often.  For those who want to progress, skip the high flight and the pictures.

I struggled to get comfortable and 1 minute goes by fast (that is about the free fall time for outdoor sky diving).  It is not a super expensive hobby and they programs to go from:

Level 1 - Basics - stable flight

Level 2 - Freefly - up/down, forward/back, flips

Level 3 - Freefly - back flips, cartwheels

Level 4 - Freefly - head down, half eagle

Level 5 - Freefly Pro - full eagle

$65 for 4 minutes of flight time may seem expensive, but going once/week would be around $3000/year about the same as a Crossfit membership or greens fees for the avid golfer.