iFLY

*this post was sponsored by iFLY Fort Lauderdale, as always all opinions are my own*

Hi Guys!!! If you know me you know very well that I explore all parts of FL finding Family-Friendly things to do.  So you can imagine my excitement when my family and I had the privilege of visiting iFLY in Fort Lauderdale.  I seriously have nothing but amazing things to say about our visit!  First things first if you are a SCARDY-CAT like me & you won’t ever dare SKYDIVE, then I have found you the very next best thing!!! iFLY !!!

iFLY !!!

You can EXPERIENCE INDOOR SKYDIVING at iFLY! It gives you all the perks of SKYDIVING without the whole “jumping out of a plane” scare!  The minute you arrive the experience begins, so put your big boy pants on and get ready to FLY!  Once you purchase your tickets you will be given a reservation time (please arrive on time!)  Checking in is super easy at the touchscreen Kiosks but if you need any help, the super friendly crew members are right there to assist you!  Everyone has to fill out a Flight Waiver.  Flyers range from ages 3-103 ( RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY ), but a flyer under the age of 18 has to have a parent/guardian fill out a waiver for them.  After checking in you head on over to one of the crew members where they hand you your wristband, explain to you a little more about the experience and offer you some cool upgrades (if you like) and you are ALL SET TO FLY!

The first thing you see when you enter is the FLY Chamber!  It’s huge so it’s pretty hard to miss!  If your reservation isn’t the first one then you will notice others either in the Chamber with an instructor flying, people waiting to FLY or people gearing up to FLY.  Since we were all newbies we needed to get some training before flying.  The certified instructor guided us to the classroom where we saw a video that taught us everything we needed to know before we could fly.  How to position our bodies while flying and hand signals to help out the instructors.  Pay attention because the instructor will ask questions after!

READY, SET, FLY!

After training comes GEARING UP! This is the part where you start to feel all tingly inside because you’re one step closer to FLYING!  We headed over to the booth where the boys (I could’nt FLY because I’m pregnant, but they were super cool with letting me in on overlooking everything!) got their FLY suits, their helmets and their goggles.  They were then walked over to the chamber where you sit with your group and take turns FLYING!  Each person takes 2 turns, 60 seconds each time you are in the tunnel or a little more depending on your package.  The whole experience lasts up to an hour and a half.  After you FLY and you UN-GEAR, your instructor will present to you your very own FLIGHT CERTIFICATE! He will also allow you to look through photos and or videos of yourself FLYING if it was included in your package.

My boys had a blast!!! I must say, I had a mini heart attack when I saw Jaiden’s little body flying in the air but I knew he was in good hands with the instructor! He kept saying “OMG MAMI THAT WAS AWESOME!” If I let him he would stay there flying all day! I’m so glad he is so fearless!

Now that I’ve gone through the basics, let me just take a few to tell about my personal experience.  Since I was invited I was able to talk to the manager.  When I walked in JIM was all smiles!  Very happy and upbeat! I absolutely love it when I walk into a place and you can just feel the friendliness all around!.  He was very knowledgeable about the company and the experience and answered every single question I had to the T!  You can just tell that he really loves what he does and that goes for all the crew members!  From greeting us, to showing me around and allowing me to ask questions, I honestly felt like I was just talking to a long time friend.

ALL ABILITIES

One thing that really stuck out to me was when he mentioned iFLY’s ALL ABILITIES NIGHT. This event is for anyone with special needs that allows them to experience FLYING just like anyone else.  He explained to me how the program is all about encouraging those with special needs to challenge themselves and do something that may sometimes seem impossible for them to do.  He stated how the instructors help and assist them with EVERYTHING.  They take pride in giving them the very best assistance to make this the best experience possible for them.  I was almost in tears when he talked about how he feels when he seems someone FLY when they sometimes didn’t even think they could.  How awesome is JIM and the whole iFLY team for this?  

I cannot help but already plan my NEXT visit to iFLY after I have this baby.  One of my New Year Goals is to push myself and try things I’d never think or dare to try.  Of course I’ll never jump out of a real plane but up until a few days ago I didn’t think I’d be able to  attempt indoor skydiving either BUT I’ve had a change of heart and I am totally ready to face my fears and DO IT!!! I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Have you been to iFLY? If you haven’t would you FLY? Let me know in the comments below! As always thanks for reading!