Skyventure Orlando

Skydiving is not for me, but thanks to Skyventure Orlando, I got to experience the joy of skydiving in a safe and controlled environment and let me just say, it was a lot of fun.  Skyventure is a skydiving simulator, so I didn’t have to worry about jumping out of a plane and when I have the chance to experience indoor skydiving,  I jumped at the chance (literally).  Before my visit, I was a little concerned that I would have to jump off a platform into this wind tunnel, but to my surprise there was no jumping at all.   Here’s how indoor skydiving works at Skyventure.

After you arrive at Skyventure Orlando and get checked-in you will proceed up the stairs to the wind tunnel to meet your instructor.  Your Skyventure instructor will take you and your class into the equipment and training rooms. Here you will find lockers for you to place your valuables into for safe keeping during your flight. Once you have secured your belongings, you will be given a flight suit, a helmet, goggles, disposable ear plugs, and if you didn’t wear lace shoes, a loaner pair of tennis shoes (HINT: Wear Tennis Shoes).

With your gear on and in place, you will proceed to the classroom, where your Skyventure instructor will teach you the fundamentals of flying in the wind tunnel. During this class you will learn how to position your body to ensure you actually fly. You will learn the five hand signals that your instructor will use to communicate with you during your flight. The instructors use hand signals because with your ears plugged and the wind howling by you, it’s impossible to hear them when you are in the tunnel. The five hand signals they teach you are: Straighten your legs, bend your legs, relax, head up and get me out!

Once you have completed your training, you are taken to the tunnel. One at a time, you proceed to the door, your instructor will be waiting there to assist you, to help you enter the wind tunnel. You lean forward and with your instructor’s guidance and the power of the wind, you will begin to fly.

Each student is given 1 minute in the tunnel. The average flight time of a real skydive is 40 seconds so at the end you have just experience what a real skydive would be like, without the heart pounding, drop to your knees experience of having to jump from a plane.

During your flight if you are having a difficult time, the instructor is right there by your side to help you fly straight. If at any time you want out, hold both thumbs down and they will get you out. At the end of your one minute, your instructor will guide you to the exit where you will find your classmates celebrating your achievement. As your class cycles through the tunnel, you will get one more chance to experience flight.

On your second time in the Skyventure tunnel, your body will have a better understanding of flight and you will probably enjoy the experience a little more. Plus near the end of your second time in the tunnel, the instructors will grab your flight suit, position your body perfectly and soar with you up into the tunnel 15 – 20 feet with you; I found this to be the coolest part of the flight experience.

After your class has completed its flight, you will return to the equipment room where you will return your gear and gather your belongings. If you purchased the DVD and pictures (which I recommend), you will pick it up as you leave the building.

So, if you are ready to try an adventurous, yet safe and fun activity, you’ve got to visit Skyventure Orlando.  I found Skyventure to be an awesome experience and that’s why it’s one of the coolest things to do in Orlando.