Man always wanted to defy gravity and soar into the sky like a powerful bird. Our comic books, mythology, and superheroes all have the unique gift of flying. This fantasy has led many to learn the art of skydiving. First, they take high in the air by an airplane or a chopper, and then you jump out of the safety of your plane right into the air. The whole earth lies flat low under you. The powerful forces of gravity that pull you down and the air pressure that tries to throw you upwards create a magical experience. Skydiving is a mastery that very few can be skilled at. It requires you to win your war of heights, and you’re free of free fall and your fear of death. It is also costly and needs expensive resources. The United Arab Emirates offers everyone many unique tourist activities and places to visit in Dubai.
To give you that same experience in a safe environment, Majid Al Futtaim has brought the iFLY concept to Dubai. The iFLY is an indoor sky diving experience created by making an air chamber. Also called “The Tunnel,” which has 2 compelling fans that generate monstrous air that speeds upwards at 200 km per hour. This speed is enough to propel any human weighing less than 115 kg into the air and keep him suspended. The chamber is made of acrylic and has been inspected and annually certified. There are trained instructors to support you during your indoor diving experience at iFLY, who look after your safety and guide you to fly. Most tour guides brief about iFLY to tourists during the Dubai city tour.
iFLY Dubai Experience
As a new diving enthusiast, your experience with iFLY starts when you reach the venue, located in Mirdiff City Center. A beaming hostess welcomes you and guides you to the kiosk, where you buy your ticket, and if you have access, you will be given the iFLY gear and taken to the training room. You will learn everything about the hands, arms, and leg movements in this room. The instructor will check with you to see if your diving gear is safe and secure.
Once your turn comes, you will be escorted inside the tunnel. The sudden blast of air gives you a moment of great adrenalin and shock. In no time, you are up in the air, and the instructor is correcting your awkward moments and flailing hands, giving them the right direction and movements so that you master the air and gravity. Your fear of flying, your fear of heights, and your fear of falling, are all gone in a matter of seconds. You become the bird you have dreamt of flying smoothly inside the tunnel. The victory over gravity and air gives you ultimate satisfaction.
You will like to treasure the moments of your flying like a free bird. However, please note that taking a mobile camera, including Go-Pros, is strictly prohibited inside the tunnel. You may buy photos and videos from the iFLY kiosk once you are out of the tunnel. You can choose the images and videos captured by compelling cameras installed at vantage points. These cameras relay all the videos and photos to a central server. While you are on your way out, the hostess will guide you to choose the best pics and videos on the display kiosk.
iFLY is very inclusive and welcomes all abilities, which is their way of saying that they can give flying experience to anyone with any physical challenges. All you need to have is a passion for scoring high in the sky and gracefully diving and jiving.
iFLY VR Experience
The world is going VR, talking VR, and adopting VR at every given possibility. iFLY has recently introduced a VR experience for you. You wear unique VR equipment on your head with a camera attached to your eyes. You may choose various options of outdoor locations, including Burh Khalifa, The Palm, or The Creek, and then let go! You will be transported to the selected geographical area, and your sky diving experience becomes “outdoor” rather than indoor. There could be motion sickness during the VR flying experience.
We advise you that you should opt for a VR experience in iFLY
The following are the safety tips for iFLY;
- You should reach the venue of iFLY at least 1 hour before and acquaint yourself with the IFLY experience.
- Please pay full attention to the safety tips and briefing and participate in the demonstrations. This will make you extra comfortable and confident when you enter the flying tunnel.
- Indoor diving in the iFLY tunnel is a low-risk activity. However, make sure that
- You have no ailments related to the neck and shoulders. If you suffer from vertigo, then you should venture into it.
- Pregnant ladies should avoid the iFLY experience.
- If you have a plaster cast, then please avoid iFLY
- It would help if you did not suffer from a shoulder dislocation
- It would be best if you did not have any impairment related to the backbone
- It would help if you were at least more than 180cm tall
- Your weight should be less than 105 kg
- Children above two years may enjoy iFLY diving activity. However, the ideal age is five years.
- All kids below 18 years MUST have parental consent through a consent sign-off sheet.
- Flight suit and helmet that are required for diving in iFLY are provided
- Please wear well-fitted sneakers and avoid loose loafers, sandals, or high heels.
- Please wear comfortable clothing like jumpers etc., that would make it easy to wear a Sky suit on top of it.
- If you are wearing jewelry or a watch, it may fall on the tunnel floor due to high pressure and a freely floating body. Hence please avoid wearing either a watch or jewelry.
- At present, when you enter the wind tunnel of iFLY, then you may feel breathlessness. This is very common. Your instructor would have detailed this momentary experience. You need not panic. Very soon, the breathlessness would give way to exhilaration and confidence.
- This is very important. You can be intoxicated or under the influence of any drug, making your body system unresponsive. Please do not enter the iFLY area after taking alcohol, and if you are under some medication that makes your faculties weak and slow, you should inform your instructor.
iFLY packages and Tickets
A standard package that lets you have a 2-minute experience in the iFLY tunnel. This is a good package for beginners and helps you in mastering the basic techniques of diving and indoor flying for more fun when you return to fly again. This package includes the following;
· A training session with the in-house experts
· 2-minute -light or if you opt for 3 minutes package, then it shall be split into two flights as it is not advisable to fly more than 3 minutes continuously
· Complete flying gear provided
· The one-on-one personal instructor who would fly with you
· A super cool flying certificate
This is priced at Aed 220/=
Return Flier Package – If you have done the training program and have done flying once, you may come back and have one more fun this time. Bring along a friend who also has done flying before and enjoys tune flying in a supervised and super safe environment. Your flying time can be 2 or 5 minutes (broken down into 2 minutes slots). Please remember that you MUST have a valid flying certificate to avail of this package. Included in this package are the following;
· A non-mandatory training session with the in-house expert
· Either 2 minutes flying or two times flying, two minutes each time
· You can bring your flying gear or use the gear provided in house
· You will have a one-on-one instructor in the tunnel
· You will receive a flying certificate again
· There are two tunnels, and each tunnel can take up to 7 people only
Please remember that cameras are not allowed. This is priced at Aed 150/=.
iFLY other packages include birthday packages, corporate packages, and group packages. All these packages have different costs, and we recommend the team-building activity for the corporate sector. There will be a lot of fun and excitement for everyone.
iFLY also offers various deals and packages for experienced flyers who may book their flying times in the units of 3 minutes and can go up to an hour. Please also note that if you book for 10 minutes, you must spend all 10 minutes simultaneously. The minutes will be credited to your account, which you may use during multiple visits.
Location and Timings
iFLY is located in Mirdiff City Center, MIRDIF, Dubai
Sunday to Wednesday – it is open between 10 am to 10 pm
Thursday to Saturday – It is available between 10 am to 12 midnight