Bluegreen Colorful Places

What if you could fly without the help of an airplane? Orlando’s International Drive offers just that, through the amazing iFly attraction. iFly, formerly SkyVenture, is a vertical wind tunnel that so closely replicates skydiving that professional skydivers use the facility to train. You can visit iFly as well during your Bluegreen vacation to Orlando, to indoor skydive for the first time, or just watch how it works for free.

Even watching others learn to fly is fantastic entertainment, and you might get lucky and get to see an aerial team practicing their stunts in 120+ mph winds generated in the tunnel. The iFly skydiving simulator is large enough to hold several flyers at once. The most common scenario, however, is one student floating on a cushion of air, within feet of his or her instructor.

As a first-time flyer, you’ll have a short training session – about 20 minutes – and then you’ll suit up in a flight suit and goggles. Instructors take a group of about four people into the wind tunnel “holding” area. Each flyer then takes turns entering the tunnel for a brief period of time, with the instructor.

The amazing part of learning or watching is realizing how much impact a tiny movement can have. As the instructor does a demonstration flight for his students and any observers, he makes it look easy to spin rapidly, rise and fall quickly and do all sorts of trick maneuvers in midair. The powerful winds are controlled by a professional who’s sitting right next to the tunnel, watching everything that’s happening, and working in tandem with the instructor, who signals exactly what he wants.

Opt for a DVD of your lesson and then you’ll get the same view as those sitting outside the glass wind tunnel gets.

The iFly facility is located at the far north end of International Drive, in the funniest looking building you’ll see in Orlando. iFly’s wind tunnel skydiving is also one of Orlando’s best kept secrets. So the next time you’re thinking “What are things to do in Orlando other than Disney?” or “What’s something really cool we could do, for absolutely nothing?” head for iFly. Whether you fly or watch, iFly’s skydiving wind tunnels are a must-do during your Bluegreen vacation to Orlando Don’t miss it!

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