The Top Spots For Indoor Skydiving Birmingham Al
Are you currently in Birmingham, Alabama, and are itching to do some extreme activities? Well, why not try what indoor skydiving Birmingham Al has to offer?
You might not know this, but indoor skydiving is a thing and you can enjoy this activity right in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama.
Fortunately, there is at least one spot that you can go to enjoy indoor skydiving Birmingham Al. It is great for both adults and children, and for multiple divers. Besides, it’s always fun with friends around, right?
I personally enjoy doing activities with family and friends. So, read on to find out more about indoor skydiving in Birmingham, Alabama!
At A Glance: The Best Places For Indoor Skydiving Birmingham Al
- The Bear Grylls Adventure Park
- Skydiving Birmingham Alabama
- Tandem Skydiving
- Skydiving School
DISCLOSURE
Some of the links below are affiliate links and I may earn if you click and buy from them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thank you so much.
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What Is Indoor Skydiving?
Have you watched any thriller movies where the actors jumped out of a flying aircraft into the air and landed safely on the ground? That is basically what skydiving means. You dive into the air and release your parachute before landing.
Indoor skydiving employs the same exact concept, except, you don’t need an aircraft or a parachute. All you need is just a jumpsuit, helmet, and goggles and the perfect spot to do it.
Simply put, indoor skydiving is a skydiving simulator that gives you the same thrill as if you’re jumping off and free-falling from an aircraft. Initially used as a training simulator for skydivers, the indoor skydiving sport has seen rapid growth since its establishment in 1980!
How Does Indoor Skydiving Work?
Indoor skydiving is done in a huge vertical cylinder with the wind blowing from the ground. With the correct arched body posture, you can feel as if you’re free falling.
Of course, it is not as easy as it seems. You need practice to get the most out of indoor skydiving. Besides, there are steps from beginner to advanced in skydiving. If you’re just starting out, you can try indoor skydiving, before doing the real skydiving on your own.
Indoor skydiving can give you a taste of what it’s like to actually fly and experience freefalling.
Best Places For Indoor Skydiving Birmingham Al
1. The Bear Grylls Adventure Park
The Bear Grylls Adventure Park is an adventure center in Birmingham, Alabama. This park offers various outdoor and indoor activities like indoor skydiving, high ropes, assault course, rock climbing, and shark diving.
iFLY World
The Bead Grylls Adventure Park is the only park that holds the well-known indoor skydiving Birmingham Al facility, the iFly world. The iFly world is a facility provider specifically for indoor skydiving. It is available across the US and if you’re in Birmingham Al, there’s one in the Bear Grylls Adventure Park.
You can book your tickets as a part of a package that comes complete with a full briefing, assault course, and free equipment and you’re ready to conquer the best indoor skydiving in Birmingham.
What is an assault course?
An assault course is a military-inspired training exercise that includes running to enhance your stamina. So experiencing such a course is an added value and definitely a must-try. It gives you more stamina and flexibility when you’re flying in the indoor skydiving facility.
Besides, where else will you be military-trained, right? Only at iFly indoor skydiving!
Indoor Skydiving Cost: ~$44 per participant
Duration: 1 hour
Best For: Individuals or Groups
What You Will Experience:
- 2 separate 1-minute flights to master your skills
- Experience the Assault Course entry for free
- A full briefing by experts
- Provided flight and safety equipment
- Unlimited access to the marine-inspired assault course
Specific Requirements:
- Must be more than 8 years old
- Weigh less than 250 pounds
- Maximum of 6’7” in height
- A parent or guardian is necessary to accompany participants aged 8-9 years old inside the simulator
- Participants aged 10-16 can enjoy the activity on their own but need a parent or guardian at the check-in counter.
2. Skydiving Birmingham Alabama
If you have had enough fun indoor skydiving and you crave a more adventurous experience, you can try real skydiving at Skydiving Birmingham Alabama. The feeling Is definitely going to be different, since, with this, you essentially have to jump off an aircraft!
However, worry not! You will be accompanied by an instructor and a videographer to capture all your flying moments. The free-falling experience here is somewhat similar to indoor skydiving, but the feeling and the views are definitely different.
If you have skydived indoors and want to try experiencing outdoor skydiving, you can visit Skydiving Birmingham Alabama. There are a couple of skydiving experiences you can choose from, specifically, tandem skydiving and advanced skydiving.
Tandem Skydiving
Tandem skydiving means you’ll be skydiving with an instructor. You don’t need experience or a license to do this since you will be with the instructor all the time.
Tandem Skydiving Cost: ~$200 per participant
Duration: ~1 hour
Best For: Individual Activity
What You Will Experience:
- Jump off a plane
- Real free falling
- Attached to an experienced skydiver, so you just enjoy the view
- A videographer is present to record your flying moments
Specific Requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Weigh less than 250 pounds
- Understand the risks when doing this activity
Skydiving School
Advanced skydiving means you will sign up as a student. There will be a few levels that you have to complete before you skydive on your own for real! Here are the levels:
Level 1: First Skydiving Lesson
Level 2: Refining The Body Position
Level 3: Instructor Releases You Into The Air
Level 4: Practicing 90 Degree Maneuvers
Level 5: Practicing 360 Degree Maneuvers
Level 6: Gaining Confidence
Level 7: Putting It All Together
Skydiving School Cost: ~$1,000-2,000 per participant
Duration: A few weeks
Best For: Individuals or Groups
What You Will Experience:
- Learn to skydive solo
- An instructor will coach you to skydive properly
- In the end, you will be skilled and confident enough to skydive on your own!
Specific Requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Weigh less than 250 pounds
- Understand the risks when doing this activity
What Are The Steps When Indoor Skydiving
In order for you to enjoy this activity to the fullest, you will be briefed by your instructor on the steps taken. The common steps are as follows:
1. Entering The Simulator
- You don’t just walk right in, but at a bit of an inclined angle to ensure a safe entry.
2. Getting Used To The Airflow
- Your instructor will show you the correct arched body posture
- You will get used to the low airflow first at this level
3. Learn To Turn In The Simulator
- This could be quite tricky as you have to carefully dip your arm to turn
- As you move to become more advanced, you will learn to turn with all your limbs safely
4. Move Forward And Backward
- By moving your legs and arms appropriately, you will be taught to move forward and backward seamlessly
5. Down-Up Fast And Slow Fall
- To go down, you can ‘shrink’ your arms a bit, and ‘expand’ yourself to go up
- Shrinking means you bring your arms closer to your body, so you go down
- Expanding means your push your arms out to go up
You can watch this video to better understand how to do the steps above.
In addition to the steps shared above, there is a new system available, which is virtual reality (VR) skydiving. A diver will have to wear the VR headset, and it becomes more realistic as you will experience what is actually happening when you skydive outdoors.
General Requirements of Indoor Skydiving
Age
Basically, anyone can try indoor skydiving. But children below 8 years old are not encouraged to do so. They might be too light for the simulator. Children need a parent or a guardian to accompany them while flying.
Height And Weight
You need to weigh not more than 250 pounds to enjoy indoor skydiving best. For children, a parent or a guardian is necessary to accompany them inside the simulator.
Your height and weight will be measured. This depends on the regulations set at the indoor skydiving center you’re at. It is important to note that the skydiving simulator instructor has the right to not allow you to fly if these requirements are not met.
Waiver
Prior to indoor skydiving, you have to sign a waiver. This is essentially a document that requires you to take responsibility for your own safety.
What To Do
- Leave your dangling jewelry at home. Although free lockers are provided, it is probably safer to leave them behind for this activity.
- Bring necessary documents and forms to the check-in counter. If you are bringing your children, read the terms and conditions carefully.
- Wear the jumpsuit, helmet, and goggles provided. Make sure they are worn properly and don’t forget to tighten your shoelaces!
What Not To Do
- Do not enter the wind tunnel without the instructor. Always wait for the instructor and follow the instructions well.
- Ignore instructions. Being in the tunnel is something new and you can’t expect to know everything. Listen attentively.
- Do not wear sandals or slippers. You must wear laced-up closed-toe sport shoes. This is necessary to avoid any unwanted disruptions while flying.
- Do not bring your phone into the wind tunnel. Leave all your belongings outside the wind tunnel. Store them safely in the lockers provided.
- Do not sign up if you suffer neck, back, and heart problems. Additionally, pregnant women are strictly not allowed to do this activity.
What To Expect While Indoor Skydiving
Inside The Simulator
You can expect to fly in the wind tunnel and be ready with air strongly blowing from below. Also, be warned, you will not look pretty being in the simulator due to the strength of the airflow.
Additionally, you can also expect the surroundings to be noisy. But no worries, you will get used to it in no time. You will also be equipped with appropriate safety measures, including a jumpsuit, helmet, and goggles.
Being a beginner diver, your instructors are tasked to keep your indoor skydiving safe. They are will help you adapt and enjoy the sport. At The Bear Grylls Adventure, you can enjoy indoor skydiving with your friends. It’s more fun that way.
Another thing to expect is the spectators. People are allowed to watch you around the tunnel. You might feel uncomfortable at first because a whole bunch of strangers will be there to see your distorted expressions!
But just ignore them, smile, and focus on your body. Enjoy your experience!
During indoor skydiving sessions, even 1 minute will feel like a long time, and at the Bear Grylls Adventure Park, you get 2 sessions. You can call the first session a practice session, and the second one is where you can really go all out and enjoy your session!
The Price
The most important thing is the indoor skydiving price. Since indoor skydiving is not a common sport, it might get a little pricey although the sessions are short. But the experience is truly worth it. You won’t get a feeling like this anywhere else!
What To Prepare Before Indoor Skydiving
You don’t really have to prepare anything special. Just be sure to have a good breakfast. Do not stuff yourself though, or you might throw up while free falling.
Who wants to know what you had for breakfast, right? So it’s better to eat light if you’re diving in the morning.
It is also best if you can arrive at least 30 minutes before your designated slot. There is usually a briefing and initial training and this may take some time. You will be taught how to first enter the cylinder so you won’t fall on your face.
Finally, prepare your most comfortable clothes because you will wear them underneath the skydiving jumpsuit.
When Is The Best Time To Do Indoor Skydiving
As you are skydiving indoors, there is no specific best time to enjoy this sport. Just book your ticket through the website and read and understand all the terms and conditions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, indoor skydiving is probably the closest experience you get to real skydiving. Real skydiving needs at least 7 training sessions before you actually jump off an aircraft.
As for indoor skydiving, it is easier and safer. You will experience the same free fall feeling to real skydiving, and the air pressure could give you the thrill you need from an extreme sport.
Don’t forget to consider the general and specific requirements, grab your best friends and family members, book the tickets, and enjoy all that indoor skydiving Birmingham Al has offered at iFly World in The Bear Grylls Adventure Park!
Happy Skydiving!