iFlew with iFly

My wife told me recently that I need to “step outside of my comfort zone every now and then” so, after my initial objection to the statement, I figured she was right (she “always” is, she is my wife after all 😉). Except I took it literally and then upped the anti.

As a full-time wheelchair user (quadriplegia, C5), my wheelchair is my “comfort zone.” I do everything in it. I get from A to B (and to C) in it. I shower in it. I ride in the car in it. I eat, play and work in it. In fact, the only thing I don’t do, is sleep in it.

So, when it came to “stepping outside of my comfort zone,” I “flew” out of it instead – literally… 

Basically, my blog starts and ends at iFly Gold Coast, an indoor skydiving centre located in Surfers Paradise on Queensland’s Gold Coast. My wife (Stacey) and I had jumped in the car on a spur-of-the-moment weekend getaway with our two sons (aged 5 and 1) and, after seeing some fellow wheelchair users on social media having a go at indoor skydiving, I decided to book a “flight” before we left.

iFly Gold Coast pride themselves on being an accessible tourism attraction and they certainly lived up to it. From the moment we rolled in the door, through to the “flight”, I was made to feel welcome and encouraged. In fact, the feeling of genuine acceptance was almost as good as the flying experience itself. Stacey even commented on the fact that, unlike other attractions, we were never once made to feel like we were a burden or inconveniencing the staff in any way by wanting to participate. Despite having to have an additional instructor rostered on for my session, they seemed genuinely stoked to have us there… and even gave me a discount!

The “flight training” was easy to understand was over in about 5 minutes flat. The most challenging part was getting dressed into the flight suit. Thankfully my ever-supportive wife was on-hand to assist with dressing me, while one of the instructors helped lift me when it came to getting the suit under my backside.

One suggestion I would make to iFly is perhaps the inclusion of an accessible change room or bed/bench to enable someone with reduced mobility the ability to change into the flight suit out of their wheelchair. I was fortunate to have Stacey on hand to do the hard work!

Once suited up, it was time to fly!

I must admit to feeling a few “butterflies in the stomach”. After all, the only time I’m not in my ‘chair is whem I’m laying comfortably in my bed. The instructor’s plan was simple, “just wheel up to the door of the wind tunnel and we’ll bring you forward out of your chair and the fans will do the rest.” And that’s basically what happened! 

Stacey had come into the “waiting area” by the entrance to the wind tunnel so that she could assist with manoeuvring my wheelchair out of way as the instructors lifted me into the air. The “launch” was seamless and, almost before my feet left my footplate, I was flying! Suspended in mid-air by a 115km/hr updraft blasting out of what must be some serious fans down below. (Oh, and by the way, the fans aren’t visible as they’re concealed by a grate. Which is fine by me, as I would imagine that flying above some fan blades spinning at a huge rate of knots would be pretty unnerving.)

As I’m unable to move or control my body from the chest down (I have partial use of my upper arms), I had two instructors in the wind tunnel with me. I was essentially in their (very capable) hands. The instructors kept me “under control” while I flew through the air. I just had to trust that they weren’t going to send my head crashing into the glass or that the fans weren’t going to suddenly switch off sending me falling to the floor! 

Of course, neither of those things happened. Instead, I experienced the pure exhilaration of flying.

Yes, it’s loud and yes, it’s windy but boy was it- fun! 

The controlled weightlessness and freedom of movement that I felt as I floated in space was as liberating as it was exhilarating. 

While your flight time is “only” 2 minutes, it does feel like longer when you’re in the air. As I neared the end of my first flight, one of the instructors took me by one shoulder and one thigh. Suddenly, I was soaring upwards to the top of the wind tunnel then spinning back down towards the ground. Then up again and back down. The “high flying” experience really got the adrenaline pumping.

As they wound the speed back on the fans, the instructors guided me back towards the tunnel entrance, while Stacey re-positioned the wheelchair. Then, as smoothly as I’d entered, I was sat back into my ‘chair and wheeled back from the door. Then it was time for the high fives!

While I waited behind the glass for my next flight, all I could do was smile to Stacey. After all, the noise of the fans is so loud, smiling is basically all you can do! 

After the three other members of my group had their turn, I was up again. My second flight felt more controlled than the first and, for a few brief moments, I was flying on my own without either of the instructors holding onto me.

The wind tunnel is an absolute “smiles factory”. Looking back at the footage (which can be seen on our YouTube channel), I literally had a smile as big as the moon plastered across my face, from the moment I was hoisted up from my chair until well-after my flight. In fact, I’m pretty sure I smiled for the rest of the day. The feeling of having stepped (flown) outside of my comfort zone and done something pretty extreme left me with a feeling of pride and accomplishment. 

Thank you to the team at iFly Gold Coast for making the experience inclusive and accessible. Guess where our 5-year-old wants to go for his sixth birthday now… I guess I might just have to join him!

Dane Cross

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