Indoor skydiving is an exciting alternative to real skydiving.
It’s safer, cheaper, and just as thrilling. But before you can go indoor skydiving, it helps to have certain basic information to ensure you are well prepared.
For instance, how long does an indoor skydiving session last?
Why You Should Consider Indoor Skydiving
There are many reasons to choose indoor skydiving over the real thing.
For starters, indoor skydiving delivers an incredible experience without the risks associated with skydiving.
Read before you go – Can You Indoor Skydive If You Have a Medical Condition?
If jumping from a plane at 10,000 feet gives you the heebie-jeebies, consider indoor skydiving.
With indoor skydiving, you get to experience the feeling of freefall only a few feet off the ground. This experience is made possible by an invention known as the vertical wind tunnel.
These tunnels generate winds strong enough for your body to ‘float,’ simulating weightlessness.
What Does An Indoor Skydiving Session Entail?
Understanding what an indoor skydiving session entails when preparing for a freefall experience is essential.
So, what does an indoor skydiving session entail? Your indoor skydiving session at most centers in the United States will include the following:
- Check-in time
- Safety and training briefings
- Gearing up
- A demonstration of basic movements before being allowed to fly
- Removing gear after the flight
Check-in
You don’t just walk into an indoor skydiving facility; you must check-in. The check-in process may be fast or slow, depending on the traffic at the indoor skydiving center on the day of your visit. Just be prepared.
Safety and training briefings
Unlike a roller-coaster, where they strap you in and send you off, indoor skydiving is an extreme sport requiring skill to participate safely.
You’ll need to undergo brief training on safety and procedures before you are allowed in the flight chamber.
The safety and training briefing covers a proper body position and how to communicate during the flight.
Pay attention to what’s being said during class, as this information will be useful.
Gearing up
You can wear your indoor skydiving gear when the safety and procedures briefing is out. This step should only take you a few minutes.
All the gear you need to fly in the vertical wind tunnel will be provided, including:
- Jumpsuit
- Helmet
- Goggles
- Gloves
After gearing up, your instructor will demonstrate the basic movements inside the vertical wind tunnel to ensure you are up to speed.
The Flight
Only after you’ve been briefed on safety and procedures and geared up can you be allowed to fly.
Once you enter the flight chamber, wind speed in the vertical wind tunnel will gradually increase until you and your instructor are airborne.
Remove gear
After you exit the flight chamber, you’ll need to remove the flight gear. But that doesn’t mean the end o of your indoor skydiving session.
You can also hang around to take pictures and watch everyone else when it’s their turn in the wind tunnel.
Embark on your indoor skydiving adventure fully equipped with the knowledge and practical tips offered in this comprehensive beginner’s guide.
How Long Is An Indoors Skydiving Session?
Now that you can picture what an indoor skydiving session entails, we can talk about how long a session takes.
This knowledge will help you know how much time to plan for your indoor skydiving experience.
The whole indoor skydiving experience, including safety and training briefings, lasts approximately one to one-and-a-half hours, depending on the indoor skydiving location.
What’s the Actual Flight Time?
If you are preparing for an indoor skydiving session, it’s common to have questions about the duration of the actual flight.
After all, your time in the wind tunnel is the most important part of the session and what brought you to the indoor skydiving center.
So, how much of the indoor skydiving session is the actual flight time? The time in the flight chamber is approximately 60 seconds, just a tiny fraction of the experience.
For perspective, you only get about 30 seconds of freefall when you jump out of a plane — before your parachute deploys.
Final Thoughts
Indoor skydiving helps you experience the sensation of freefall without climbing thousands of feet to jump out of a plane.
If you’re uncomfortable with heights, aircrafts, and parachutes, indoor skydiving is for you.
The indoor skydiving experience takes less than two hours and involves much less planning.
