iFLY in Scottsdale: a Fun Date Night or Family Experience
I have the pleasure of seeing a genuine smile on my husband’s face every day. The smile he has when he sees his children. Tonight, I saw the inner child in him smile – that cheesy, having the time of your life grin from ear to ear.
We celebrated Valentine’s Day by skydiving at iFLY. What’s more romantic than an extreme sport?
We arrived at iFLY a few minutes early to look around and watch some flyers ahead of us. As our flight time approached, we met our instructor, Raleigh, who gave us the introduction. We got our flight suits on and went in to flight school. In flight school we learned the hand signals to communicate with the instructor in the flight tunnel and the basic overview of the process. I have to admit that I got a little nervous when the instructor said “slow movements”. I thought about keeping up with my kids and moving fast. Slow would be an adjustment.
After class ended we went to get our flight accessories, ear plugs, goggles and helmet. Then it was time to fly! You go to the door of the tunnel and lean in, the air takes over and you fly! No, seriously you fly! The instructor is there to guide you, keep you from crashing into anything, but once you are set, you just free fly. I honestly thought that Raleigh would be holding me and preventing me from flying into the walls or crashing to the bottom the whole time. I was very impressed with myself when I managed to do it alone! Little, slow movements is all it takes. After the flight you can go over and watch a TV that is streaming a delayed video of the tunnel so you can see yourself fly.
During the second flight we were given the option to go up high with the instructor for a additional cost. Um, yes please! I was actually managing to fly pretty high on my own, although I am not exactly sure how it happened, so I almost didn’t notice that the instructor had grabbed on until we got really high.
After the flight you remove your flight gear and meet with the instructor to go over your flight. I got rave reviews, as did my husband. No surprise there. Raleigh made us each certificates for completing our flight. We paid for our flight and upgrade to flying higher. There are kiosks all around that you can watch a clip of your video and see your pictures while you are there. You have the option to purchase them there, or go online and they are available for 12 days after your flight. My husband and I hung our certificates on the fridge next to the kids art.
Who Can Fly?
People of all ages and abilities can fly. Seriously, starting at age 3! We had the pleasure of flying with an 8 year old who had flown once before and was amazing. There was a family with teenagers flying in the group before us and those kids looked very happy showing off their new skill. They say kids 3 and up. I would say wait until your kids are old enough to understand that they need to hold still and follow the instructor’s guides. However, I can also easily see little ones having a fun time while the instructor hangs on to them in the tunnel.
iFLY in Scottsdale is open for date nights and family experiences, also offering Fly School for kids ages 4 to 16. The schedule for the week we were there was Monday and Wednesday evening and Saturday morning. Birthday party packages (for kids of all ages), corporate events, social outings and even buyouts where you can have private lessons.
Before You Go
Fill out your waiver ahead of time here to save time. Also you cannot wear jewelry, so even those wedding rings have to come off. There is a free locker provided that can fit your wallet, keys, etc. Also, if you have long hair our instructor suggested braiding or tight bun below helmet line. Turns out, I do not know how to braid hair very well.
Sweep your loved one off their feet with this special “Love Is In The Air” package and celebrate your most unique Valentine’s Day date in the tunnel of love. Love Is In The Air Flight package includes flights for two people, two videos, special flight gear, one-on-one flight instruction and a personalized flight certificate. Flights must be purchased and flown between February 7th and February 23rd. Learn more here!
iFLY
9206 Talking Stick Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
(480) 712-4359
iFLY is next to a whole host of fun activities for families! Some of our favorites are KTR Action Sports, the Arizona Boardwalk (formally called Odysea in the Desert), Medieval Times, and the Great Wolf Lodge.
