I discussed in another post about my sons birthdays and why he hasn’t had a party for years. This year he decided he would like a small party. We didn’t want to risk inviting lots of children, in fact there weren’t lots of children to invite, so we went with inviting Grandad and other close family members. We also invited one boy from his class at school who he has made friends with. This was the first time he has invited a non family member to his birthday for years. We decided to do an activity so it doesn’t matter if the friend didn’t come and after looking at a few options, he decided he really liked the idea of skydiving!
As a child I always dreamed I could fly so the idea of skydiving really appealed. I booked 26 flights at an Ifly indoor skydiving center, to be shared out amongst up to 13 people. My sons friend did come which was lovely so altogether there were ten of us flying.
When we arrived at Ifly we were checked in at the reception. We had previously filled in waivers online so just needed to sign on the screen. We were then sent upstairs to the viewing area to wait for our instructor.
The viewing area had tables and chairs and you could see the wind tunnel and watch people flying. We werent there long as we were called through into another room by our instructor.
The instructor introduced himself and then left us to watch an introductory video which explained what we were going to do, the position to be in and the hand signals that the instructor would use. The instructor came back at the end of the video to answer any questions and then took us through to the next room.
This room had lockers for belongings and was where we were given our flying suits, goggles, ear plugs and helmets. When we were ready we had a little bit of a wait but it was ok as we could watch the people before us flying and practice our flying positions. Before we knew it, it was our turn!
We were all taken into the tunnel to have a group photo taken and have a look and then we were sat in flight order on a bench just outside the tunnel door. It was time to fly!
Flying was amazing! It was incredible to lean into the door and be lifted off your feet. The instructor was really helpful and made us feel at ease. He gave hand signals to help us get into the right flying positions and successfully dodged our feet whilst making sure we didn’t crash into the walls! While we were flying we were having lots of photos taken.
We all had a turn at a one minute flight and then came the really exciting bit! We all had a go at doing a high fly, where the instructor span us up and down the whole tunnel, it was incredible! Everyone that had a go loved it and were really proud of themselves.
After our flights, we got changed and went back down to the reception area. Everyone was given a certificate to say they had flown and I was given a receipt with my order number so I could download all the pictures of our flying adventure.
My son had a brilliant birthday! My daughter asked if she could give up dancing and start skydiving instead and I now want to jump out of a plane!
Taking a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder to Ifly indoor skydiving?
To fly you need to be able to follow instructions. There is a video to sit through to learn what to do and afterwards the instructor will make sure you understood. There is also a table to practice the flying position.
The flight suits are quite rough on the inside. It may be more comfy to wear a hoodie underneath.
The tunnel is very loud and you need to wear ear plugs which are provided.
The goggles need to be tight and you have to wear a helmet.
There is some element of waiting and turn taking but watching other people fly is also entertaining.
There is a waiting area with comfy seats, tables and chairs where non flyers can watch.
Flights are one minute long.
There are toilets.
There are three IFly centers in the UK in Manchester, Milton Keynes and Basingstoke. You can book online or call 08453316549.
I received a reduced rate, high flys for each person and our photographs and videos in exchange for this review but all opinions are our own.
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