Sunday, September 2, 2007

iFLy @ iflysfbay.com ~ Union City, CA


Awesome Saturday! I've always wanted to skydive but, it's just too expensive. $185 is the cheapest I can find and it's normally between $250-300. And all you get is a 60-90 seconds drop and about 20 minutes air drift after you put up the parachute. I figured that it's better to first try ifly (indoor skydiving) just to see how it feels and maybe learn a thing or two before doing the real thing. And I was right, keeping yourself stable and well coordinated is not as easy as it looks. I can't keep myself in the middle of the wind tunnel. I was trying to hold the position together and balanced but there's just not enough time to make it work. I got my hands even but I can't see if my feet are even since I have to keep my chin up and my back arch. The wind is just pushing me everywhere and it's hard to maneuver when I'm wobbling and my feet and arms are not working together. Man, I wonder how it feels to be that stable. Overall, it was a great experience though. I met couple of skydivers who also work at Byron skydiving, which I've been eyeing for the last few months. They have a certification course that cost about $1500 but, you get to be a skydiving pro. It's a set of 8 programs. Then, once you're certified, each jump will cost between $20-40 depending on elevation. So, yeah, this can be an expensive hobby but, I think there's a way on cutting down the cost with a good network of people. Also, there's this man I met from Napa, Nerio, who is offering a pilot mentorship program (just have to share jetfuel cost) and maybe he can give me a cheaper lift someday...

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