Miami can now learn to fly at iFLY in Mid River 

The following is sponsored content by iFLY Miami.

If a magic genie were to grant someone three wishes, the top choices would likely be unlimited funds,  world peace, and the ability to fly. While the first two might be a bit tough, the third wish is now closer to reality. 

Located in the heart of Miami in Mid River, iFLY Miami Indoor Skydiving offers guests the opportunity to learn to fly. Inside the corner building is a large wind tunnel that mimics what it feels like to jump out of a plane. The whole experience at iFLY takes about 60 to 90 minutes from beginning to end. You start off with registration and a flight safety class, where you learn the basics of flying. Next, you get fitted for your gear, and then it’s time to fly! 

The moment you step through the chamber — arms up and at the ready — is like passing through a magical threshold. All the worries of everyday life slip away as your mind focuses on one thing only: enjoying the thrilling moment of flying. It’s a feeling of pure joy, and it’s nearly impossible not to smile the entire time.

Time passes differently when you’re in the wind tunnel. While a minute or two on the ground flies by (pun intended), that same amount of time while flying feels so much longer. As your arms bend like a diamond and you work to keep your legs straight — but with a slight curve — it’s almost as if time stops. You’re floating and experiencing a feeling of weightlessness, and nothing else matters. 

New fliers are never left alone in the tunnel. Once you step in, an instructor is right there with you, holding tightly to your flight suit. The whole experience is safe and incredibly fun. 

The basic iFLY package includes two flights, each 60 seconds, with the option to add more time in the tunnel. The flights are generally split to accommodate multiple fliers in a group, and in between, instructors may get in the tunnel to show off their skills. Consider it a little mid-show entertainment. 

“It never gets old watching people fly here,” says Jimmy Marks, iFLY Miami’s chief executive officer and owner of this newest franchise location. His ocean-blue eyes light up as he looks over at his team showing off their flying skills. 

Marks describes the iFLY experience like doing a trust fall with the wind: “You just lean into it and the wind supports you. There’s nothing like it.” 

Flight enthusiasts, or those who partake in the sport of body flight, can use places like iFLY to practice their skills and master new tricks and techniques. 

“There’s an association that governs the sport of body flight, the International Body Flight Association,” notes Marks. “How it works is, everyone starts out learning how to fly on their belly, then they learn how to turn 360 degrees left and right, forwards and backwards, up and down, and after that, how to slide to the left and slide to the right.” 

iFLY Miami follows this same framework, and new fliers need to first conquer flying on their bellies before they can flip to their backs and learn other tricks. Marks encourages flying enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies alike to keep coming back to hone those skills. With practice, flyers will one day be able to fly on their own in the tunnel, and eventually with friends.

As the name suggests, iFLY is ideal for anyone interested in skydiving: The expertly engineered wind tunnel allows you to feel what it might be like to jump out of a plane. At iFLY, however, the experience is actually longer. “When a skydiver reaches terminal velocity — that’s what we’re doing here. It’s just we’re doing it for longer than you would be able to jump from a plane,” explains Marks. “Skydivers use iFLY as a training tool, because when you jump from a plane, it’s about 45 to 60 seconds of free fall before you have to pull your parachute. Here, you can experience that in the wind tunnel for longer.”

Whether you’re interested in skydiving or just looking for an activity to get the heart pumping, iFLY is the ideal family-friendly spot to take the kids during slow summer days. Kids as young as three can experience a flight, and parents can also get in on the fun. Plus, there’s the benefit of connecting it all to science, making it an educational family activity. 

Body flight itself is a science. It’s all about physics and aerodynamics and velocity. iFLY even has its own field trip program, with a full-time in-house educator who leads students through a STEM class. There’s an interactive lab activity and demonstration using the wind tunnel, all designed to help bring STEM principles to life. At the end of the class, students get to feel firsthand the power of aerodynamics in the wind tunnel. 

Marks says he feels particularly fulfilled when he sees a class of students come into iFLY, learn about STEM, and then get to fly for the first time. 

The commitment to science and education goes beyond the physical location in Mid River. iFLY Miami is currently part of the Extreme Sports: Beyond Human Limits exhibition at the Frost Science Museum. Contributions to the display include instructional videos with demonstrations on how to fly, a flight suit, and a large blade from the fan that powers the wind tunnel. “Visitors can really get a sense of the iFLY experience,” Marks says of the exhibit.