iFly Montreal | To fly like a bird

Have you always dreamed of skydiving, but the idea of ​​jumping out of a plane dampens your enthusiasm? The new virtual reality experience offered at iFly Montreal could well satisfy your need for adrenaline. Accompanied by two children aged 7 and 9, our journalist experienced her first flights in free fall. Prints.

Veronique Larocque

The Press

“It’s sick! Stupid! Really trippy! Those few words scribbled in our notebook as we exited the skydiving simulator were repeated over and over again on the ride home. As if our young testers and ourselves could not assimilate the experience we had just had. “It was so cool”, proclaimed in chorus Violette, 9 years old, and Sarah-Ève, 7 years old.

The indoor skydiving flights offered at iFly Montreal have intrigued us since the opening of the facilities in Laval, in 2009, under the name of SkyVenture Montreal. An activity that we had put on our list of things to try one day.

Back in the past, a few minutes to live the experience. Excitement turns to worry. What if we can’t fly? ” It happens sometimes ? we ask, slightly anxious, to Jean-Christophe Ouimet. “No, answers the director of iFly Montreal, our instructor for the day. Of course, the progression is different from person to person. But, for real, it’s not that hard. The key is to be relaxed. »

“Relax…” we repeat, doubting our ability to relax.

But it’s such an important guideline that it’s one of the few things the instructor teaches participants before they enter the powerful (and noisy!) vertical wind tunnel. Relaxing, stretching or bending the legs, lifting or lowering the head, extending the arms are the indications we will need to fly today.

After donning red jumpsuits, helmets and earplugs, our trio is ready to experience their first freefall simulation. A vote, the result of which we are still contesting, determines that the oldest will start first.

To our surprise, we adopt the flight position quite easily. Guided by Jean-Christophe Ouimet, we even quickly felt… relaxed. The flight is in no way terrifying. It’s quite exhilarating, as evidenced by our smiles and laughter throughout the activity.

It is not necessary to be in great physical shape to live the experience. “The range of customers is really very wide,” says Jean-Christophe Ouimet. From 3 to… 94 years old, the age of the oldest client welcomed in Laval.

above the mountains

After a few basic flights lasting one to two minutes, the time has come to try the novelty: virtual reality. “In the wind tunnel, we have the same position as we have in free fall. We do the same maneuvers. We have the same feeling. With the visual, it really adds a layer to the simulation,” explains the facilities manager, who often receives professional skydivers.

Seven videos are offered as part of the iFly 360 VR experience. For example, it is possible to fly over snow-capped mountains, a canyon or the sea like a wingsuit flight (wingsuit).

We never parachuted, unlike our instructor who did about 4000 outings, but we really enjoyed the virtual reality experience. Flying over a waterfall like a bird without experiencing the anxiety of jumping into the void is great! This last flight was also the favorite of our two young testers.

For our part, we preferred the times when our instructor had us hover higher in the wind tunnel and then back down. The adrenaline rush felt was energizing.

A whole sport

“It’s not just a thing to check off his bucket list », says Jean-Christophe Ouimet, about the iFly experience. A phrase that makes us smile thinking about our own list.

“Flying on the belly is the base. But you can fly on your back, upside down. There is a lot of business to learn. It’s more than just something to try. It really is a sport,” he continues.

A sport, the body flightwhich he masters perfectly, he who has already been Canadian champion in the discipline of Dynamic 2 Way.

At the end of the session, he gives us an impressive demonstration of his know-how. He whirls through the air before soaring like a superhero and flying upside down.

To reach this level, we will need a lot of hours of training. A challenge that seems to please Sarah-Eve, however, who would like to come back “millions of times”.

Different packages allow you to live the iFly 360 VR experience, which is intended for people aged 6 and over. Fares start at $89.95 for three flights, including one with virtual reality.