iFly add VR headsets to indoor skydiving

Giorgio SaviniThe West Australian
VideoiFly has introduced virtual reality headsets you can wear while you fly suspended in their wind tunnels.

The Swiss Alps just got a whole lot closer.

For those that might not be game enough to jump out of an aeroplane at 14,000 feet, you can now experience the thrill of skydiving through a virtual reality (VR) headset.

The concept, which is new to Australia, has been picked up by iFly, the country’s largest indoor skydiving facility and brings you closer to the real thing when you jump into their wind tunnel.

iFly in Rivervale rolled out the new product to WA customers in time for the holidays.

“We have been waiting for the technology to become advanced enough that the experience replicates the skydiving experience perfectly, we are very excited with our new product,” Indoor Skydiving Australia Group national marketing manager Cheryl Dawson said.

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Thrill seekers swap the regular safety helmet for a specially designed one that holds a smartphone VR system that plays a point-of-view video of what a skydiver sees when they plummet towards the earth.

So rather than staring down the wind tunnel, jumpers are fully immersed into the 360 degree views of either Hawaii, Southern California or the Swiss Alps.

Instructors can also see what you’re seeing on the headset on a nearby screen, so when the skydiver in the footage jumps from the plane, they push you out into the tunnel, creating a very real falling sensation.

Once you’re airborne, instructors will hold you in place and make sure you don’t hit the walls since you’re technically flying blind with the headset on.

“While you are in the safety of our wind tunnel, you will be watching mountains and even other skydivers fly by from 14,000 feet. It’s really quite incredible,” Dawson said.

The VR experience is safe and available for anyone over the age of eight.

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