Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/732891
68 michiganavemag.com PhotograPhy courtesy of ifly chicago (skydivers); courtesy of ifly rosemont (exterior) from left: Catching some air at iFly Lincoln Park; the company's Rosemont location. Jumping out of an airplane is so 2010: Welcome to indoor skydiving center iFly. air force Superhero wannabes can now channel Superman's faster-than-a-speeding- bullet powers at iFLY, a new indoor skydiving center that has taken over Chicago with three new locations in the past two years. The best part? There's no need to jump out of an airplane—in fact, there's no jumping involved at all. The towering, 14-foot-diame- ter glass flight chamber propels a breathtaking (literally) stream of air from beneath a grated floor to help achieve weightlessness. Fear not, first-time flyers: There's a short training session to review basic body positions and hand signals, and head-to-toe gear is required. Once inside the wind tunnel you need do nothing but "relax, keep loose, and let the airflow do its thing to keep you up," says Dave Janossy, GM of Lincoln Park iFly and a former US Air Force parachutist himself. A certified instructor acts as your in-flight anchor, making adjustments throughout and, depend- ing on your comfort level, even taking you for a few loops around the tunnel. iFLY is racking up frequent flyer miles from local skydivers, retired veterans, three-year- olds, the handicapped, and—particularly at its Lincoln Park location—the crucial Millennial demographic. "Adrenaline sports have never been easy to access in Chicago," says Janossy, "but we make it easy to have an amazing experience you'll never forget. Echoes company president and COO Matt Ryan, "iFLY and the Windy City were made for each other." iflyworld.com . "We make it easy to have an amazing experience you'll never forget." —dave janossy Scene buzz