If you fancy the idea of skydiving but can’t bring yourself to actually jump out of a plane or if, like us, you’ve always dreamed of flying, don’t worry there is a solution – the Spacewalk indoor skydiving facility at the Abu Dhabi Country Club.
Here at Abu Dhabi Week, we’re always on the lookout for new and exciting things to do in the capital so we decided we just had to give this a go.
Pulling through the gates of the country club, it’s immediately obvious where we need to be heading – there is a tall circular tower just ahead of us with five huge fans at the bottom.
Entering the lobby of the adjoining building a little nervously, we are met by the stocky KK, our instructor for the day, who immediately puts us at ease as he digs out a flying suit and leads us to the briefing room.
We are shown a short instructional video and then KK talks us through some basic hand signals and safety precautions before using a bench to show us the position we will need to adopt in the tunnel. Then it’s into the lift and up to the flight deck, where we get our first glimpse of the inside of the tower.
The flight chamber itself is surrounded by circular Plexiglas walls with two small doorways for entry and exit, as well as a small control room that controls the 875-horsepower fan system that can apparently generate freefall-speed winds up to 160kph. KK hands us a set of earplugs and some goggles before giving us some quick instructions about how to launch ourselves into the room.
It’s time for us to have a go.
Standing in the doorway with our arms tight to our chest and hands just under our chin, we lean forward into chamber and the wind immediately begins to lift us upwards – we’re flying!
Initially, KK is gently supporting us to make sure we don’t bounce off the walls as we become accustomed to the powerful fans and the amazing feeling of virtual weightlessness, but after a few seconds he lets go and we’re in complete control – well, sort of!
It’s surprising how easy it is to balance yourself on the windflow and pretty soon we’re floating around the room – the slightest movement of our arms and legs controlling our rotation and elevation. Getting a little bit ahead of ourselves, we decide to try a spin but it’s obvious that we haven’t quite mastered the technique as we come crashing to the ground. The flight chamber has a trampoline-like floor made from super-strong aircraft cable so there’s no danger of us actually hurting anything – apart from our pride, of course.
Helping us outside, KK explains where we went wrong and what we can do to improve our positioning and stability. Then it’s time for us to have another go.
Second time around and KK’s tips have really helped - we seem to have much more control and we even manage a couple of tentative spins. Getting a big thumbs up from our instructor, the second flight is over before we know it and we manage to float unaided to the exit.
As we remove our earplugs and goggles, KK decides to give us a little demonstration of how it should be done. Standing on a bench outside the chamber, he dives headfirst through the doorway and shoots almost twenty feet into the air. He then proceeds to run around the outside walls as he descends before effortlessly going into an upside-down spin, his head barely inches above the floor. He pulls off a few more stunts and somersaults, then flies through the exit door with a huge grin on his face – it’s obvious where he spends most of his spare time!
With our feet safely back on terra firma, we leave Spacewalk feeling exhilarated and with a spring in our step. It’s been an amazing experience and we’re already planning our next visit – maybe you should too.
Jon Muller
What? Spacewalk Indoor Skydiving
Where? Abu Dhabi Country Club
Cost: AED 180 for Intro Flight Ticket – includes training session, use of all flight gear, two flights (one minute each) and one-on-one personal assistance from instructor.
We say: Spread your wings and fly!
Contact: 02 657 7601
