iFly Basingstoke Review – Indoor Skydiving Experience

iFly Basingstoke Review: An indoor skydive has been on our family travel bucket list since the beginning of the year. It also featured as one of the great activities on my 40 before 40 list. So we were thrilled when we had the chance to try indoor skydiving in Basingstoke.

iFly Review

When we visited the boys were aged seven and three. Although this post has been updated since then with the most recent update being made in July 2024. Our tickets were not brought directly from iFly instead they were a present from a well-known gift company. We. had been given a family ticket which included one flight and flight certificate.

Booking our iFly Skydive

There are now four locations across the county where you can book an indoor skydiving experience, these are Manchester, Milton Keynes, Basingstoke and a new London venue at The O2. We opted to visit the iFly Basingstoke since it was the closest to us. Booking was a little tricky as we wanted a weekend date which meant our time slots were restricted to before 11 am as we had vouchers from Buyagift.com. However, the staff were very helpful on the phone since we wanted to also accommodate a group of friends on our dream of flight.

Where is iFly’s Basingstoke centre located?

iFly Basingstoke is located in Basingstoke Leisure Park. From junction 6 on the M3 follow signs towards Newbury around the ring road until you reach the Thornycroft Roundabout. Take the first exit onto Churchill Way West continue up to and all the way round the next roundabout and follow signs for The Leisure Park. It is approximately 3 km from Basingstoke town centre. You can use the address iFLY Indoor Skydiving, Basingstoke Leisure Park, Euskirchen Way, Basingstoke RG 22 6PG.

Opening hours or flight hours vary slightly depending on the day of the week but run from 8 am up to 10 pm.

Arriving at iFly Basingstoke

You need to arrive an hour earlier than your flight time to fill in the consent forms, get kitted up and complete briefing. We watched a pre-flight safety demo video before donning a flight suit, goggles, earplugs and helmets. By this time Charlie was bouncing off the walls with excitement at the thrill of indoor skydiving and could not wait to try it for the first time. 

What age is Skydive Basingstoke suitable for?

We also took Harry along to the indoor skydiving centre at the time of our first visit he was three years old and he could have had a go. But we had made the decision he was too young. I stand by this and would probably say Charlie at seven is probably the youngest I would recommend this experience for. Even with Charlie’s adrenalin seeker nature, he was a little worried initially.

However, Harry was in sobs when he realised we were going into the vertical wind tunnel. The instructor was very patient with the situation and we were allowed to swap out adults to look after him and keep him calm.

Our iFly Experience

Once it was our turn we went into a sealed chamber with the rest of the flyers. This runs alongside the tunnel and means you can watch all the flights. During the video, we were taught hand signals. Which the instructor used to make sure we got in the neutral flying position. This means the vertical wind tunnels are suitable for flyers of all abilities.

Initially, it is a bit of a leap of faith as part of you expects to end up on the floor as you step into the super-cool wind tunnel. There is definitely a knack and Charlie got it almost instantly. I was very impressed with him since he totally conquered his fear. Although he did make me go first! 

It is difficult to describe the unforgettable sensation of flying since you are only in the tunnel for about around a minute but it is an amazing sensation. It is very noisy as the wind rushes around you. The instructor makes sure you do not get too close to the sides of the tunnel. I did drift up quite a bit so he used his body weight to keep me lower in the tunnel. I was desperately trying to smile at the camera! Since they also record the whole thing for you. You do get a massive adrenaline rush afterwards and it is one of the most fun things we have done.

Extra Flights & Photos

You only get one flight with the voucher we had. But once you are there it is also possible to pay a little extra for another (£14). If you book directly then you can opt for the indoor skydiving experience – 2 flights. Which is the cheapest option from £49.99 per person and includes a flight time equivalent to free-fall time of three real skydives.

While we were there you could also choose to be taken up to the top of the tunnel in a whirly motion by the instructor (£7) each. Then you were left to come back down yourself, un free-fall conditions. However, this is dependent on timing and the number of people in the group and is dependent on the flying time of everyone else. It may be worth enquiring if this is possible at the time of booking.

We did not have an adult that wasn’t Harry sitting so we could not capture our own photos. As everything is locked away including jewellery and wedding rings. There is a viewing area where a family member can take photos so this is something that we would do next time. At the end of our session, we had the opportunity to buy photos and videos taken through all the sessions. We paid £35 for a family photo pass which gave us all the media of up to five people.

iFly Basingstoke Indoor Skydiving – Tickets Update

Since we visited iFly Basingstoke has added virtual gameplay to the experience. You can select a ticket that will allow you to take part in a ride of a lifetime with a VR headset on. Not only do you experience the exhilaration of flying. But you also get the chance to fly over a virtual mountainous world, with prices starting at £99.99. More information and booking can be found on iFly Basingstoke’s website. It is also worth keeping an eye on the site for special offers. They quite often do one where kids fly for free with an adult. 

It was such a fun experience, Charlie had a brilliant time and is very keen to do it again. Just be aware that there are several additional charges. ut as a bucket list item, it would make a great Christmas gift experience.

I hope you have enjoyed our iFly Basingstoke Review, have you ever had indoor skydiving lessons? Please let me know about your experiences in the comments below.

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