Have you ever dreamt of flying without wings? Or perhaps wanted to experience the exhilarating sport of skydiving, but never had the opportunity (or money) to travel overseas and do so? If the answer to these questions is a resounding yes, ladies and gentlemen, look no further than iFly Singapore – home to the “world’s first largest themed wind tunnel for indoor skydiving.”
Spanning 16.5 feet wide and 56.5 feet tall (or almost five storeys high), the state-of-the-art wind tunnel, comprising wall-to-wall airflow, multi overhead fans and other patented technologies, allows the production of a wide range of wind speeds, ensuring that all types of flyers, from first timers to seasoned professionals, are able to experience the indescribable exhilaration of a freefall simulation – all within a safe and controlled environment.
Since its opening in May 2011, iFly Singapore has truly put Singapore on the global map. Designed by and part of the SkyVenture Franchise, it is one of over 32 such tunnels in operation or under construction across the world. It has participated in numerous notable events to date, such as hosting the first Indoor Skydiving Championships in 2012, sending a Singaporean team to compete in various Bodyflight World Challenge, or taking part in the National Day Parade 2014, where it worked with the famous Red Lions from the Singapore Armed Forces to train Junior Red Lions within its facility.
iFly Singapore also boasts an impressive haul of 10 Guiness World Record titles under its belt, including the longest indoor freefall of four hours, 22 mins and 20 seconds, which is equivalent to falling from a height of 843,296 metres. To put that into perspective, that is equivalent to jumping from the summit of the highest mountain range, the Himalayas, over 95 times!
Due to its iconic status, iFly Singapore was recently awarded TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence for customer service, as well as being listed as one 50 must visit places in Singapore.
To celebrate these amazing achievements as well as the fifth anniversary of the iFly Singapore management and team, an anniversary dinner and charity fundraiser was held on Friday, 3rd of June 2016. Named the “Night of Sports”, the event aimed to raise funds for the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), which will in turn help provide disabled athletes with the necessary transportation, equipment, training and preparation to take part in local and overseas competitions. This would be done through a new Guiness World Record attempt for achieving the most number of tandem skydives, where a charity amount in cash and kind would be donated for each successful participant.
What made this event even more special was that two of Singapore’s golden para-athletes, swimmers Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh, were also part of the record-breaking attempt as well.
The ceremony and formalities ended with the cheque presentation by iFly Singapore to the President of the Singapore Disability Sports Council, Dr Teo Koh Sock Miang, for funds raised during the Guiness World record attempt earlier in the evening. A total of 130 individuals participated in the event, raising a total of S$38,870. This financial support would go a long way to funding the dreams of Singapore’s para-athletes in their quest to bring glory to the nation.
