This article first appeared in My Travelogue by Bhushavali
ONE OF THE BEST ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES TO DO IN BELGIUM WITH KIDS
Celebrating my birthday at Airspace Indoor Skydiving Charleroi
Readers of my blog, know about my daughter Atyudarini. She's still too young
to do
skydiving at SkydiveSpa. However, whenever she sees our
video of skydiving, she gets super excited. So I really wanted to get her started on it. So,
why not indoor skydiving?!
WHAT IS INDOOR SKYDIVING? HOW DOES INDOOR SKYDIVING WORK?
Indoor Skydiving happens inside a vertical wind tunnel. Basically, you're
standing on a mesh. From underneath the mesh, the wind blows at high speed.
There's no visible fan but the wind comes in through slots on the sides. The
speed of the wind is continuously controlled by the staff seated just beside
the tunnel who are continuously supervising the tunnel and reading the cues of
the pro-diver (instructor). There is a huge display inside the tunnel that
mentions the wind speed in km/h as well as the ambient temperature in °C,
and the time left on that particular flight.
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INDOOR SKYDIVING EXPERIENCE AT AIRSPACE CHARLEROI
As soon as we went in, our names were checked out by the receptionist and the
package we selected was entered into the system. A group has about 10-12
people makes up a batch under one instructor. The first step is, of course, a
safety brief. The signs that the instructor might use during the flight are
explained and very soon, it is time to get ready.
We had to store away all the belongings in the locker and wear the overalls.
Then, the helmet, earplugs, and glasses are given and you're ready to fly! The
instructor takes you inside the wind tunnel's corridor and immediately I
realized the need for earplugs; the sound of the wind is so much! We were
seated on a bench in the corridor. The number mentioned on the helmet is
important because that's what is connected to your name, your fly package,
your photography package, etc. Then one by one we go into the wind tunnel.
At the door of the wind tunnel, you just have to fall face forward into the
tunnel! Thanks to the wind, you won't fall, but begin to float! The wind speed
is very gradually increased. Don't worry, you will not suddenly go to the
ceiling, you'll float just at about 5 feet above the mesh. Since the wind
speed is constantly monitored and adjusted, no matter what your weight is,
you're still gonna be floating at about 5 feet.
As soon as I went in, I tried to 'fall' down but I was a bit too away from the
door and I wasn't really falling. But my instructor, Mr. Cedric Hoex pulled me
in and soon I was floating. It is a bit different from actual sky diving
primarily because of the wind noise (and of course the view from atop!). While
floating, Cedric pulled me from one side to another and twisted & turned
me around. When my foot touched the glass wall, I pushed on it to fly ahead!
The diameter of the wind tunnel is not much, so you're going to constantly
going to go round & round.
Soon it was time to reduce the speed of wind, so I was almost, but not,
touching the mesh! Then Cedric told me to turn my wrists to point downwards.
With that action, I was 'arresting' the wind and thereby gaining altitude.
Then Cedric told me to turn my wrists to point upwards. With that, I was
letting the wind go and thereby losing altitude! Well, I actually felt like a
bird! Learning how to 'navigate' while floating in the air!!! This was a super
cool experience.
After flying for 60, 90, or 120 seconds (as in the package that you choose),
the wind speed is reduced greatly, and you're back down again. At this point,
you can also try to get to your feet, against the wind and walk out!!! That
was another interesting experience: As I walked out of the wind tunnel, the
sudden feeling of gravity was quite an amusing feeling.
I was back on the bench and after the rest of the people in my group finished
this first flight, it was time for my 2nd flight. Yes, every participant gets
to do it twice! I had opted for the HighFly option in my package.
That means, at the end of the 2nd flight, the instructor held me, and the wind
speed was greatly increased so we went to the topmost part of the tunnel.
Then, the wind speed was suddenly reduced making you fall - that's the true
Skydiving effect! You are not only so high up but also swirl round and round
as you fall! When you reach about 5' height wind speed is maxed suddenly and
you're shot up and then again you're falling down and again up and again down!
That's thrice, flying up & falling down while swirling! That's one awesome
feeling, absolutely fantabulous!
CAN KIDS DO INDOOR SKYDIVING AT AIRSPACE CHARLEROI?
Yes! Children above 4 years of age can do Indoor Skydiving at Airspace
Charleroi and that's the very reason we chose to go there with Atyudarini.
To begin with, they get to choose their gear and that could range from
simple green or pink or Spiderman or Superman or a few more!!! Atyudarini
chose the plain pink suit. Kids are, of course, given a helmet of their
size!
As I mentioned above, the wind speed is continuously supervised &
controlled; so when it was Atyudarini's turn, Cedric Hoex put his arm
around Atyudarini, holding her, while the wind speed was reduced greatly by
the staff outside. Atyudarini was gently floating in the wind. I could see
that it was more fun for Atyudarini than for us! Why? Because there was such
much space for her to float around. Cedric even made her do somersault
mid-air! Cedric pulled her from one arm to another arm while she was
floating. Her body was perfectly banana-shaped with a backward bend. Again I
tell you, the wind tunnel is soooo much more fun for kids than adults!
I was doubtful about how she'd react to it, so I hadn't booked for the
Highfly option for Atyudarini. I told the receptionist & instructor that
we could decide once Atyudarini was inside the tunnel and if she'd like the
activity at all. She did very much and she had so much fun flying that
Highfly was later added on to her too and she too did the whole going up
& falling down thrice!!! She absolutely loved it too!!!
WHICH TYPE OF INDOOR SKYDIVE PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Whether you choose a package with or without photography in the main section
of the website, you'll still have the option to add photos/videos before
check-out. It is possible to take either photo or video or both. There are 2
video cameras (one above and one below) inside the tunnel and 1 photo camera.
The whole flight is recorded by the video cameras and the instructor points
you to the photo camera for the perfect shots of you flying mid-air.
That said, the tunnel is transparent glass and it is possible for visitors to
take photos/videos themselves. If you're going with someone who isn't flying
they could take photos/videos too, but it won't be as perfectly focused as the
official photos, because those are inside the tunnel.
It is not allowed for flyers to carry any gadgets on them. You'll be packing
them away in lockers. So even if you have your own GoPro, you'll not be able
to fly with it!
WHAT TO EAT AT AIRSPACE INDOOR SKYDIVING CHARLEROI
There is a little eatery inside Airspace Indoor Skydiving. That said, you're
just beside Charleroi Airport and there are quite many places to eat inside
the airport!
TIPS FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE AT AIRSPACE INDOOR SKYDIVING CHARLEROI
1. If you're taking kids, make sure to show them a couple of videos of what it
is and what to expect during an Indoor Skydiving experience.
2. Don't eat too much or things that might make your stomach feel funny!
Here's the thing, in actual skydiving, if you vomit or sh*t yourself, the
whole sky is available to deal with it. But here, if someone vomits inside the
wind tunnel it pretty much spoils it for the upcoming set of people. As I
mentioned in an earlier point, Indoor skydiving is very mild and you will not
feel scared or definitely will not faint. The instructor can keep the wind
speed mild if communicate your fear.
3. If you have long hair try to fix it as a bun or at least a ponytail,
otherwise your hair covers your face & eyes in the wind!!!
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I was filled with immense joy when I saw this on their display board!
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...with our Flight Instructor Mr. Cedric Hoex
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WHAT INDOOR FLYING PACKAGE SHOULD YOU CHOOSE AT AIRSPACE CHARLEROI?
There are various packages at Airspace Indoor Skydiving Charleroi. The 3
packages for adults are Discovery Pack, Advanced Pack, and Xperience Pack.
Everything is similar in all 3 except for the time you keep afloat in the
wind tunnel - The Discovery pack has 2 flights of 60 secs each;
the Advanced pack has 2 flights of 90 secs each;
the Xperience pack has 2 flights of 120 secs each. The Discovery Plus
pack is the same as Discovery Pack but with photos & videos included in
the pack itself. It doesn't matter because you can anyways add one later on
on the next page, no matter which pack you choose.
Kids have 3 package options - Kids Pack, Kids Xperience, and Fly Like a Pro
Child. Everything is similar in these 2 packs too like the adult packages.
Kids Pack
has 2 flights of 60 secs each and Kids Xperience pack has 2 flights
of 120 secs each. Fly Like a Pro Child pack is special with 5 flights
of 120 secs each!
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST FOR INDOOR SKYDIVING AT AIRSPACE CHARLEROI?
Packages for adults (13yrs & above):
Discovery Pack - €59
Advanced Pack - €79
Xperience Pack - €99
Packages for kids (4-12 yrs old):
Kids Pack - €49
Kids Xperience Pack - €89
Fly Like a Pro Pack - €150
Add-ons on all packages
Photo & Video - €15
Highfly - €10
HOW TO BOOK AIRSPACE INDOOR SKYDIVING CHARLEROI?
Booking can be done online through the official website of Airspace Indoor Skydiving Charleroi.
WHICH TIME SLOT SHOULD YOU BOOK IK IF YOU DEPEND ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT?
Unlike actual skydiving, Indoor skydiving is entirely indoors, in a manually
controlled space. So whether the weather is rainy or windy or sunny doesn't
matter, Airspace indoor skydiving will definitely happen (except in case of
extreme weather with an orange or red warning)! So book the timeslot as you
prefer.
Located very close to Charleroi Airport, look into Google Maps (or Flibco if
you're using it) to calculate the time to reach there. If you take public transport or Flibco - add about
30-45 mins to it! More on that below. in the 'How to reach Airspace Indoor
Skydiving' section.
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HOW TO REACH AIRSPACE INDOOR SKYDIVING CHARLEROI FROM BRUSSELS?
Read carefully if you depend on public transport!
Located just beside Charleroi (CRL) Airport it can be reached by any mode of
transport that goes to the airport. While taking the Flibco is the direct bus
from Brussels option, we opted to go by train to Charleroi Central (prev.
Charleroi Sud) and take the LeTEC Bus Route A to the Charleroi Airport. Here's
the tricky part that you should know.
While 'technically' Airspace Indoor Skydiving is located just 450m (5 mins
walk) from the Charleroi Airport bus stop (which is right in front of the
Terminal), the Charleroi Airport secured perimeter begins about 1.5km from the
bus stop inside the airport. It means you cannot walk across the street to
your destination from the Airport bus stop, even though it is pretty much in
front of you. There is a high, secured fence between the bus stop and the
street you need to take, to go to the Airspace Indoor Skydiving
Charleroi.
The only 'proper' way is to walk back that 1.5km to the starting point of the
secured perimeter of Charleroi Airport (close to Parking 4) and walk another
1.3km in the street that's pretty much parallel to the street you just walked
(via Ibis Budget)! So, be prepared to walk that 2.8km (30 mins walk) extra, if
you take a bus (may it be from Brussels or Charleroi Central). You have to
count on this time taken when you book your timeslot at Airspace Indoor
Skydiving Charleroi.
There's another way too, in which you walk just 1.2km. This is to walk further
away to the back of the airport (the route in which the buses go out). In 400m
(4 mins walk) you'll reach the back exit revolving door which may or may not
be open! If it is open, well and good, go out. If it is not open, wait...
Buses go out through this gate every 20 mins, so when the gate opens for the
bus, use the opportunity to get out! Airspace Indoor Skydiving Charleroi is
800m (9 mins walk) away from this gate. This is perhaps the
easiest & best option to reach Airspace Indoor Skydiving Charleroi.
Here are 2 things you could do as well...
1. You could 'request' the bus driver to stop just at Ransart Cimetiere, the
bus stop just before the bus enters the secured perimeter. This bus stop is
technically not served by LeTEC Bus Route A or Flibco Airport shuttle. But
you could tell them that you're going to Airspace Indoor Skydiving and not
the Airport itself and the driver 'might' stop for you. A very big 'might'
it is, which is entirely the driver's discretion.
2. If you're coming by train, you could hire a taxi from Charleroi Central
(prev. Charleroi Sud) to go to Airspace Indoor Skydiving directly. This
isn't economical, but a viable option if you cannot or don't want to walk
the distance and you're going on a weekend.
That said, there is a way to directly reach Airspace Indoor Skydiving
Charleroi by public transport. Take LeTEC bus Route 68 from Charleroi
Central (prev. Charleroi Sud) railway station and get off the bus at Gosselies
Bolland. This is just 650m (7 mins walk) from Airspace Indoor Skydiving
Charleroi However, this bus doesn't run on Sundays and there are only 4 buses
that run on Saturdays. So, keep a tab on the timings.
MAKE IT A WEEKEND TRIP TO CHARLEROI
Photo credits: All photos inside the tunnel were taken by Airspace Charleroi
What a fun experience and something a little unique too. I've never tried something like this but it would be cool to know how it feels to be suspended in mid air. Good tip on not eating before trying this, I have a sensible stomach! Your daughter was so good! And she looked cute in her kit.
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to do this! I'm too scared of heights to actually skydive from a plane but indoor skydiving looks so much fun! Airspace Charleroi looks like a great choice but I'm slightly embarassed that so many people watch you while you do it! But the actual activity sounds less scary than I thought, with how they increase the wind speed gradually. I like that the instructor helps you manoevre too so you can experience different sensations.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I did over 150 skydives. And then I got tired of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. But I do miss the experience. So I have wanted to try an indoor skydiving experience. So fun that you got to do this at Airspace Charleroi. I love that you learned some technique to help you “fly” in the wind. And that you got to take your daughter too. What a great family experience. Linda (LD Holland)
ReplyDeleteFunnily I have not been able to try this out... Though I really wanted to in Dubai. Your post makes me so envious as it does seem like a great experience. And a skill to be developed too. Just 5 feet is not too bad and maybe that will encourage me to try the real thing later in life. Am surprised even kids are allowed in... Clearly shows that it must be safe
ReplyDeleteThis looks like so much fun! I have thought about doing this indoor skydiving experience myself quite a few times, as there used to be a centre close to where I previously lived. But somehow I never found the time to go there and now I regret it. The feeling like a bird feeling must be so awesome. Interesting that you have to get inside the tube by "falling" forward. It's great that the instructor is there to make sure that you have a perfectly safe experience. The fly high package must be thrilling as well!
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered about the experience of indoor skydiving. You pretty much answered all my unvoiced questions. It looks like so much fun for you and Atyudarini. I had no idea someone is guiding the experience. I think I feel a lot safer learning this. I just might finally do it the next time I come across this offer. Thanks for sharing your experience.
ReplyDeleteA great alternative for anyone with a fear of heights would be indoor skydiving! This activity seems like it would be fun for everyone. I adore that children may participate in this experience as well. Thanks for posting the prices. Much appreciated for future reference.
ReplyDeleteA great alternative for anyone with a fear of heights would be indoor skydiving! This activity seems like it would be fun for everyone. I adore that children may participate in this experience as well. Thanks for posting the prices. Much appreciated for future reference.
ReplyDeleteMany of my friends have tried indoor skydiving and they all loved it. It is cool that they can also have kids do it. I am not sure if my girls would want to try, they seem to be nervous about these kinds of things, but I sure would. All though I think I would worry I would start feeling ill with the spinning. I think real skydiving is not for me but this could definitely be!
ReplyDeleteThe indoor skydiving looks like a fun experience for kids and adults especially if you want to have an experience similar to outdoor skydiving but you're scared to do so. It's nice that the Airspace indoor skydiving are a has different packages for visitors and you can even extend the time of flying if you like. It's nice to know how the instructor guides you through the experience inside the glass tunnel and you can control the altitude by turning your wrists.I think this is something I would love to try.
ReplyDelete