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GMJ goes indoor skydiving at iFly Jacksonville during visit for 'Kids Free November'

With the purchase of an adult ticket, a child can try indoor skydiving for free this month.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Want to fly and save money? iFly Jacksonville is one of the businesses taking part in "Kids Free November."

With the purchase of an adult ticket, a child can try indoor skydiving for free this month. First Coast News's Renata Di Gregorio had to try it to compare it to her recent skydiving experience. General Manager Bob Ash says skydivers use the indoor skydiving to train.

"This all really started as an adjunct to skydiving and the first tunnels that were built were put out in skydiving facilities' drop zones, we call them," Ash said. "It was a way of training some of the things we do in the sky."

When you get to iFly, you sign a waiver, suit up, watch an instructional video and get a rundown from a flight instructor.

Di Gregorio flew right after eight-year-old Anthony Nickes, who says he's been flying for 38 days.

"It was kind of fun, crazy," Nickes said after his fly. "[I] try something new every single day."

Nickes went up high in the tunnel and maneuvered to touch different numbers on the inside of the wall.

Di Gregorio was helped by lead flight instructor Victoria Homner, who gave hand signals to straighten her legs, keep her chin up, or relax. In the second round, the two of them went up high in the tunnel, with Homner swirling Di Gregorio around.

Homner says Di Gregorio was flying around 98 miles per hour and Nickes was about 93 miles per hour.

Di Gregorio says the experience wasn't as scary to her as skydiving, but the indoor skydiving has the same effect of suspension and wind in your face. She says she can see how it would be helpful to train for skydiving.

"The tunnel really changed the whole sport because it allowed us to train some of these moves that you see in the sky repetitively in the tunnel over and over and over again until we get them really good," said Ash. It also really opened the door to flying in new ways, flying new styles, using the air differently than we ever thought about using it in the sky. And so some of the tunnel flyers, we now have a national competition and world championships."

During November, if you book an $84.99 two-flight package you will get a second two-flight package free for a child. Call 904-712-3388 to book and mention "Kids Free November." The offer is not valid on Saturdays.

See where else to find deals for "Kids Free November" here.

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