SPARK CREATORS WITH iFLY GOLD COAST

August 1 2023

IFLY GOLD COAST: UNVEILING THE THRILLING WORLD OF INDOOR SKYDIVING!

Get ready to dive into the exhilarating world of iFly Gold Coast as we go behind the scenes with our Spark Creators! Meet Mike Brigg, the Sales Manager at iFLY Gold Coast, who has been living his passion for skydiving since he was 16. From flying high to ensuring safety, discover what makes iFly Gold Coast the ultimate family-friendly adventure. Read on as Mike shares memorable experiences and exciting plans for the future, get inspired by the magic of flight and uncover the amazing world of iFly Gold Coast!

How long has iFly Gold Coast been operating for, and how long have you been involved?
iFLY Gold Coast has been operating since 2016, and our parent company has also been operating iFLY Gold Coast Downunder in Penrith since 2014. I moved to Australia to work at the Penrith location when it first opened, and transferred to the Gold Coast when the facility here opened.
What do you enjoy most about owning/managing/working at iFly Gold Coast?
I have been skydiving since I was 16, so to be able to fly regularly while at work is amazing. We work closely with the skydiving community by running events and supplying our instructors as coaches. So the cross over between one of my passions and my work is really satisfying. I never really feel like I’m selling, all I’m doing is talking about the sport I love, so it comes quite naturally. Also working in Surfers is great! I get to go for a swim in the ocean during my lunch breaks, even during the winter! Coming from the UK, this is quite an insane concept to me, and am yet to get bored of this amazing privilege!
What do kids love most about iFly Gold Coast?
They get to be a superhero for the day! Flying is such an amazing and unique feeling. It’s great to watch people take to it with ease and feel what it is like to fly your body in freefall, just like when we jump out of a plane. It’s incredible we get to introduce people to our world in a safe and controlled environment.
What makes iFly Gold Coast super family friendly?
We fly anyone from the age of 3. I personally have flown a 94-year-old lady, but there have been people even older than that flying in wind tunnels around the world! So, we can have everyone from the toddler in the family, to the great grandparents all enjoying the experience together! We pride ourselves on our accessibility too, so no matter what your abilities are, there is a very good chance we can teach you to fly!
How do you ensure the safety of your customers while they participate?
Our instructors are trained to the highest of standards set out be the International Body Flight Association. The course to become a level 1 instructor is usually around 4 weeks. The training is very thorough, and every 6 months our ratings expire, and we are all retrained by our onsite IBA Examiner to gain all our ratings back. There is a safety briefing as well for all customers before they fly so they know how to get the most out of the flying experience. When our 1^st timer customers fly, it is a 1-on-1 experience where the instructor is with you in the wind at all times. The wind flow itself is managed by another trained instructor, between those 2 instructors, and the design of the tunnel itself, our customers are always kept safely within reach of the instructor.
What sustainability initiatives do iFly have in place or have coming soon?
We’re looking into getting solar power.
Can you tell us about a particularly memorable experience you have had working with a customer or group?
Our all abilities nights are amazing. Watching people fly who never thought something like this was possible never gets old. But there is one customer I will always remember. I flew a first time flyer in Manchester who had no vision at all. His balance was amazing, as you would expect, so he was flying unassisted within seconds. I stayed close to him as he moved around the 14ft diameter flight chamber by himself with no instruction from me during the flight itself. He just picked it up straight away like he’d done it a million times. But the craziest thing is, I could see him reach out in front of him in anticipation of moving slowly towards the wall (We tell our customers to just reach out with their hand as they approach the glass wall that surrounds the flight chamber and to gently push off it). He could hear the walls coming! He was able to visualise in his mind the 14ft chamber he was flying in, and using his hearing and his body awareness was able to know almost exactly where he was in the tunnel at all times. I studied psychology at Uni, so have some basic knowledge about brain plasticity, but this was the first time I’d seen it so clearly in action! Mind blown.
What’s your favourite treat?
Watermelon and heavy metal music.
What’s your go-to kids’ gift?
An iFLY Gold Coast voucher – obviously.
What’s a cool/fun fact about iFly?
Our parent company is xReality Group. We don’t just do indoor skydiving. We also operate FREAK VR, Red Cartel, and through another brand called Operator, we are developing VR training tools for police and military around the world.