Float like a butterfly in India’s first indoor skydiving arena

At Gravityzip, an indoor skydiving zone in Hyderabad, you can get an experience of what a free fall feels like

Arch your back, follow the instructors’ signals, relax your body and float. This is the summary of the brief instruction session before going into the ‘pit’ at Gravityzip in Gandipet, near CBIT. Built on less than an half acre of land, Gravityzip, slated to open by the third week of April, is touted as India’s first indoor skydiving wind tunnel. 

Wondering what that means? It enables you to experience the thrill of a free-fall from a plane or a parachute in a controlled environment: here, it is a wind tunnel that creates a smooth column of air, which one can ride on.

I get a sneak peek of the arena. At three meters, this tunnel’s height is above average. (The average height of a tunnel is two meters and in some countries, it goes up to five metres.) The wind speed, which varies from person to person, and is also influenced by time and weather), is maintained between 200 kilometer and 400 kilometer. The structure at Gravityzip is made of steel because concrete cannot withstand the load of two turbines, which run on 800-kilowatt power, along with the generator required to generate the wind speed. 

Before I dive in, instructors Toporkov Ilya and Kozlov Viktor at Gravityzip explain what I will experience: strong wind and noise with the joy of floating in the air. Upon seeing the petite instructors my main concern however, was whether the instructor and the wind would able to lift the less-than-petite me. Ilya, one of the expatriate trainers from Russia, also a professional skydiver, assures me that I will “float like a leaf”.  

Before slipping into an airtight jumpsuit, made of a combination of spandex, nylon and cotton, I am asked to remove jewellery, shoes and watch. Then I am given a lace-up shoe and helmet. With the helmet casually tucked under my arm, feeling like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, I enter the waiting tube.

Once I am in, Viktor, signals to the technicians, and the wind gains speed. On his signal, I fall facedown, with my back arched, hand up. I do so, and much to my surprise, just like that I am floating. After a bit of struggle to stay in one spot, and then go higher, I remember the last pro tip by the instructor—’relax and you will float.’

The feeling is difficult to describe. It’s almost like diving into the ocean. The roar of the tunnel reminds me of the sound of a powerful waterfall during the monsoon. I feel the wind rushing past my bare palms it is strong and cold but not chilling. Then I rise up in a smooth swirl and drop down gently, still floating, when it is time to exit the tunnel, it is with the help of the instructors inside.