Inside Business, which reports out of the Hamptons, reported on an exciting skydiving competition happening in Virginia Beach. iFly Virginia Beach is going to be hosting the very first indoor skydiving competition happening in the United States. While most skydiving competitions happen outside, this one is going to go outside of the box and do something a little different. Breaking the boundaries of skydiving as only occurring outdoors is exciting especially since this is the first competition of its kind to happen in the States.

This competition is sanctioned by the International Bodyflight Association and will have over 120 international competitors. These competitors will be competing in this exciting event on April 22 and 23. The skydiving competitors will participate in different kinds of skydiving events and showcasing of different skills. Indoor skydiving competitions are a little different than outdoor ones. Instead of the divers jumping out of planes and showing their control of diving and their skills that way, they will be showcasing their abilities in a wind tunnel that is inside. These wind tunnels simulate the experience of free falling.

For those who want to watch the event, there will be space for spectators to watch. This space is free and open to members of the public, but keep in mind that the space for the event is limited. It is best to arrive early to ensure you have a spot.

iFly Virginia Beach announced that the event will be a qualifier for teams that are wanting to compete in the second World Air Sports Federation’s world championships for indoor skydiving. This competition will be held in Montreal in October.

iFly Virginia Beach’s CEO is Robert Pizzini. He had this to say about the upcoming competition. “Hosting this international event is significant for iFly Virginia Beach, the city, the region, and the sport of indoor skydiving.” He continued by saying, “Hotel rooms are already filling up and the competitors are excited to visit our city. The biggest names in the sport will be here.”

The indoor competition is capable of happening by the utilization of 350 hp fans, four of them to be exact, that are used to generate wind speeds that can reach up to 160 mph. These fans are used inside of a 52 foot tall and 44 foot wide glass flight chamber. This type of technology was actually designed by NASA as a way to reproduce the experience and conditions of a free fall. The facility owned by iFly Virginia Beach is owned locally and is part of a franchise of 32 iFly locations that are found all over the United States.

Thousands of people, around 65,000, have completed an indoor skydive since the time that iFly Virginia Beach opened its doors in January of 2015.

If you are interested in seeing what indoor skydiving is like, consider coming to the competition in Virginia Beach this weekend. This is an exciting opportunity to not only see what indoor skydiving is like but also to see what skydiving experts look like when practicing the sport. You will be seeing amazing body control, exciting skills, and skydiving team artistry. This is not the type of sport that you usually get to see in action, so coming out to watch these expert, extreme sport athletes in the flesh is not something you will want to miss.