Australia's first iFLY indoor skydiving attraction set to open in Penrith

Indoor Skydive Australia is set to open Australia's first iFLY indoor skydiving attraction, to be known as iFLY Downunder, at Penrith west of Sydney.

With other groups having explored bringing the popular vertical wind tunnel attraction to Australia in recent years, Indoor Skydive Australia is well on the way to completing the attraction having installed a glass flight chamber five metres in diameter, one of the largest in the world, with Chief Operating Officer Danny Hogan saying all initial infrastructure for the project is now in place.

Hogan explained "this flight chamber provides an uninterrupted view for flyers and spectators."

Hogan added that the breadth and height of the wind tunnel could now be appreciated as the facility takes shape, recently stating "completing the big lifts was a major construction milestone and, together with the work completed over the New Year period, positions us well during this critical construction stage."

During the next stage, the company will focus on mechanical and electrical infrastructure.

Sydney-based Indoor Skydive Australia (ISA), which listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2011, has already sold 500 hours vertical wind tunnel time for the iFLY Downunder. The early bird offer, made to experienced skydivers and tunnel flyers, sold out in four days with

$400,000 worth of advance sky diving time sold during the first four hours of the offer.

Initially launched at the West Coast Sundowner, an international skydiving event in Perth, the offer was marketed to experienced flyers entitling them to purchase tunnel time following the opening of the Penrith facility.

The early bird offers provided an opportunity for ISA to test the market and processing systems, and the public demand was strong, validating ISA's business plan.

ISA recently completed a capital raising and placement for $10.4 million to fund expansion and strengthen its management team, with a focus to constructing additional vertical wind tunnels.

The company now plans to build similar facilities in Melbourne and Queensland's Gold Coast over the next three to five years.

Vertical wind tunnels give thrillseekers, skydiving enthusiasts and military personnel the sensation of flight, propelling them within a flight chamber using powerful fans. They were first built for recreational use in the 1970s.

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