Indoor Skydiving in Naperville: Your First Flight at iFLY (2026 Guide)

Ever wondered what it feels like to fly? Not in an airplane, but actually fly, floating weightless in mid-air with nothing but rushing wind holding you up?

At iFLY indoor skydiving Naperville on Freedom Drive in North Naperville, that dream becomes reality. Indoor skydiving delivers the sensation of freefall without jumping from a plane, and it’s accessible to everyone from 3-year-olds to 98-year-old adventurers. Professional instructors guide every first-timer through the experience with personalized wind speeds and one-on-one attention, making it one of Naperville’s most unique family activities.

Whether you’re planning a birthday party, corporate team-building event, or STEM field trip, here’s everything you need to know about your first flight at iFLY Naperville.

Quick answer: iFLY Naperville offers beginner packages starting with 2 or 4 flights (measured in minutes like real freefall), optional “high flight” add-ons that take you to the top of the 20-foot tunnel, and group packages for birthdays, corporate events, and interactive STEM education programs. All first-time flyers get one-on-one instructor guidance with personalized wind speeds for safety.

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What Is iFLY Naperville?

iFLY Naperville brings the thrill of skydiving indoors with a vertical wind tunnel that generates winds over 120 mph, enough to lift and hold flyers weightless in mid-air.

Located on Freedom Drive in North Naperville, iFLY serves as a weather-proof adventure destination for families, friends, corporate teams, and schools throughout the western suburbs.

Who Can Fly?

The short answer: almost everyone.

The facility has welcomed flyers as young as 3 years old and as old as 98. Unlike outdoor skydiving, which requires jumping from an aircraft at altitude, indoor skydiving happens in a controlled environment where instructors can adjust wind speeds instantly to match each person’s weight and skill level.

“We deliver the dream of flight,” explains Dave, Regional Manager at iFLY Naperville. “The one unifying factor worldwide is that everybody wants to fly. We give you that opportunity.”

Located on Freedom Drive in Naperville, the facility offers ample parking and easy access from major routes including I-88 and Route 59.

What Makes It Different from Outdoor Skydiving?

Indoor skydiving offers several advantages over traditional skydiving:

No airplane required – You step into the tunnel from ground level, eliminating the need to jump from an aircraft

Instant repetition – Outdoor skydivers get about one minute of freefall per jump, then must land, repack, and fly up again. Indoor flyers can practice continuously, making it ideal for learning techniques and building muscle memory

All-weather accessibility – Rain, snow, or shine, the tunnel operates year-round in a climate-controlled facility

Beginner-friendly entry point – First-timers fly with an instructor holding onto them throughout the experience, with personalized wind speeds adjusted for safety

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Safety First: How iFLY Keeps First-Timers Confident

For anyone nervous about trying indoor skydiving, safety protocols are the first thing to understand.

Professionally Trained Instructors

Every iFLY instructor undergoes extensive training and maintains ongoing certification requirements. They don’t just teach, they fly with you, especially during your first experience.

“The instructors go through a lot of training and then they’re constantly having to be updated and stay current with their training protocol to ensure that we’re hitting all of our safety standards,” Dave explains.

Personalized Wind Speeds

Here’s something most first-timers don’t realize: everyone flies at different wind speeds based on their weight and experience level.

A 50-pound child requires much less wind force than a 200-pound adult. That’s why first-time flyers don’t enter the tunnel in pairs or groups, each person needs their own customized wind speed for safety.

“You’re all going to be flying at different wind speeds,” Dave notes. “As a first-time flier, safety is the utmost of importance. That’s why you’re in with an instructor.”

One-on-One Guidance

During your first flights, an instructor remains with you inside the tunnel, holding onto you and controlling your position. They adjust your body angle, help you find stability, and ensure you stay in the safe flight zone.

This isn’t a “figure it out yourself” experience, it’s coached guidance from start to finish.

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Your First Flight: What to Expect

How Flights Are Measured

At iFLY Naperville, flights are measured in minutes, not in the number of times you enter the tunnel.

This mimics real outdoor skydiving, where a jump from 10,000-14,000 feet gives you approximately one minute of freefall before deploying your parachute.

“One freefall from a plane or a helicopter, when you’re skydiving, you get about approximately about a minute of freefall time,” Dave explains. “So we mimic that. We sell the flights by the minute.”

Beginner Package Options

2-Flight Package (2 minutes total)

• Perfect for first-timers who want to test the experience
• Includes gear, instruction, and two one-minute flights
• Optional “high flight” add-on available

4-Flight Package (4 minutes total)

• Ideal for those who want more time to get comfortable
• Four one-minute sessions allow you to progress through the basics
• Better value per minute of flight time

What’s a “High Flight”?

The high flight is an optional add-on that takes you to the top of the 20-foot tunnel with your instructor.

During regular flights, you stay in the lower portion of the tunnel while learning body control. The high flight cranks up the wind speed and sends you soaring upward for a thrilling finale—think of it as the roller coaster ending to your flight experience.

Most first-timers add the high flight for the full effect.

The Actual Experience

“It exceeds all expectations,” Dave promises, at least for those who haven’t already done outdoor skydiving.

The sensation is hard to describe until you experience it. You’re floating, but you feel the rush of air pressing against every part of your body. Your instructor holds you steady while you find your balance. Within seconds, most people move from nervous tension to exhilaration.

“This will be the closest you can ever possibly come to feeling the experience of flight,” Dave says.

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Beyond Beginner: Training and Skill Progression

From Recreation to Skill-Building

After the beginner packages, flyers who want to develop real skills can purchase longer training sessions.

iFLY offers block time packages:

• 15-minute sessions
• 30-minute sessions
• Custom time blocks for serious training

These longer sessions allow you to work with coaches on specific techniques: body positioning, turns, forward movement, backward flight, and eventually acrobatics like flips and spins.

How Long Does It Take to Learn?

“It’s all kind of contingent to your actual abilities,” Dave explains. “Depending on how much time you put in the tunnel and how motivated you are, it could be within months to years.”

The central nervous system gradually adapts to the sensation and movements. With repetition, what feels impossible at first becomes natural.

What’s the Hardest Part?

According to Dave, it’s not the physical technique, it’s the mental hurdle.

“I think it’s the initial overcoming, the initial fear and apprehension of getting in the tunnel,” he says. “Once you’ve gotten past that and experienced it, then all of a sudden it becomes far easier. But it’s always the first time is the hardest.”

That’s exactly why iFLY structures first-timer experiences with maximum instructor support.

Competition and Advanced Flying

Indoor skydiving has become a competitive sport with style-based competitions similar to gymnastics scoring. Flyers perform choreographed routines with specific movements, judged on grace, precision, and execution.

Some competitions include group formations where multiple flyers create synchronized patterns in the air—though these require advanced certification levels.

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Group Experiences: Parties, Corporate Events & STEM

Birthday Parties

iFLY Naperville hosts birthday parties where all the kids gear up and fly together (with individual instructor support, of course).

Packages typically include:

• Reserved party space
• Flight time for all participants
• Group instruction session
• Party host coordination

It’s a memorable alternative to the usual trampoline park or bowling alley celebration.

Corporate Team-Building

“We do corporate events, we do team-building events,” Dave notes.

Indoor skydiving creates a unique bonding experience. Everyone faces the same challenge (overcoming that initial apprehension), everyone gets the same thrill, and there’s no hierarchy in the tunnel—the CEO is just as much a beginner as the intern.

Many companies use iFLY for:

• Quarterly team outings
• Leadership retreats
• New employee onboarding experiences
• Client entertainment

STEM Education Program

This might be iFLY’s most innovative offering: a robust STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) field trip program that local schools have embraced.

How It Works

Hour 1: Interactive Education Students learn about aerodynamics, wind speed, air pressure, and the physics of flight through hands-on demonstrations.

“We do ball demos with different speeds and whatnot,” Dave explains. The instructors show how objects of different weights and shapes behave in the wind tunnel, making abstract physics concepts tangible.

Hour 2: Experience What You Learned Then students actually fly—putting their classroom learning into immediate practice.

“The reward for it is then the kids get to get in and actually experience everything that they [learned],” Dave says.

Why Schools Love It

“You have to make learning fun,” Dave notes. “That’s the great thing and why we’re so popular with so many of the school systems around here. They get a very robust learning component, the educational component of it. But at the same time, it’s very exciting.”

It’s the kind of field trip students remember for years—and the kind of experiential learning that actually sticks.

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Local Pride: Naperville’s World Champions

The Wittenberg Siblings

iFLY Naperville has its own claim to fame: a brother and sister from Naperville who became world champions in indoor skydiving competitions.

The Wittenberg siblings trained at this location for years, progressing from first-time flyers to elite competitors on the international stage.

“They went to nationals a few years ago,” Dave shares. “They have been longtime participants and fliers here in the Naperville location. And yes, they were world champions.”

How Competition Works

Indoor skydiving competitions focus on style—think gymnastics or figure skating in the air.

Competitors perform choreographed routines with specific required movements, judged on:

• Precision (hitting exact positions)
• Grace and fluidity
• Technical difficulty
• Overall execution

While some events include group formations, most competition at the highest levels remains individual, requiring years of tunnel time to master.

The fact that Naperville produced world champions speaks to both the quality of instruction at iFLY Naperville and the dedication of local flyers who’ve turned a recreational activity into a serious pursuit.

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Plan Your Visit: Packages and Booking

Fast Facts

Location: Freedom Drive, North Naperville, IL

Age Requirements:

• Minimum: 3 years old
• Maximum: No upper age limit (98-year-old documented)

First-Timer Packages:

• 2-flight package (2 minutes)
• 4-flight package (4 minutes)
• High flight add-on available

Advanced Training:

• Block time: 15–30 minute sessions
• Custom coaching packages
• Progression through skill levels

Group Options:

• Birthday parties
• Corporate team-building events
• Private events
• Family fun

What’s Included:

• All flight gear (jumpsuit, helmet, goggles, earplugs)
• Pre-flight training session
• One-on-one instructor for first-timers
• Flight certificate

What to Wear

iFLY provides the flight suit, helmet, and goggles. You should wear:

• Comfortable athletic clothing (nothing loose that could catch wind)
• Lace-up sneakers or athletic shoes
• Avoid jewelry, watches, or anything in pockets

Long hair should be tied back. Contact lenses are fine; glasses are accommodated with special goggles.

Accessibility and Health Considerations

Indoor skydiving is physically accessible to most people, but there are some restrictions for safety:

• Shoulder dislocations (previous injury may disqualify)
• Pregnancy
• Recent surgeries
• Certain heart conditions

Check iFLY Naperville’s website or call ahead if you have specific health concerns. The staff can provide detailed guidance based on your situation.

Parking and Arrival

The Freedom Drive location offers ample parking. Plan to arrive 30-45 minutes before your scheduled flight time for check-in, waiver signing, gear fitting, and the pre-flight training session.

Booking Your Experience

Visit iFLY Naperville’s website to:

• View current pricing
• Check availability
• Book individual flights
• Inquire about group packages

You can also call directly to ask questions or discuss custom group bookings for corporate events or large parties.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is indoor skydiving safe for beginners?

Yes. iFLY Naperville prioritizes safety with professionally trained instructors who fly with every first-timer, personalized wind speeds adjusted to each person’s weight, and extensive safety protocols. The controlled environment allows for immediate adjustments that wouldn’t be possible during outdoor skydiving.

How long is each flight?

Flights are measured in minutes, mimicking the freefall time you’d experience outdoor skydiving. A 2-flight package gives you two separate one-minute flights. A 4-flight package provides four one-minute sessions. Block time for advanced training can be 15–30 minutes of continuous tunnel time.

Can I fly with my kids or friends?

First-time flyers enter the tunnel individually with an instructor because everyone requires different wind speeds based on weight and experience level. Once you’ve progressed through training levels and gained skills, group flying becomes possible, but not on your first visit.

What’s the minimum age for indoor skydiving?

iFLY Naperville has welcomed flyers as young as 3 years old. There’s no upper age limit, a 98-year-old successfully flew at this location.

Do I need to be in good physical shape?

You don’t need to be an athlete, but you should be in reasonable health. The wind supports your weight, so you’re not straining against gravity. However, you do need enough core and limb strength to maintain body position with your instructor’s help. Anyone with shoulder injuries, recent surgeries, or specific health conditions should check with iFLY before booking.

What does the “high flight” add-on include?

The high flight takes you to the top of the 20-foot tunnel with your instructor at increased wind speeds. It’s an optional addition to your package that provides a thrilling finale—think of it as the grand finish to your experience. Most first-timers choose to add it.

Can iFLY accommodate birthday parties?

Yes. iFLY Naperville offers birthday party packages that include reserved party space, flight time for guests, group instruction, and party coordination. Contact them directly to discuss package options and group sizes.

How far in advance should I book?

Weekends and school break periods fill up quickly, especially for group events. For individual first-timer packages, booking 1-2 weeks ahead usually provides good availability. For birthday parties, corporate events, or STEM field trips, contact iFLY at least 3-4 weeks in advance to ensure your preferred date.

What if I’m nervous or scared?

That’s completely normal. According to iFLY’s Regional Manager, “It’s always the first time is the hardest.” Once you’ve overcome that initial apprehension and experienced your first flight, it becomes far easier. The instructors are trained to work with nervous flyers, and you’re never alone in the tunnel during your first experience.

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Experience the Dream of Flight in Naperville

Indoor skydiving at iFLY Naperville offers something genuinely unique: the sensation of freefall without the airplane, accessible to nearly any age or fitness level, with professional instruction that makes first-timers feel confident rather than terrified.

Whether you’re looking for an unforgettable family outing, a birthday celebration your kids will talk about for months, a corporate team-building experience that actually builds camaraderie, or an educational field trip that makes physics tangible, iFLY Naperville on Freedom Drive delivers.

Ready to fly?

Ready to experience the dream of flight? Book your first flight at iFLY Naperville and choose from 2-flight or 4-flight packages with optional high flight add-ons.

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Watch the Full Interview: Dan Firks and Chris Salas from Living in Naperville visit iFLY to experience indoor skydiving firsthand. Watch the complete interview and see what it’s really like inside the tunnel.