Wanting to fly is an ancient human aspiration, and while our imaginations have always been light years ahead in our quest to take flight, it has taken much longer to overcome the hurdles of the physical world. Even so, hurtling through the sky at breakneck speeds in jet-driven aircraft is disappointingly more an exercise in sitting than it is in flying. And while some might consider skydiving a close enough alternative to unhindered, birdlike flight, most people prefer to observe such death-defying maneuvers from a safe distance, preferably from the comfort of their living room sofas.
Wanting to fly is an ancient human aspiration, and while our imaginations have always been light years ahead in our quest to take flight, it has taken much longer to overcome the hurdles of the physical world. Even so, hurtling through the sky at breakneck speeds in jet-driven aircraft is disappointingly more an exercise in sitting than it is in flying. And while some might consider skydiving a close enough alternative to unhindered, birdlike flight, most people prefer to observe such death-defying maneuvers from a safe distance, preferably from the comfort of their living room sofas.
Now iFly Singapore brings the reality of unfettered flight to everyone. A vertical wind tunnel (the largest in the world) in the form of a glass-walled flight chamber, with views of the South China Sea and nightly fireworks displays, allows anyone with a passion for flying to experience the thrill of simply spreading their arms and taking off. Four 7-ton fans generate an airflow of hurricane-like magnitudes inside the flight chamber, which allows flyers to reach heights of up to 5 stories.
Professional skydivers use the flight chamber as a skydiving simulator, to hone their skills by letting them "fly" longer than they would during a normal skydive, and to save on the costs involved in actual skydiving.
Twenty professional flyers can be accommodated at a time. However, while the professionals are able to perform impressive acrobatic displays, the flight chamber, which has an accident rate of zero, is also safe enough for anyone aged 7 to 106 to use, which makes it an ideal destination for a family weekend getaway.
Lawrence Koh, Founder and MD of iFly Singapore, is a professional skydiver himself. He has clocked over 1,000 hours of skydiving in 3 years, while holding many professional free-fall qualifications – and he has amassed more than 100 hours of wind tunnel skydiving time.
“My own love of skydiving motivated my vision: that ‘Anyone Can Fly' in a safe environment. And the wind tunnel approach is also cost efficient. iFly Singapore makes this comes true, and Milestone video is our tool to help ensure safety,” explains Koh. He also intends to build more iFly sites in Southeast Asia in the near future.
The iFly Singapore experience is designed around an airport theme. "Passengers" check in and are given an RFID (Radio Frequency ID) tag in the form of a bracelet. The tag contains information about the passenger, including time of entry, duration of flight and time of exit. The RFID system is integrated with Milestone XProtect video management software, which handles a number of high definition (1080p HD) IP cameras to record each flight experience. The Milestone software is able to export the video to DVD, so customers can view it later. Professional skydivers also use the video for training purposes, to de-brief, review and improve their technical skills.
Certis CISCO Security installed the security system, including an access control system (ACS), intrusion detection system (IDS), and a time attendance system for their users to check in and out of the premises, all of which are integrated with the Milestone video management software (VMS).
“Milestone XProtect was the video solution of choice because its open platform video management software allowed integration with the RFID system, it can connect to any brand of camera, and its interface is intuitive and easy to use,” states Koh. In addition to cameras inside the facility with the RFID integration to tag guests, the Milestone video monitoring uses 60 HD cameras outside the premises, for building surveillance and security of the park grounds.