Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's 95-year-old Sadie!

We were thrilled when Sunrise Carehome enquired about bringing Sadie to iFLY Basingstoke for her 95th Birthday. On Wednesday 13th November, it was our pleasure to accommodate Sadie for her Indoor skydiving experience, which she was kind enough to write up for us...

“I had the most wonderful day at iFLY Indoor Skydiving in Basingstoke celebrating my 95th birthday! This experience was organised by the Activities Coordinator at Sunrise, Lisa Baxter and iFLY Basingstoke’s Sales Coordinator, Sarah Adams.

In the morning, we travelled over to iFLY Basingstoke in our Sunrise minibus with my son and daughter. During the journey to iFLY Basingstoke, I had butterflies in my stomach as I wasn’t sure what to expect. When we arrived at iFLY Basingstoke, we were greeted with a warm welcome from Sarah Adams. Sarah had also put my name up on the welcome screen wishing me a happy birthday – this was a lovely surprise!

Once I’d signed in at reception, I was taken upstairs by Sarah and I met my instructor. He took me through the classroom training (this is a short video which tells you everything you need to know) and then the instructor went through the hand signals with me. After this, I walked over to the gear up area, where I was handed a superhero outfit and I was ready to fly!

When you enter the tunnel you simply stand in the open doorway and lean forward. You will feel your legs lifted from under you as you assume a horizontal flying position – I was flying, and it felt AMAZING! After my flights, my instructor delivered a jaw dropping demo of his fantastic flying skills and then we exited the tunnel.

After the experience, we went into the party room for some champagne and nibbles. I had a wonderful chat with the iFLY team and my family about the experience, and then I was awarded my flight certificate by my instructor.

I was so impressed with how well we were all looked after on the day. When I arrived back at Sunrise, I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon tea with all my friends and family, I told everyone about my Indoor Skydiving experience, and we danced the afternoon away with my favourite Sunrise entertainer Katie Lewis. It was a very special day indeed!”

Sadie was a natural and the perfect example of iFLY's inclusivity message; breaking down the barriers of preconceptions and limits, and delivering the dream of flight to anyone, of any ability or age! We look forward to you flying again with us soon Sadie!