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| SUNRAYS JANUARY 2014
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
R
esidents in Sun City Texas do
some pretty amazing things—
skydiving, world traveling, scuba
diving, long-distance cycling, etc. How-
ever, for those adventure-seekers who
may not have as much gusto, there are
now CA-sponsored outings dedicated
to thrilling experiences in a controlled
environment.
In early November, Volunteer Trip
Leader Jerilee Prather led an “adven-
ture outing” to iFLY Austin—an indoor
skydiving experience that creates free-
fall conditions without having to jump
out of an airplane! The building includes
a vertical wind tunnel about 30-45 ft.
high, with a diameter of about 14 feet,
which generates 1,600 horse power from
four powerful fans. This environment
creates a wall-to-wall cushion of air on
which participants may float safely. As
the iFLY instructor said, “There’s no
parachute, no jumping, and nothing at-
taching you to planet Earth. It’s just you
and the air, and it’s the most incredible
adrenaline rush!”
With that in mind, 24 Sun Citians
signed up and, on the day of the flight,
hopped on a bus to head to Austin. Upon
arrival at the event site, residents loaded
into the waiting in front of the wind tun-
nel where iFLY instructors gave them a
demonstration of just how awesome in-
door skydiving could be. The instructors
floated upside down, spun in mid-air,
and dove to the bottom of the tunnel—it
was quite a sight!
After the initial showcase, our Sun
City Texas folks were divided into two
groups of 12: the first group prepared
to fly while the second group continued
to watch instructors in the wind tunnel.
Before flying, each group received pre-
flight instruction to learn the basic
stance to take during the flight, which
is somewhat similar to Superman’s fly-
Sun City Texas takes flight!
By Maggi Jones
ATTENTION, THRILL SEEKERS!
Volunteer Trip Leaders Jerilee
Prather and Ellen Mire, are plan-
ning more of these “adventure
outings,” with the most recent
being the K-1 Indoor Go Kart
Racing on February 18 (see page
22). They are also planning an-
other trip to iFLY in the spring,
and tubing and kayaking outings
in the summer. Stay tuned to the
Sun Rays for more information
on these exciting, adrenaline-
pumping outings!
PHOTOS BY DAVID PRATHER
