**This has been lying around for ages but stuff is going to keep piling up if I don’t blog about it so here you go. 

It’s true what they say about doing the things you want when you’re younger.

More often than not, we put things off and end up with regrets later in life. Yeah I sound like an old person. My birthday month always puts me in a pessimistic, contemplative mood lol.

I’ve always wanted to go skydiving at least once, but a back injury in my mid-teens means that I have to avoid strenuous physical activity. Goodbye oh dreams of skydiving and bungee jumping. 

Nothing to say I can’t go watch other people skydive though…even if it’s indoors.

Newly opened in 1Utama E, the mall’s extended sports-cum-entertainment complex in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, AirRider is the only indoor skydiving facility in Malaysia. The place is home to a purpose-built vertical wind tunnel, where divers can simulate free falling for 50 seconds per session  = equivalent to an outdoor skydive from 14,000 feet!

Couldn’t participate coz of the aforementioned back injury, but the editor went for it while I filmed. The session was conducted together with another group; a family of tourists with kids in tow, and a girl who was taking indoor skydiving lessons. Yep, they offer those as well! It’s also safe for people of all ages, provided you are in a good physical condition.

Did you know that indoor skydiving is a competitive sport on its own? Participants compete by performing tricks, flips and stunts in the wind tunnel.

At AirRider, professional instructors are on hand to assist your ‘flight’, so fret not!

Suiting up in a loud orange jumpsuit before flying.

The instructors make it look easy, but I could see it was difficult for newbies to get the right balance in one try. Even without the crazy flips and whatnot, it was a challenge for some to stay in the right position ( face down, like they’re falling from a plane) because they kept flipping over on to their backs. You definitely need more than one session to get the hang of it.

For a more immersive experience, flyers can also go for the Virtual Reality package where they strap some VR goggles on you while you fly, so it feels like you’re really falling from the sky.

Vid I did for work (which includes other activities you can do in Bandar Utama):

More info including prices on airrider.my/ 

Happy flying!