Summer's Hot, New Extreme Sport: Body Flight
Daredevils are flying for fun in wind tunnels across the United States.
May 21, 2008— -- It's called body flight, and it's the new extreme flying sport taking off across the country. Daredevils say it's better than having wings.
Body flight simulates the experience of skydiving with a vertical wind tunnel that sends riders into liftoff. A beginner's trip is safe for kids of any age, from 3 to 91.
"We tried it once, we tried it twice and we got hooked," 12-year-old Justin Tinucci said at the iFly Hollywood indoor skydiving facility in California.
His 9-year-old sister, Kayla Tinucci said, "I love the adrenaline rush when you first get into the wind.
"Sometimes you'll hit your head on the wall, or something," she said, smiling.
"Good Morning America" correspondent Taryn Winter Brill took a flight of her own at iFly Hollywood . "I leaned into a column of wind that was moving at a speed of 120 miles per hour -- so strong, it was physically impossible to talk. ... I did my fair share of crashing, but I loved every second of the wild ride," said Brill, adding that she was surprised to discover that body flight offered such a strenuous workout.
Justin and Kayla are now training to break the world record for the longest-ever body flight (at 1 hour and 18 minutes). To do so, they practice at least four times a week, in between elementary school and soccer practice. To pass the time and keep up their endurance they like to play rock, paper, scissors midflight.
One day they hope body flight will be an Olympic sport.
You can find out more about body flight at i Fly Hollywood and Sky Venture.
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