Indoor Skydiving Facility Proposed for Gaithersburg

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Gaithersburg officials will review plans for a potential Indoor Skydiving facility in Gaithersburg at the City Hall Wednesday, according to the Planning Commission Regular Session Agenda.

The request is for a business called iFly Indoor Skydiving that would open at 9318 Gaither Rd. The application has been submitted for the concept site plan approval for the addition of an 8,589 square-foot recreational use building for the facility.

"iFly is a place where guests can experience sky-diving but in a controlled interior facility," the Statement of Operations states.

iFly has locations around the country, including facilities in Baltimore, Loudon, Virginia Beach and Philadelphia.

"When you come to iFLY get ready to be blown away – literally. It’s thrilling. It’s amazing. Experience the feeling of free fall as you float on a smooth cushion of air," the website states. "There’s no parachute, no jumping, and nothing attaching you to planet Earth. It’s just you flying in the air. Super fun, super safe and super cool."

Guests would make an appointment for a session that lasts about one hour to culminate a realistic skydiving experience. The Statement of Operations says about 30 occupants would be inside the facility at one time, and groups can reserve the building for two hours at a time for birthday parties, school programs, etc.

There would be no alcoholic beverages permitted in the building and no kitchen facilities, but guests would arrange outsider catering with limited food service if desired.

According to the concept site plan, iFly identifies it's potential key users as mostly novice/first time users. They also predicate a small amount of users will be regular skydivers or military members.

The proposed building is 67-feet high, more than twice as tall as the adjacent 32-foot office building already on the site, to accommodate the indoor skydiving flight chamber and the return air towers.

The facility would utilize the existing surface parking lot at the location, but the concept site plan also proposes a second vehicular entrance to the site from Gaither Road to provide the sky-diving facility with its own access separate from the existing office building.

The proposed facility would be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The Planning Commission Regular Session Agenda will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the City Hall.

Photo: Rob Marquardt/Flickr