New Florida Keys Attraction Provides Human Flight
KEY WEST (CBS4)- Visitors to the Florida Keys can now pretend to be and actually fly like "James Bond" with a new watersport providing levitation-like flight.
Jetpack Adventures is based in Key West and a similar experience set to be offered by Sundance Watersports beginning next month at Hawks Cay Resort near Marathon. The Florida Keys is the first region in the U.S. to offer the experience to travelers, manager Erik Adams said.
Participants strap on a flight pack that looks like the one actor Sean Connery wore in "Thunderball." But a 30-foot hose tethers the apparatus to a tiny boat with a pump that uses seawater as propellant. Flight controls allow individuals to take off, make soft turns, hover and land.
During training, students receive a safety briefing, are fitted with a helmet and personal flotation device and are harnessed to the jet pack. Once on the water, students first experience three-dimensional flying with a certified instructor operating the vehicle via remote control. As the participant becomes more proficient, he gains more flight control.
"It's been my dream, since I was a kid, to fly," said Angie McGregor of Mount Dora, Fla. "I feel like a spy woman out of a 'James Bond' film."
Dave Tuxbury of Traverse City, Mich., is an instructor at the attraction.
"You always dream of flying and what it would be like to be that bird up there," Tuxbury said. "By golly, I experienced it."
Cost for the 1 1/2-hour experience is $249 and includes a half-hour of flight time.
For more information, visit jetpackadventures.com
