Indoor skydiving on schedule

A $15 million glass wind tunnel is rising from the ground in Queenstown.

The large building will soon house the resort’s newest adventure activity – indoor skydiving.

It will also be a first for New Zealand. The iFLY Queenstown is a project between SKYVenture International, which manufactures iFLY wind tunnels, and Auckland-based couple Emma and Gary Beyer, former skydiving world champions from the United Kingdom and United States.

Newly appointed general manager Matt Wong and assistant general manager Anja Boehm had their first look inside the complex this week and were impressed by its scale.

‘‘I always knew the infrastructure was going to be big but looking at it in person, it has got the wow factor,’’ Wong said.

The building work had been technical and the builders, innovative.

‘‘As far as a customer facility is concerned, it’s got the ability to be a worldclass product.’’

It would still be some months before the build was complete and the business could open but it was the tail end of a big project.

‘‘It’s very ambitious and a long time in the making. We’re just seeing the end of someone’s dream for six years.’’

Wong and Boehm both have backgrounds in aviation – Wong has most recently been employed as general manager for Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters and Boehm as ground operations manager for NZone Skydive.

They are excited about being involved with a new business.

Wong said he expected it to be successful with its central location, an amazing product, an ability to operate in all weather, and its ability to accommodate all ages – including 3-year-olds.

Before business opens Wong will be spending time in Florida looking at similar facilities and how they operate.

Once open and operational, he expects a staff of between 20 and 30 people will be required, including fully qualified instructors and ground crew.