Ever seen how Iron Man flies around the skies taking a bird eye view of the entire world around him, breezing past obstacles in his fancy little suit? Even if we are not hardcore fans, many of us try to internalize how the man must be feeling inside; wishing to replicate the same feeling we tend to become envious of the man flying in his red suit. While it will take humanity probably another decade or so before something nearly as fluid and streamlined as the Iron Man suit can be invented, what we do have access to however is state of the art equipment that can arguably be called the next best thing after the Iron Man suit. What we’re obviously talking about is the flyboard, which is powered by the massive thrust provided by watercraft which they’re tethered against.
How a flyboard works
A flyboard is attached by a long, 35 to 40ft hose to a powerful watercraft such the jet ski or wave runner. When the watercraft traverses the sea at a certain speed, it forces the water to push through the hose at a turbulent speed which has a high enough velocity to send any human flying dozens of feet into the air. The person can control the direction, speed and power of the flyboard through certain machinations embedded in the flyboard equipment.
Safety issues
Even though cruising on a flyboard is an extremely fun, adrenaline filled activity, it does have its own plethora of safety issues which can cause tremendous bodily injury if not addressed before strapping yourself onto a one. For instance, the impact of crashing onto the waters from a certain height can hurt your head even though you might be wearing a powerful helmet. The depth of the water is also extremely important, and many flyboard rentals in the Minneapolis Area specify that the water should be at least 10m deep. This is critically important because when you crash into a shallow body of water, the chances of hitting a sharp rock or reefs dramatically increase. The result can be life altering accidents. For this reason, most flyboard rentals require you to undergo proper flyboard training; only giving you access to the cool water toy after you have gained proper certification.
Acrobatics
The great thing about floating above water is that the impact of crashing on it is heavily mitigated. This allows users to perform a myriad of amazing, breathtaking acrobatic actions. The most popular of these is the dolphin dive; you dip down into the water and exit out of it upwards, making beautiful half-sin waves. Professional flyboarders have so much experience under their belt that they can even carry another person with them in a mighty show of strength and control which sends most spectators in awe.
How to properly use the flyboard
It is important for you to get access to proper gear. Start off by getting access to an isothermal pant and vest (optional). The next item on your list should be a coastguard approved lifejacket that can zip up properly to your body and not get disconnected by the tumultuous speeds of the flyboard; this is an obvious necessity if you don’t know how to swim. You should use helmets that cover your ear, if you don’t have access to such a helmet, the next best option is to wear ear plugs; you don’t want the water entering inside your ear.
Strapping yourself onto the flyboard
First thing you should be doing is place one of your feet (right) on to the center of the flyboard, follow it up by gently placing your left foot onto the left binding. Then follow it up by placing your right foot onto the right binding, safely accommodating your feet into both of the bindings. Now securely tighten the straps, starting from the top straps all the way to the bottom straps. This is extremely important because loose fittings will most certainly result in you flying out of the flyboard in a tangential direction—and not a direction of your choice either; you could crash onto solid surface which may cause serious accident and injury to you.
Next thing for you to do is get your hands into the arms of the flyboard, tightening up the straps to make sure they don’t move. Word of caution though, because too tight of a strap can result in you losing feeling in your wrists and hands. This is the worst possible thing that could happen to you while in the middle of the air attached to the flyboard.
How to operate the flyboard
You can launch from a beach or dock by jumping feet first into the water. Keep your legs straight and your head out of the water. Once the watercraft starts and the hose becomes completely taut from the power of watercraft, it is time to fly. Position yourself vertically under the water to allow you to actually start flying – it is essential for you to keep your legs as straight as possible. Your toes will play a crucial role in how you maneuver about the air. If you want to propel forward, position your toes in the forward direction. Positioning the toes up will allow you to gain height. To ride backwards, pull your toes up but have all of your weight shifted in the forward direction.
If you want to turn right, slightly bend your left knee and vice versa. It is important for you to balance yourself properly. Once you do get the hang of it, you will want to learn a couple of important navigational moves—these include doing the 360°, 180° and riding backwards. These three important moves will:
- Keep you safe from potential crashes
- Allow you to perform fancy acrobatic tricks in the air
- Prevent any damage from occurring to the rather expensive equipment
One more thing to watch out for is to limit yourself to a speed of 4500 rpm on the flyboard and not to exceed a height of 6 ft during your first tryouts. Once you become comfortable with this height, you can safely move to trying stunts at greater heights.