A Victoria entrepreneur is finding early success in giving Vancouverites the chance to take a flying leap.
Peter Zaoralek, president of Fly Zone Bodyflight, has signed up thousands of people over the past weekend alone to experience the skydiving experience in a fully portable wind tunnel he’s developed and built locally with manufacturers from Richmond and Delta.
“Over the weekend we did a pre-sale Groupon and sold out completely. We sold 3,300 flight packages in one weekend.”
His facility in Delta is the first of its kind in Western Canada.
“We have a whole facility built around it. People can rent the facility; we basically sell the time to fly in it.”
But Zaoralek plans to change that by selling his portable wind tunnels, which sell for $595,000. The units are based on a custom-designed fan that can provide wind speeds up to 135 miles per hour in a 10-foot diameter chamber as high as 20 feet.
After being under development for a year and a half, Zaoralek said he has received more than 20 requests from around the world to purchase units from cruise ship companies to military organizations. He is already assembling components to build a second unit.
But the ultimate purpose of the venture is to fund the construction of a permanent indoor wind tunnel located beside River Rock Casino in Richmond. He said he currently has secured 60% of the $7 million in funding needed to complete the project. Assuming all the financing is in place, Zaoralek plans to break ground sometime next summer.
Business in Vancouver spoke with Zaoralek last October about his plans. (See “Entrepreneur seeking $7 million to fund indoor Metro Vancouver skydiving facility” – issue 1041; October 6-12.)