Company wants to bring indoor skydiving to Overland Park

IFly Indoor Skydiving wants to open an Overland Park center.

The company is in negotiations to build a 6,000-square-foot building — 60 feet tall — in the Met at 435 shopping center at 10975 Metcalf Ave. If the deal is completed it would open in late 2015.

The company was founded in 1998 in Orlando, Florida and now has 35 locations and a history of more than 6 million fliers. It says anyone from ages 3 to 103 can feel the rush of freefall skydiving without having to jump out of a plane.

Customers have a brief training session, then they are outfitted with a jumpsuit, helmet and goggles before entering a wind tunnel with their certified instructor.

First-timers will float on a column of air and learn basic flying skills, including moving forward and back and turning. On additional visits, customers can progress to group flying and even advanced aerial gymnastic maneuvers.

Customers of iFly include families, companies for team-building events, skydivers who want to improve their skills and military service members learning to skydive.

The company said it uses a number of U.S. and international patents to create the skydiving experience. Four high-efficiency axial fans are mounted at the top of the building to channel air through a 14-foot-wide circular glass flight chamber.

The column of air extends fully from one wall of the glass flight chamber to the other and supports fliers as they float, spin, turn and move in all three dimensions.

The business will have 25 to 30 employees.

Quick bites

▪ Red Rock Canyon Grill wants to open a new freestanding restaurant in Corbin Park at 135th Street and Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park. The owner of Corbin Park said he doesn't own the land that Red Rock wants to build on, but would have to sign off on any plans for the site.

▪ Christopher & Banks will open one of its new concept stores carrying missy, petite and women's clothing (sizes 4 to 24) in Corbin Park. A late April 2015 opening is scheduled.

Reader questions

▪ I was wondering if you had any information about the Saints Pub + Patio that was to open in the Lenexa City Center area? I live right by there and was very excited to see the announcement — and if I recall correctly they were shooting for a late September opening.

Other new locations just came together faster. The owners opened a location in a Des Moines suburb in late September and plan to open an Omaha restaurant on Dec. 17, their second restaurant in the city. The Lenexa restaurant is now scheduled for late January in the Renner89 at 89th Street and Renner Boulevard, Lenexa.

▪ I just wanted to find out if there is any updates on the opening of Fuddruckers at the old Cheeseburger in Paradise in the Legends Outlets Kansas City in KCK?

A spokeswoman said the company has not started construction on the former Cheeseburger in Paradise spot so no opening date was available.

But it doesn’t sound like it will be soon since she said to check back every few months.

▪ When is the new Frida’s Taqueria opening in Overland Park?

Frida’s is relocating and hoped to open by mid-December. Now it is scheduled to open in mid-January in La Paloma Plaza, 6705 W. 119th St., with a new dinner menu, additional lunch items and a full bar.

▪ When is The Bar opening in Mission?

The Bar is scheduling a late December opening at 6101 Johnson Drive.

This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Company wants to bring indoor skydiving to Overland Park."