Indoor skydiving instructor, Hayley Baldwin, who works at the iFLY at The Bear Grylls Adventure, spends over 400 hours a year in the air!

Hayley, who has been working at the ultimate adventure centre since the attraction opened five years ago, has a natural drive for thrill-seeking and says skydiving – whether indoor or out – gives you a sense of freedom that you can’t get anywhere else.

Her passion for skydiving began when she was just 18 years old – and she’s been hooked ever since. Her first skydive was carried out for charity for cancer research and it gave her a taste for adventure. Since then, she’s skydived from over 17,000ft in America and has even undertaken skysurfing, a daring feat that saw her become the only female in the world doing it as a sport.

However, in recent years Hayley has become a mother, which meant her daredevil side has had to take somewhat of a backseat. Becoming an iFLY instructor offers Hayley the perfect opportunity to carry on skydiving in a safer environment – when she first started, she admits that she would go in the wind tunnel every single day!

Hayley, iFLY instructor at The Bear Grylls Adventure, said: “I absolutely love being a teacher at The Bear Grylls Adventure. It’s an amazing job and lets me pursue my passion in the workplace.

“One of my fondest memories since working at the attraction is having Bear Grylls himself come in and fly with the team. To be able to say I’ve coached him, and his son, is a surreal feeling.

“Another memory I cherish is when we had a group of older gentlemen visit the attraction. Their mobility wasn’t great but after they experienced the iFLY, they all said how amazing they felt – it was so rewarding to see the smiles on their faces and it shows how anybody can enjoy the thrill of skydiving.

“If you have ever debated doing an indoor skydive, the one piece of advice I can give is just do it! I can assure you it will be one of the greatest experiences you ever do, the feeling is indescribable, and it is the best way to face your fears.

“If I told myself at the age of 16 I would do a 17000ft skydive in America and even sky surfed I wouldn’t have believed you, but these are special memories that I will keep for ever.”

For further information on the iFLY experience or to visit The Bear Grylls Adventure located next to the NEC in Birmingham, please visit the website here: https://www.beargryllsadventure.com/