I went onboard the Zero-G Boeing 727 flight to experience Zero Gravity. This is a flight I've heard about for a very long time. A friend of mine did it earlier this year and highly recommended so I decided to follow in his footstep.
There are scheduled Zero-G flight on regular basis across different cities in the U.S.
Video of My Zero-G Flight
No Prior Training Needed
Once my booking is confirmed by Zero-G team, they sent me an orientation video about dos and don'ts. There are no prior training needed.
We met up at 9 am in Las Vegas Atlantic FBO. After a short briefing and a quick breakfast, I changed into GoZeroG jumpsuit and ready to head out to the plane.
The Zero-G specially modified B727 has a large open space in the forward fuselage.
There are about 8 rows of seats in the rear of the B727. There is no toilet onboard but you will get reminded about this before boarding the flight.
We took off from Las Vegas, and within 15 minutes we reached our designated airspace, which is the desert military MOA.
Once we reached the area, our shoes and loose belonging are collected and taken away. We were asked to come to the forward section of the plane. You can bring your phone, GoPro, or a small handheld camera as long as you hold on to them.
The plane flies in a series of parabolic arcs so everything inside can be in freefall. I follow the instructor’s advice to lie on the floor while the Boeing 727 entered the parabola, you can feel about 1.8G while the plane is on a sharp climb. Laying on the floor is the best way to make your body adapt and counter motion sickness.
The first two were lunar gravity (1/6 of body weight) before full Zero-G. This is for your body to adapt a weightless environment.
When the Zero gravity moment happened, you can feel it in your body that you became weightless and began to float and flip. The instructor asks us not to swim as it may kick others. The 25 of us were separated into 2 groups with one group at the front and one group in the middle to space out.
Each Zero-G moment lasts about 20-30 seconds. Then you hear the instructor call out "feet down!" so you go lay back on the floor while the plane enters another steep climb. The plane shoots parabolas between 24,000 to 31,000 ft.
The fun is unreal, the Zero-G enables your body to float, flip and feel like an astronaut!
We have fun catching water droplets and catching candy floating around. Each parabola lasted about 30 seconds. We did a total of 12 parabolas on our flight before we return to land. Watch all of the action in my video.
Video of My Zero-G Flight
We flew about 1 hour 10 minutes before landing back in Las Vegas. You can see on Flightradar24 our track and the variation in speed and altitude.
At the end of the flight, we tossed champagne and I was able to visit the cockpit to chat with the pilots.
Watch my video with the pilots explaining the parabolas.
Is It Worth the Money?
It is not cheap for the experience. On GoZeroG website, each flight cost $8,200 + tax which is a lot of money for a few hours.
I'd argue it is a totally different experience than most other things. This is the closest to being an astronaut and one of a kind experience! It is up to you and how you value your priorities. On my flight, it was sold out with 25 persons seeking the zero gravity thrill.
There is an A310 in Europe and IL76 in Russia also performing similar Zero-G flights.
Motion Sickness?
Many of us were worried about feeling nauseous or sick during Zero-G. Before the flight, all of the participants were given a motion sickness pill and a wristband to counter it.
I follow the instructor's advice to lay on the floor on each steep climb (up to 1.8G) and did just fine. Maybe my body is quite used to frequent flying and pulling a bit of G during my pilot training. Most of us have great fun during the course. My advice is to book the flight only when you feel comfortable or speak to the operator if in doubt.
5% Discount on Zero-G Flight
Zero-G is kind to offer our readers a 5% discount.
Use discount code SAMCHUI5 to receive 5% off your Zero-G flight at GoZeroG.com
