Frontgrid, an expert in adventure leisure and virtual reality attractions, is helping visitors at a top British military museum to fly as part of a brand new VR experience.
Guests at the Royal Air Force Museum in Cosford can now participate in an exhibit that recreates the experiences of The Falcons, the military parachute display team of the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF).
The experience is made possible by ParadropVR, an under-canopy VR product by Frontgrid which has been launched at the museum’s Midlands branch as part of its ‘Flight Zone’ area.
The installation utilises ParadropVR Rize, a specialist piece of motion-based hardware which recreates the sensation of flying under a parachute canopy. The system uses compressed air to immerse riders in the aerial adventure.
Frontgrid CEO and co-founder, Matt Wells says: “I started my career as a para in the British Army, so that experience was very much part of the inspiration of inventing ParadropVR. So I am particularly proud to see it feature in one of the greatest military museums in the world. ParadropVR has been created to replicate the sensation of flying under a canopy, and its easy-to-use controls mean that it is accessible to almost everyone.”
RAF Museum Midland’s director of visitor and commercial development, Barry Smith says: “We are really excited to have the installation of Paradrop VR as part of our offering, allowing visitors to feel what it would be like to parachute.
“We see attractions such as ParadropVR playing an important role in education and learning in the future, as it uses new technologies to deliver realistic RAF-inspired experiences to our visitors. It will form part of our new Flight Zone, where visitors can also enjoy a range of virtual flying experiences.”
Realistic experience
ParadropVR has been installed at the museum in celebration of the Falcon’s parachute display team, which celebrated six decades of operation last year.
As the UK’s premier military parachute display team, they display at venues around Europe throughout the year. From their base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, they have set numerous records and continued to innovate the specialism of formation skydiving.
Wells adds: “Not long after we launched ParadropVR in 2017, we invited the Red Devils (the British Army parachute display team) to come and give it a go. They really enjoyed it and said that they were surprised at how like the real thing it felt!”
“We have five existing games on ParadropVR Rize, all featuring at the RAF Museum – they include exploring environments ranging from the desert to the mountains to outer space.
“They are a great addition to a museum experience, offering visitors something different which has a high perceived value whilst allowing a quick throughput, making it suitable for busy and quieter times.”
More information on the museum and its latest experience can be found on the Royal Air Force Museum website.
