Model Kim Alexis; WUSA's Heather Mitts; and NFL's Feeley (Miami
Dolphins), Farmer Take a Trip to Weightlessness During Pre-Super
Bowl Flight in Jacksonville With Diet Rite And Zero-G --- And ANN
Was on Board!
ANN Editor-In-Chief Jim
Campbell had a REALLY tough gig this past weekend as he was on
board (as usual) for the latest flight of Zero G Corporation's "G
Force One."
This Saturday, February 5, 2005, WUSA's Philadelphia Charge's
Heather Mitts; Miami Dolphins Quarterback A.J. Feeley; and NFL free
agent Danny Farmer took up the Go For Zero challenge as the first
professional athletes to test their might in zero gravity by taking
The ZERO-G Experience. For the first time in professional sports,
these NFL players dropped their weight down to zero, performed
mid-air flips and spins, soared like Superman, and attempted a
friendly scrimmage in conditions that mimic those of Mars or the
Moon. The athletes were joined by Supermodel Kim Alexis and were
photographed by ANN's Jim Campbell who is becoming one of the
most experienced Zero G photographers on (or off) the world.
The flight took off from Jacksonville International Airport's
private jet facility at 10:45am, and touched down at approximately
12:20pm. Highlights of the flight included mid-air tackles,
interceptions and passes, as well as plenty of flips and spins.
After the flight, which ran 12 parabolic flight patterns in just
under 90 minutes, athletic couple Feeley and Mitts said, "Flying on
the ZERO-G/Diet Rite weightless flight was almost as much fun as
winning the Olympic Gold Medal," said Mitts. "ZERO-G is definitely
the hottest ticket in South Florida," added Feeley.
Said Alexis, "The Go For Zero flight was an amazing experience -
I can't wait to try it again! I strutted poses that I could never
do on a runway."
Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G), which regularly operated out
of Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, is the first
and only FAA-approved weightless flight experience, and Diet Rite,
turned the brawn and brute of some of the NFL's top players into
astronauts for a day by taking them on a trip to weightlessness. As
the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles counted down to
Super Bowl XXXIX, these NFL players took a step into history in a
manner very few have had the privilege to do, and became the first
professional athletes to experience what was once only available to
astronauts training for a trip into space.
"We are delighted that A.J. Feeley, Danny Farmer, Heather Mitts
and Kim Alexis joined us in Go For Zero," said Peter Diamandis, CEO
and Cofounder of Zero Gravity Corporation. "ZERO-G's mission is to
bring the excitement and adventure of space exploration to the
general public in a safe, fun and affordable way. Whether you are a
15-year-old aspiring athlete, or a 300-plus pound linebacker,
everyone now has the opportunity to experience the marvel of
weightless flight and the thrill of zero."
The ZERO-G Experience is a full-day program led by veteran NASA
administrators and astronauts. Each Flyer (the customer)
experiences Martian (1/3 g), Lunar (1/6 g) and zero-gravity
conditions inside a specially modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft,
known as G-FORCE ONE, the official plane of ZERO-G. G-FORCE ONE
flies in a parabolic flight pattern, similar to a 10,000-foot
"roller coaster" at between 22,000 and 32,000 feet (altitude) in
the air. The parabolic flight patterns temporarily counteract
Earth's gravity, thereby creating prolonged weightlessness giving
flyers the opportunity to experience what it feels like to float in
space.
The ZERO-G Experience consisted of a pre-flight training and
briefing program, beginning at the Courtyard Jacksonville Airport
Northeast, followed by the weightless flight, which took place out
of Signature Flight Support at Jacksonville International
Airport.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.02.24)
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