Kids Experience Weightless Flight

Eight-year-old boys dream of being superheroes -- flying high above the clouds with nothing to limit themselves but their imaginations. For young adventurer Danner Cronise, Zero Gravity Corporation (Zero-G) turned this dream into reality, enabling Danner to fly like Superman and enjoy 10-times more hang-time than the world's best basketball player -- all while making history as the youngest person ever to experience a weightless flight.

The folks at Zero-G -- the first and only FAA-approved provider of commercial weightless flights -- tell ANN Danner's adventure truly was a family affair, as he was joined by his father Ray, and older sisters Erin (10) and Alex (12). A NASA engineer for more than 15 years and a co-founder of Zero-G, Ray Cronise had a unique and personal reason for wanting to see his children enjoy weightlessness first hand. "It is awe inspiring to be able to take your kids on such a memorable experience. Being exposed to these kinds of adventures kindles curiosity and keeps them dreaming," said Ray.

Each of his three children had different reasons for loving their Zero-G experience. Danner said he loved being tossed like a ball across the plane cabin and was fascinated to see how droplets of water hovered in the air before his eyes during Zero gravity. On being the youngest person ever to experience a weightless flight, Danner said, "It makes me feel good and very lucky. The flight was so cool. I was floating and flipping, just like the astronauts in space." He added, "I showed my friends pictures and they all want to go now too. Can I do it again next week?"

Erin, an aspiring gymnast, said her favorite part was "being able to do a back flip without needing someone to spot me like in class; I felt like the best gymnast in the world! During one of the first weightless moments, I did a back handspring -- I was so excited!"

Alex, the eldest of the three, loved every moment and was especially amused when her coach told her to release a handful of M&M's into the air so she could watch them float before her and chase them down like PacMan. When asked if she would do it again, Alex responded, "Of course I would! It's the most fun thing ever that I have ever done -- more fun than Disneyworld!"

"The most important part about the Cronise's family adventure is that it underscores what is at the core of the Zero-G philosophy," said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, CEO and Co-Founder of Zero-G said. "We break the paradigm of this incredible sensation of floating being reserved for fairy tales or second-hand experiences and enable people to really fly and feel and see it first-hand. There is no comparison for the experience that Zero-G delivers -- it is pure exhilaration from the moment you arrive, throughout the flight, and lives on through many talks with others that have never been."

Zero-G offers the only commercial opportunity on Earth for individuals to experience true "weightlessness" without going to space. The Zero-G Experience consists of a brief training session for passengers followed by a 90-minute flight aboard G-Force One, the company's specially-modified Boeing 727. The flight includes 15 weightless parabolas that last approximately 30 seconds each and range from low-gravity environments typical of the moon (1/6 G) and Mars (1/3 G) to complete weightlessness. Zero-G notes it delivers twice the amount of weightless time achieved in a typical sub-orbital flight into space.

Weightless flight is an experience that few have tried... but those who have call it amazing and life-changing. Martha Stewart, Professor Stephen Hawking, Princess Beatrice of York, Amy Grant, Billy Bush, Burt Rutan, Miles O'Brien, and spacefarers Buzz Aldrin and Anousheh Ansari are but a few notable passengers who've flown with Zero-G.

That's some high-flying company for an eight-year-old...

FMI: www.gozerog.com