LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – It was 1982 when Vegas Indoor Skydiving launched near the Strip. It is considered the oldest amusement attraction in Clark County, but on Saturday they will close their doors for good.
“I’ve flown a two-year-old and I’ve flown a 102-year-old,” Flight Instructor for Vegas Indoor Skydiving Sonny Aparicio shared.
He lives and breathes indoor skydiving. As an indoor flight instructor, he says he has seen it all. He also believes it’s considered a staple within the Las Vegas community.
“It’s the longest running attraction in all of Las Vegas and the atmosphere in this place is very friendly. We treat each other like we are family,” he said.
Owner Keith Fields says he is now closing a chapter to a life he’s lived for over 30 years as the facility is a part of his identity.
“We’re closing due to customer inactivity. We’ve slowed down and our facility is so old and expensive to run,” he shared with 8 News Now. “Repairs are costly with the power bill and so many other things, it’s a lot to handle with limited funds.”
In addition to the cost, Fields and others acknowledge that due to the evolution of technology and social media, what once was a soaring attraction, has now fallen by the wayside and they can’t keep up.
“Sadly, I don’t think people are into this as much anymore,” frequent customer, Fred Morledge shared.
People are looking at their phones and TVs, instead of going out there and doing these sorts of activities,” he added.
“It’s really sad that Las Vegas won’t have this institution anymore,” Morledge concluded.
As for what’s next? Fields hopes that property owner, The Siegel Group will keep his legacy alive and build a new ride of sorts for a newer generation.
“I don’t know what they are going to do with the property. I would hope they would put some sort of attraction and something else to do here,” Fields shared.
