We Have Lift Off!
Bloomberg Businessweek|May 1 - May 7, 2017

IFly and the Rise of Indoor Sky Diving
 

Caroline Winter
We Have Lift Off!

Less than a month after getting married, Alan Metni sat down with his new bride, Meryl, and floated a question. He wanted to quit his lucrative job as a lawyer and train to make the decidedly nonlucrative U.S. sky-diving team. Then 26, he’d become obsessed with the sport, spending all of his free time, and about $20,000 annually, jumping out of planes. This might be his chance to go pro—was she on board? “Amazingly, she said yes,” recalls Metni, now 50. “My wife is really cool.” The couple sold their home and motorboat in Austin and eventually settled near a parachute drop zone in Eloy, Ariz.

For the next seven years, Metni got up at about 4 a.m., did two hours of cardio, stretching, and weights, then spent eight hours flying into the sky and hurtling back to earth, as many as 24 times a day. During off weeks, he worked odd jobs—as a freelance lawyer, a car repairman, and a sky-diving coach. Meryl worked at the drop zone, organizing jumps and controlling air traffic. “Recently, I asked my wife why she’d gone along with the whole crazy idea,” Metni says. “She said, ‘Look, I just knew you were going to make a lot of money somehow.’ ”

This story is from the May 1 - May 7, 2017 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 1 - May 7, 2017 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEKView All
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App

The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts

time-read
4 mins  |
March 13, 2023
Running in Circles
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Running in Circles

A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Bloomberg Businessweek US

What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort

Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
Bloomberg Businessweek US

How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto

The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
The Last-Mover Problem
Bloomberg Businessweek US

The Last-Mover Problem

A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Tick Tock, TikTok
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Tick Tock, TikTok

The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria

A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Pumping Heat in Hamburg

The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge

Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
New Money, New Problems
Bloomberg Businessweek US

New Money, New Problems

In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023