Parabolic flights create brief periods of weightlessness by executing a series of precise aircraft maneuvers. This technique allows researchers and participants to experience microgravity conditions without going to space.
Here's a breakdown of the process:
The Parabolic Maneuver: The flight path consists of repeated parabolic arcs, each divided into three main phases:
1. Pull-up:
• Duration: Approximately 20 seconds
• Action: The aircraft climbs at a 50-degree angle
• Effect: Passengers experience 1.8g (1.8 times Earth's gravity)
2. Parabola:
• Duration: 25-30 seconds
• Action: Engine thrust is reduced, and the aircraft follows a ballistic trajectory
• Effect: Weightlessness occurs as the aircraft and its contents are in free fall
3. Pull-out:
• Duration: About 20 seconds
• Action: The aircraft descends at about 40-degree angle, then levels off
• Effect: Passengers again experience 1.8g as the plane recovers
Additional Features:
A two-minute interval between maneuvers allows for preparation
Modified parabolas can simulate lunar (0.16g) or Martian (0.38g) gravity
These flights provide valuable opportunities for scientific research, technology testing, and educational experiences in a microgravity environment. The alternating periods of weightlessness and hypergravity offer unique conditions for a wide range of experiments and activities.
The Plane
Our Boeing 767-200, the largest and most modern zero G plane in North America. Our hover volume is the largest in the world, and has unique, patent pending, foldable seating arrangement, where the seats are leaned up against the walls allow maximization of cabin space for hovering.
GravityX provides the largest hovering volume per participates. The GravitX b767 has up 2.2 times more hover space than in a Zero-G b727 plane.
Safety
Zero-gravity flights are indeed safe. While parabolic flights differ from standard passenger transport flights in some respects, they adhere to the same rigorous FAA Part 121 safety standards as major commercial airlines.
Despite the seemingly extreme nature of parabolic maneuvers, they are conducted well within the normal flight envelope of the Boeing 767-200 and remain within safe g-force limits during climbs and descents. Zero-g flights on commercial aircraft have been performed for over 40 years with an impeccable safety record.
How Is It Compared to Parachuting
Imagine stepping aboard a wide-body jet, climbing to 30,000 ft above Earth, and then—without leaving the safety of your seatbelt—feeling gravity simply let go. That’s a Zero-GravityX flight. As the pilots ease the aircraft through a graceful parabolic arc, the plane, the cabin, and every passenger inside trace the same path a tossed coin would follow. For roughly 20 seconds at a time gravity’s pull disappears, and you’re free to drift, tumble, and glide as effortlessly as an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. There is no wind tearing at your clothes, no roar in your ears—only weightless silence and the thrill of moving in any direction with the gentlest push of a fingertip.
Skydiving tells a very different story. The moment you leave the aircraft you accelerate toward Earth at 9.8 m/s² until the rush of air builds to terminal velocity. What skydivers call “free fall” still feels like a lot of wind, and nosie: a 120 mph wall of wind pressing against your body, goggles rattling, altitude ticking down. Even indoor skydiving, while convenient and controlled, is powered by that same torrent of air. A vertical wind-tunnel keeps you aloft by blowing upward harder than gravity pulls you down; you’re continually balancing on a cfan-driven force, not floating in true 0 g.
Zero-GravityX replaces that struggle with pure liberation. Because the aircraft and everything in it are falling together, there’s no opposing force to fight—no straps, rigging, or instructor clipped to your harness. From your very first parabola you’re the pilot of your own body, free to perform slow-motion flips, create floating spheres of water, or link arms with friends for a mid-air group photo. And because you never exit the cabin, you avoid the edge-of-the-door nerves and the sight of the ground racing up to meet you; the experience is exhilarating, not intimidating.
In short, skydiving and wind-tunnel flying let you wrestle with gravity. A Zero-GravityX flight turns it off. It’s the closest thing on Earth to orbit—an unforgettable intersection of science, safety, and sheer child-like wonder, waiting for you at 30,000 feet.
VIDEO LIBRARY
Videos explaining and conveying the different aspects of zero gravity flights and experiences
The European Space Agency offered me a seat on their zero-g plane: it's an Airbus A310 that flies parabolic maneuvers, pulling ...
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Ever wondered how astronauts prepare for the weightlessness of space? In Bordeaux, France, our astronauts train for ...
Zero Gravity flight aboard a IL-76 MDK for tourists (Moscow). Zero G Flight - Parabolic Flight With The IL-76! The Zero-G flight with ..