Water wings: Rock Falls owner of Midwest Flyboard taking his dream to the Dells

ROCK FALLS – If someone told you they could fly, you’d probably think their story didn’t hold water.

You might want to think again.

The story does hold water. In fact, it’s all about water, which is blasted through a pair of jet-propelled boots that can send someone soaring.

Ready for liftoff? Jeff Freas, 39, of Rock Falls, owner of Midwest Flyboard, can take you on a ride like no other.

“If you can stand up straight, you can fly,” Freas said. “Everyone’s said they love it, and it’s like nothing they’ve ever done. There’s no other feeling like it in the world.”

Freas’ hydro-powered and buoyant board hooks up to a jet ski that sends water snaking through the hose and out of the board. Riders lace up built-in boots, don the appropriate safety gear and a helmet with a built-in radio, and they’re off.

Once on the water, the jet ski acts like a water pump, pushing water through the hose to the board. The hose is about 75 feet long, and can go as high as 65 feet – nearly as high as a seven-story building – but don’t expect to go that high right away: It takes many hours of practice to maneuver successfully every few feet. No newbies get more than 4 or 5 feet in the air.

The instructor on the jet ski controls not just the ski, but how high the board can go up. The rider controls the direction: Bend toes down to move forward, and bend toes up to move backward; bend the left knee to move left, and the right knee to move right.

Once riders have mastered maneuvering at a certain height, they can go up another couple of feet.

Sometimes people have difficulty gauging how high up they are.

“Three feet feels real high,” Freas said. “You’ll be surprised how many people will be that high and say, ‘Man, that 10 feet up is getting real scary.’

‘Yeah, it does when you get up there, but you’re only at 3. ‘

‘Uh-uh, no way!’”

Not just anyone can operate the machinery: Freas is certified to do so, a process that took being trained by a professional in not only mechanics and maneuvering, but also CPR, first aid, wound care, and the ability to train other people to operate the gear.

The flyboard was invented in 2012 by Frank Zapata, a French watercraft pilot. Flyboards were featured on “America’s Got Talent,” and world championships have been conducted.

Freas saw flyboards in action a few years ago at Wisconsin Dells, and thought about running a business offering people some fly time.

At first, that plan didn’t pan out and Freas soon switched to barber school. The school closed when the pandemic hit, though, and he found himself thinking back to the flyboards.

He dipped his toe into the waters last summer, when he and a friend, Larry Dale, brought the boards to Moonlight Bay, between Sterling and Dixon on the Rock River.

When Moonlight Bay boaters saw the red and white jet ski with what looks like a tail in the water, they knew something cool was about to happen. Passers-by often stopped to watch the board and rider in action, and so they’ve made plenty of appearances on Snapchat and Facebook Live.

“As soon as you bring someone up in the air, they all just stop,” Dale said. “You see nothing but cameras and cell phones. On the weekends it’s free entertainment for all of the campers.”

The venture was such a big hit that now, as originally planned before COVID hit, Freas is taking the business to Lake Delton in the tourist-rich Dells.

As of June 1, and maybe even a little before, Midwest Flyboard will be based inside Dell’s House of Jerky, 515 Broadway Ave.

He’s not ruling out a return to the Sauk Valley in some form, though, depending on how business goes up north.

Midwest Flyboard will offer beginner and advanced lessons, with individual or group rates. He’ll take riders 12 and older, and everyone must sign a waiver before getting on the craft.

Freas is in the process of updating his Facebook page and getting a phone number, but in the meantime, you can contact him at dellsmidwestflyboard@gmail.com to learn more about the experience.

He can’t wait to get back on the water, and up in the air.

And to share the adventure.

“It’s fun,” Freas said.

“Anyone who comes and does it is happy. Nobody leaves mad. Everyone’s happy. The minute they come out of the water, they’re smiling ear to ear.”