Patrick Connolly: Flying turns from dream to reality while hydrofoiling on this Florida lake

ORLANDO, Fla. — For centuries, humans have experimented with flight in the form of large kites, hot-air balloons, gliders and, eventually, airplanes. Personally, I’ve taken many plane trips, tried hang-gliding and even went skydiving once.

But I’ve never gotten to glide over the water as effortlessly as I did the day I tried hydrofoiling for the first time. Jenny Wright, co-owner of Epic Paddle Adventures, and Epic guide Sunny Applegate joined me on a sunny Friday afternoon as we learned from the staff of Ski World Orlando. The venue for this adventure was Lake Ivanhoe, a destination with clear waters, abundant birds and plenty of fish despite its proximity to I-4.

Hydrofoiling involves riding on a board with a long fin and wings underneath; we were learning on self-propelled e-foils that use an electric motor and a handheld controller to manage the throttle. Using kinetic energy from underwater propulsion, riders can experience flight while gliding through the air without the resistance of the board, which does not touch the water’s surface once in motion.

Clint Vaughan, a service manager and waterskiing instructor at Ski World, drove the ski boat as we took turns trying two different Fliteboards with the guidance of foil instructor Rob Godber.

I first hopped on the Flitescooter, an inflatable board with handlebars for easy learning. With my feet next to each other and shoulder-width apart, I eased onto the throttle as the craft began to move slowly. As I got my balance, Rob encouraged me to dial up the speed setting until, almost by some miracle, the board began to lift its nose out of the water.

It was jarring at first to be hovering completely above the lake with just the wing and propeller left in the water, but I slowly got the hang of it, pushing the board up and down to find a level plane on top of the lake’s surface. I couldn’t tell exactly how far out of the water I was gliding, but the feeling was magnificent.

The scooter makes for an easy learning tool with the handlebars to hold onto. Godber said it’s a natural starting place to learn the “physics” of foiling, which certainly rang true. I was eager to level up, but not before watching my companions give foiling a whirl.

Applegate was tepid in hopping on the scooter, not wanting to fall in, but soon found herself cruising in small laps around the lake under the watchful eye of our instructor. Wright, who had a previous lesson with the Ski World team, hopped on the handleless solid board and rode it like an above-water surfboard around the lake, occasionally pushing the nose just a little too high and falling into the drink — all part of the process.

After drying off on the deck of the ski boat for a few minutes, soaking up the sun’s rays, I was eager to try the solid board. After a previous experience with a motorized JetSurf board at the Clermont Watersports Complex and a few laps at Central Florida’s wakeboarding cable parks, I felt my odds of success were fairly high.

Like a duck taking to the water, I found my footing quickly and stood on the Fliteboard with relative ease. First, I had to get the board moving and get to my knees, then stand up while in motion and dial up the speed to find the right amount of lift.

With a tailwind, the controller clocked my speed at around 15 mph, which feels fast when flying above the water. As I found my center of gravity and pumped my legs to maintain the ideal plane, I felt a wide grin spread across my face. With such little drag in the water, I glided effortlessly a foot or two above the surface.

On several occasions, the nose pushed up too high, and the board found its upper limit of lift, causing me to tumble into the water. But on such a sunny day, I didn’t mind going for a little swim.

While buying an e-foil board is cost-prohibitive (in the thousands of dollars), I relished every second of my lesson and experience flying above the water on Lake Ivanhoe.

If you go

Schedule an e-foil lesson with Ski World Orlando: $225 for one person or $299.95 for two people. For more information, visit skiworldorlando.com.