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source: mercurynews.com

First commercial weightless flights take off from Moffett Field

Looking to lose a few pounds? How about all of them for 90 minutes, at least. Zero Gravity Corporation, the only commercial company federally approved to offer weightless flights, arrived on the Peninsula this weekend after receiving permission from NASA last month to fly from its Mountain View facility, Moffett Federal Airfield. On board for the company's first flight from Moffett Field on Saturday was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his fiancee Jennifer Siebel, who were guests of a client chartering a private flight, Zero Gravity spokesman Noah McMahon said. Newsom attended "because he wanted to experience weightlessness," McMahon said. "It's the only way to do it without going to space." The mayor was not available for comment Monday. The Las Vegas-based company's expansion into the Bay Area was prompted by both customer demands and a new agreement with NASA, McMahon said. Under the contract, signed last month, Zero Gravity will be performing flights for NASA astronaut training at its centers in Houston, Texas and Cleveland, Ohio, according to a company statement. The agreement also paved the way for the company to use NASA runways and facilities for flights elsewhere, including Moffett Field, McMahon said. "The same aircraft that guests use is that which NASA will be using to train astronauts and do experiments," McMahon said. Before this weekend, the company had occasionally chartered flights from San Jose International Airport for local companies including Hewlett-Packard, Google and Intel, McMahon said. But flying from the San Jose airport lacked the authenticity of using the NASA facility, he said. So to capitalize on local interest, the company plans to hold regular public flights from Moffett Field roughly once every other month. "We have quite a few customers that came in from the Bay Area to fly on other flights, so it makes sense to take the airplane to them," McMahon said. Zero Gravity has been offering commercial weightless flights since October 2004 and has hosted such amateur astronauts as Martha Stewart, Stephen Hawking and cast members of "The Apprentice" and "The Biggest Loser," as well as actual astronauts including Buzz Aldrin, according to its Web site. The sensation of weightlessness is created through "parabolic flight maneuvers," a controlled ascent and descent that reduces gravity on "G-Force One," a specially modified Boeing 727-200 airplane, complete with padded walls and floors, according to the company. The company's prices may lop a little weight off fliers' pocketbooks as well. A seat on a chartered 90-minute flight rings up at $3,500, including training with a professional astronaut, a flight suit, photos and a DVD of the experience, and an after-party, according to a company e-mail sent on Monday. Still, Santa Clara County Airport Commission Chair Bob Lenox predicted the company would find local enthusiasts. "There's a lot of would-be astronauts out there," Lenox said. "I think it will appeal to a lot of geeks like me." The company's next public flight from Moffett Field will be on July 12.