60 minutes of tunnel time may seem like it is equivalent to 60 skydives.. it is actually more that that. usually you are in teh tunnel for 2-3 minute increments, divided up between other camp participants. between flights, you debreif, go over video, etc et. tunnel is invaluable and is an incredible learning tool. If you are looking for a camp, try an airspeed one or one organized by deland majik.
I haven't been in a tunnel yet. Hoping to get down there with Pat McGowan in the spring if he puts the camp he was talking about together. My boss was just down there and raved about it - she was working on the mantis position and made major improvements in her body position while there (she has over 6k jumps btw...).
And Eliana Rodriguez (sp??) has loads of tunnel time, which probably helped alot in securing her the first ever female slot on Airspeed at less than 1000 jumps...
If I could afford it I'd already have been there! I don't think it would be a waste of money for any level RW jumper to attend an Airspeed tunnel camp.
Where could I find some information on a camp? Prices, location etc. I was going to fly down to Vegas for a few turns at Fly Away, however an hour or so in a tunnel sounds much more beneficial.
There are huge differences in tunnels too. Flyaway in vegas and Tennessee are pushers. A huge engine in the floor spins a prop (A DC-3 ) and that generates wind to lift you. Since the prop is only 5-7 feet across, thats all the larger the wind shaft is. If your body exits the wind shaft, you fall. At Tennesse and vegas, they put other jumpers/whuffos in the area next to the wind shaft and you have to avoind them when you fall. Skyventure in Orlando is the state of the art right now. Its got i believe 5 fans in the ceiling that generate the winds to keep you aloft. The wind here is wall to wall and smooth. No falling off the bubble into a large crowd. I've seen 4 way and a coach on video in Orlandos tunnel. 2-3 is the most that Vegas can hold without pushing each other off the bubble. Disclaimer, I've never been in the tunnel flying, just went and watched the one in Vegas and Tennessee.
I want to touch the sky, I want to fly so high ~ Sonique
ive been to skyventure(when my collarbone was broken) i needed to play , it wasnt for a camp. but i'm loking forward to going to vegas. ill live right there. once i get set up any time ANY of you need a place, you got it. i cant wait to be there. i found some info on stuuf there it should be a very UNboring time. hope fully ill win some $$ and jump for free...hahah
My partner and I went to SkyVenture. It was the best money I think I've spent for training! We both had 40 min over 8 sessions. What am incredible tool to fine tune RW. It brought to my attention problems I never realized were there. (my flying was really sloppy). Down side: I don't think it's a great tool for freefly training. Head down was impossible and it was tough getting into a sit.
Skydiving is not a static excercise with discrete predictability...
If you see in the november issue of Parashutist, in their article of the Skyventure tunnel, there is a picture of 2 headdowners in the tunnel. It might be hard but not impossible
Skydiving is not a sport, it is a way of life! Omar B-24801
you could (and should) consider other coaching options in the tunnel. Doug Park, Joey Jones, Shannon Pilcher et al, have an incredible amount of tunnel time and were using it as a teaching tool right after it opened. compare what you get with them vs. airspeed. you may be pleasantly surprised. I'm lucky enough to have 20+ hours in there (it's a guess, but fairly accurate) -- it is an EXCELLENT learning tool. Coaches get in there and can change body position (yours) and demonstate correct mechanics, and you get tons of repetition building muscle memory. caution -- you will get sore in the ol' pectorals if you're in there a lot, you may want to do push ups and the like to get ready for it.
depending on the speed of the air (if it's cooler out it's faster), you can do all sorts of stuff, sit, tee's, back fly, etc. I have seen someone get their head stuck in teh netting though (it was funny)
I went to SkyVenture in Orlando last June for the "Touch of Magic" tunnel skills camp. Prior to that I was having major problems with instability in freefall. In the tunnel you don't have to worry about altitude ... you can concentrate fully on what various body movements do against the wind.
The only problem I had was in losing one of my earplugs ... the noise is incredible!
My coaches were great and the tunnel personnel are very friendly. It ain't cheap ... but it's worth it! Go for it!
I fortunately was able to attend Airspeeds 6 day "mega camp" this past Nov 1-6. IT WAS AWESOME!!! It in all reality is just 2 3day camps put together, no more and no less. But trust me, thats a good thing, I'll explain why later. First of all I'd reccommend the airspeed camp to anyone for 3 reasons 1) Its like having Michael Jordan teaching you how to play basketball 2) The instructors not only are world champions they are the friendliest most down to earth group of people you could ever care to meet. And thier teaching abilities were awesome! 3) The confidence that you have when you jump back into real skydiving is phenomenal.
In the camp, you work on a lot of different aspects of the skydive, from body position to actual mechanics of movement, super positioning, fall rate adjustments, etc. This course is perfect for anyone interested in RW or AFF instructor. Since you're asking Airspeed to teach you, several of the lessons are dedicated to RW, but even if that's not your thing, the skills easily translate to other disciplines in skydiving.
I mentioned the 6 day vs. the 3 day camp. Its all about learning curves baby. I'm naturally thick headed. So I found myself making major and I do mean MAJOR breakthroughs in the 5th day. Not to say that I wasnt better by magnitudes on the 3rd day, but still, I'm very glad that I went to the second camp.
I guess I should shut up. If I took the time to tell you all the good points and what I learned, it'd be too much, but I'll happily answer any questions ya'll might have. The syllabus is posted on www.tunnelcamp.com
3 quick examples and I'll shut up
1) A 14 year old kid who never jumped learened all the skills necessary to pass the flying portions of the AFF course in 2 days and polished it on the 3rd (he's from Germany, not sure if he can jump when he gets back home)
2) Me... went in with 120ish jumps. I've done numerous RW jumps since coming home and everyone is amazed at the improvement
3) The 14 year old kids dad. Had 2200 jumps coming in. He looked great to begin with and 3 days later, he looked like he should be competing
