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AggieDave

Canopy WindTunnel

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We have freefall wind tunnels, but has anyone ever though of having a wind tunnel for canopies? Is this even possible or did I kill a few too many brain cells last night at the Dixie Chicken? :)AggieDave '02
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Blue Skies and Gig'em Ags!
BTHO t.u.

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AggieDave,
I'll start by saying I have VERY LITTLE information on this but I have heard of and have seen a picture of a canopy windtunnel that I'm 99% sure exists but only (so far) for the purpose of testing new canopies. (I'm totally not sure when I say this but I think it's Icarus that has this.) That is all I know about that but at least it answers your question that it can be done. I'd be willing to bet that with the emergence of more interest in canopy competitions, ext. that this is something that we will see in the future although maybe not the real near future.
MUCH LOVE AND BLUE SKIES!
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

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LMAO, remembering the look on the face of the "flyaway" windtunnel when I started talking about "pulling my reserve" if I got in trouble! He told me someone at the Las Vegas flyaway did this accidentally and well you can imagine the result of this. 1 skydiver moves rapidly to the top of the tunnel, then stops just as suddenly.
Ouch!
Frogger

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PS....speaking of weird wind-tunnels....did you know there are portable wind-tunnels??? I didn't. A guy that works at the windtunnel here was telling me about them. He said it costs an arm and a leg but if you've got millions (which I'm sure none of us have but it's still cool to know it exits) that it's possible to have a windtunnel in your own backyard? Crazy, huh? :)Much love and blue skies!
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

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"Flyaway" is the company that runs the tunnels in Vegas and Pigeon Forge Tennessee.
Their website is http://www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com/index1.htm.
Great people. Helped cure me of my chipping problem while I was on student status. My instructor was amazed when I came back.
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Blue Skies!
Zennie
Edited by Zennie on 3/5/01 12:55 PM.

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Quote

pulling my reserve" if I got in trouble! He told me someone at the Las Vegas flyaway did this accidentally and well you can imagine the result of this

Thank you for the "flyaway" clear-up but I'm still confused as to why someone was wearing a rig in the windtunnel. Is this done often as actual practice w/ your gear on or something?
Much love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

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I assume that this guy wanted to see how he flew w/ his rig on, or something like that. As I said, I got this 2nd or 3rd hand and was way too busy laughing about it to ask for details. It didn't really seem that important since there were no rigs around.
Blues,
Frogger

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I think that there are wind tunnels for canopies, but they are only for testing. I know that they use a wind tunnel that is typically used to test aircraft wings so they can test wing suits. They are ridiculously expensive though. Something like 10k a day if I remember correctly.

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Yea, Icarus has a wind tunnel for testing their canopies.. If you go to their website, then click Technological Superiority, it mentions it there.. I think that most canopy manufacturers use wind tunnels, but Icarus owns theirs.. Hell, anyone can rent a wind tunnel...if you can afford it..
Mike

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Well I guess now I can talk about it since the team has disbanded and the project is just about dead....going to send out emails later this week and let everyone know.

My friends from my EMBA class and I formed a management team to build a 4m / 5m tunnel here in NJ just outside of NYC. We had found a nice plot of land overlooking Manhattan, priced it out and even found a tunnel manufacturer who provided some amazing information (not at liberty to discuss this one).

And (drum roll please) we ran the numbers and we were going to charge $20/min ($5 less per min than Skyventure) and be in the black in 5 years with 70% occupancy.

It would have been the most amazing tunnel the world had ever seen. Imagine flying / training /goofing off in a tunnel that overlooked NYC! Imagine it at night! We even talked to an architect friend of mine and had a sketch where by the building would have one entire wall made of lexan and at night you could turn down the lights and see NYC!

The thought was to build it, show good profits for the first two and a half years and then expand to have roof top bar called "Club Sky" who's signature drink would be "Dirty Sky Martinis"

We were working on finding financing for the project when the Xanadu center woke back up and they declared that they would have 2 2m / 3m tunnels. And well you just compete against that one so it's a dead project for the moment.

But it would have been amazing! And it almost got off the ground.
[:/]

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

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