wind tunnels!

[outofit 0]

this is a question for aff instructors. i am curious if u think a prospective aff student would benefit by having wind tunnel time? i am planning on doing aff later this month and was considering going to the tunnel beforehand.

It is better to be dead and cool than alive and uncool!

[MattM 0]

i had about 3 hours tunnel time before I took AFF, it helped me out quite a bit.

Matt

[Watcher 0]

Given enough time, and good coaching you could obtain a very good skill set that would help you emmensly through AFF. AFF though you still have to be altitude aware (very important) along with canopy flight. While Tunnel is an great tool, its not a substitute. And this comes from someone that is a really fond believer of tunnel especially for FS skills.

--

Jonathan Bartlett
D-24876
AFF-I

[Jib 0]

After failing AFF3 twice before the tunnel and being able to fly around after, I can definitely say YES!!

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the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[riddler 0]

Same here - failed level 3 twice. Went to wind tunnel. Came back and passed all remaining levels.

Can't wait for the new ones to be built.

[Shark 0]

Quote

i am curious if u think a prospective aff student would benefit by having wind tunnel time?

Yes!

Then go to Elsinore for your AFF training.

Shark
AFF-I

[pd190 0]

My wife decided that she wanted to jump AFF. Great I said, but she had only done two tandems and was scared out of her wits from those. Solution - take her to Pigeon Forge and put her in the tunnel.

So we took a four day vacation, spend about 2 hrs in the tunnel, first I let her work with one of the staff members. She didn't respond very well to him, so they let me work with her a bit. I had her hovering at two feet and doing 360's. It worked great!

The only problem was, when she did the actual jump, she let it freak her out. She was able to recover and eventually got through her AFF. She did a total of 18 jumps (9 AFF, and the rest two ways and solos) and then quit. She just wanted to do it.

Moral of the story, yes the wind tunnel can help! But combine the wind tunnel with a coach and it can give you a definate advantage. Nothing can replace the real thing, but items like tunnel time and a good coach definately help. Just my .02.

[andy2 0]

maybe the people above me are more knowledgeable (wait a sec, maybe!? DEFINITELY!) but my perspective is that you should do AFF, get your coach jumps, get your A, THEN hit the tunnel. That's what I plan to do and it seems like it will maximize my tunnel time, as I won't really need a coach then, but know what I have to do myself and do it. AFF isn't that hard, just concentrate, and you'll do fine, its really easy baby steps. But then again, I'm just a student, so maybe if you have cash to blow, go for the tunnel!

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let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[Jib 0]

Quote

maybe the people above me are more knowledgeable (wait a sec, maybe!? DEFINITELY!) but my perspective is that you should do AFF, get your coach jumps, get your A, THEN hit the tunnel. That's what I plan to do and it seems like it will maximize my tunnel time, as I won't really need a coach then, but know what I have to do myself and do it. AFF isn't that hard, just concentrate, and you'll do fine, its really easy baby steps. But then again, I'm just a student, so maybe if you have cash to blow, go for the tunnel!

Compare the cost of 10 minutes in the tunnel with failing a level, let alone twice.

--------------------------------------------------
the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[riggerrob 558]

andy2,
We disagree.
You may be bright enough to pass AFF, but the average student is overwhelmed.
Far wiser to break instruction down into small blocks that are easily digested.
Start in the wind tunnel to give them a feel for the wind, then a tandem to get them over their fear, then a few S/L or IADs from 3,000' to familiarize them with steering a parachute, then have the freefall instructors take them up to 10,000 feet to put it all together. After a few coach dives to polish their solo skills, they are ready to write the exam.

And as a PFF instructor, I would much rather correct body position in the low stress environment of a wind tunnel than the high-stress environment of freefall. Too bad we do not have a wind tunnel in Vancouver.
Sure the small-blocks of instruction require more jumps, but they result in fewer repeats.

[andy2 0]

I guess on average your plan is much easier to teach students to freefall, hell, I wish I could of got 1-2 hours of tunnel time before I first skydived. But my first skydive was my AFF level 1, and while it was nerve wracking, I'm glad (now after I have AFF finished) that I did it this way, cause I am on a tiiight budget. But I could see how someone would want to spend a little more money and have that security. Point taken.

---------------------------------------------
let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...