What do you think about flying at different tunnels and wind speeds?

[Paige 0]

I think it is a great idea
General over all view on different wind speeds:
What you fly the most is what you will be used to and best at. That doesn't mean you shouldn't branch out and try to expand your flying further. Don't get stuck in a rut, go have different experiences, learn new things, meet new people, and go to amazing places. Be an overall flyer as much as possible. I know that's what I'm working for, hopefully one day I'll be there. I think I'll make it

Here's are some of my GREAT experiences and what I have learned in my travels through different airspeeds and tunnels.

1. Fly Away Las Vegas- I took my first flight there and didn't have a clue but it was great!

Equip w/: Padded walls outside the air column. Trampaline like metal net.

After I had amassed ~15hrs. at SVO I revisted Las Vegas and had a blast flying there! Keith the owner is top notch and took such good care of us. We owe him big time, I can't wait to get out there with Barbie and some girlies. Flying the big suits is a neat experience everyone should check out. Sit flying in there was tough but sooo much fun. Slade and Seth cranked the fans all the way and hoped in there for a flight with Ari and I
Talk about a great time, they stayed 2 hrs. late to fly with us in cooler air. The staff are awesome flyers and people, Mike gave us a ride back to our hotel so we didn't have to pay for a cab or walk!

***Definitely a must visit in my book! Who can't use a little Vegas action?


2. AAC- After our second Las Vegas trip, Ari and I hit up AAC.

Equip w/: NO WALLS http://www.verticalwind.com/vertsep2.html That beats walls any day, hands down!
John and Dawn Suiter played host to us for our weekend. The place and people are amazing to say the least. The L1 tunnel is an incredible engineering feat. The tunnel is so quite you don't need ear plugs with your helmet. I'd suggest one for longer flight periods, but that was just my preference.

The air was so even and clean to fly. Being so different than SkyVenture with no walls, working on keeping a point of reference was tough but with time got easier (again going back to what you are familiar with and fly the most- I need sooooo much more time in there).

I didn't get to fly as much as I'd like because of my hip I think next time I visit, I'll fly up instead of taking the car. The ride killed my plates and screws. Speaking of car ride, the view during the day is breath taking. I miss hills and fall so bad. It was great to get a little bit of that back and even better to get to fly in it.

***Definitely a must visit in my book! You won't find a more beautiful view.


3. SkyVenture Orlando- My home tunnel.

Equip w/: walls, 136mph for freeflying winds, and a staff of AMAZING flyers. Great freefly and belly coaches.

I have great things to say about Ron and the SVO staff. They have been big supporters of the Pink Mafia Tunnel Sisters by allowing us to take Barbie in the tunnel. If you know SV it's not so easy to take stuff in there. They don't allow cameras in the flight chamber unless someone is holding it the whole time (I think it's usually preferred if all they do is take pictures).

The air is super clean and great for freeflying. I like my walls for flying but it does stink of sunny days. If any of you have flown with me at SkyVenture, you know how much I love the tunnel, what it has to offer, the people, and everything about it. If not, now you know.

Wait, if not why haven't you gotten down here yet???????

***Definitely a must visit in my book!

4. FlyAway Pigeon Forge- Similar to the Vegas tunnel but I think it is capable of higher airspeeds than FlyAway Las Vegas. I found


How Flying These Different Tunnels Helped Me At My Home Tunnel:

When inducting the Fox Force 4 girls, I flew well in the slower air speeds for the girls on their bellies. This NEVER would have been possible had I only flown a SkyVenture tunnel. Being an overall flyer is an important goal of my tunnel flying, is it a part of yours?

Get out there, see what bodyflight has to offer you. No matter your skill level or geographical location, head out to these tunnels and show your support for our sport and love of bodyflight. Improve your flight skills in may different conditions and experience new things. Learn, always learn, never stop learning.

***Definitely a must visit in my book!

I prefer the SVO tunnel for the simple fact that it is 30-45min. away from me. If the other tunnels were closer, you bet I'd be splitting my time more equally to be a better overall flyer.

I can't wait to get a chance to head over to Bedford

Please pardon typos, it's been a long week and weekend.

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[TunnelRat 0]

Interesting comparison of tunnels. It's nice to hear another flyers opinion of the different facilities.

Anyone who has flown with John Suiter knows it's not the facility but the experience and ability to feel the wind that matters. John is proof of what a "Calibrated Flyer" can do in ANY tunnel. The skills you learn at one facility will help but may not apply to another. Sounds like you're on your way to becoming a calibrated flyer yourself.

Looking forward to all the PMTS hotties visiting us in Vegas.

[Paige 0]

I just want to have good times, with good people, and be able to fly reasonably well at all the tunnels I visit, esp. now that I'm not jumping.

My perspective on tunnels is of course sckewed to the one I fly the most and my lack of experience. I'm still so new and learning so much, my tunnel goals are to have fun and to learn or improve on one skill each time I am in there. I just thought people could learn something from what I have been through and thought someone might be wondering how the other tunnels were.

I have to say each experience is unique and take it for what it is, a great time, a new place, a chance to make new friends and meet new people. Learn from it, become an overall flyer and friend. I think if you are a good flyer, you should be able to adapt, learn, and grow in different environments. I hope I get the opportunity to do just that. I am thankful to have met great people like you Dawn and John, Phil, and the SVO peeps. I tell everyone to go visit any tunnel, any time they are near one. I usually figure out how long of a trip to and from the tunnel it is so they have no excuse not go to if it is close

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

Keith.. we gotta work on that avatar of yours!

I have flown 6 tunnels.. off an on for years now.. I have assisted with the operation and setup of at least 4 different facilities and have amassed a bit of time myself..

Here's how I look at it..
For 23+ years.. both Flyaways & later Ft. Bragg too have been training champion tunnelrats, skydivers & teams.. freeflying in the tunnel expanded skydiving. I learned to fly in an outdoor portable.. not my preferred tunnel by any means, contrary to the "what you learn" sentiment.. My skills translated immediately from Powerflyte, to Orlando, to Lifted Entertainment, to Flyaway & Adren-l-n.. but I didn't visit another tunnel until I had about 5 hours of solid flying under my wings. I was taught by the 'old school' flyers who made you work your way up with trial and error, they never let you advance too quickly and you must have mastered one skill before adding another.. I had to learn to fly each tunnel in 4 different suits, usually different sizes different airspeeds.. I had to learn to fly with no arms, one arm, no legs, legs crossed, eyes closed.. etc. Saftey procedures were the first few hours and until I could fly with my eyes closed.. I NEVER felt that comfortable!!! Incidentally, I'm solid.. in the sky, and in the tunnel.. it doesn't matter. These skills seem to be practiced very little these days and it makes me wonder about the "depth" of instruction out there at other tunnels.. but really, it only matters what your trying to learn.. if your trying to become a better tunnel rat.. those are skills, that in my opinion are required.

I figure that if you NEED ANYTHING BUT AIR to fly.. then that means that you need to learn to fly better.. if you can't fly comfortably in all the tunnels.. then your not really flyin yet.. Once you can perform in all of the environments.. then your on your way to really understanding it! By that time though.. you've learned that airpseed does not equal skill and skill allows you to perform better at slower airspeed.

If I could teach everyone one thing.. it would be how to fly BIGGER.. not smaller.. It KILLS me to see anyone with weights on in the tunnel.. seems like the others in the group could learn to fly bigger..

So..in the end I say.. if you don't fly other tunnels.. your missing out on a way to enhance your skills! if you just fly your local tunnel and don't travel.. then your missing out on alot.

I won't list off all the tunnels and give user comments.. there's too much info & comments on my site like that..

BUT my Favorite Tunnels to fly in are:
Appalachian Amusement Center (the cleanest & only quiet tunnel we moved from Florida to be closer)
Flyaway Indoor Skydiving (with over 20 years experience they really have great coaching & an understanding of how different people fly)
& Lifted Entertainment (the fastest portable VWT I've been in, that is still operating anyway)

FYI SVO would come in 4th but the lights & the noise really get to me.. I have heard though that it's been made quieter so I'll be glad to check that out soon!

Pink Suits,
Dawn Suiter PMTS #3

[NeedToJump 0]

I've just started getting out and flying more than one tunnel and I absolutely love it! It's all about meeting new people and having fun
1) SkyVenture Orlando
My home tunnel is SkyVenture Orlando which is by far my favorite tunnel. The staff there has done so much for me and my flying. A HUGE thank you to ALL the staff out there for everything they've done
I started flying in SVO before they had the motor upgrades so the max speed was about 120mph. We wore the big, baggy suits and needed to find every bit of lift we could to freefly. I got used to flying with a lot of drag.

Once the fans were upgraded and I was becoming a better flyer, I started flying with a smaller suit and flying my body more than the suit. It was very different at first, but I found it to be much more beneficial to my flying. I find that high wind speeds and a smaller amount of drag results in the ability the fly more precisely and inputs are much more responsive. I also love the walls at SVO for playing on, using for reference and for coaching.


2) Flyaway Las Vegas
I first flew in this tunnel when I was about 12 for 2 minutes, but have no insight on it from then. I revisited this tunnel a couple month ago when Paige and I went out to Vegas for a business trip. I had a BLAST out there! The staff out there is phenomenal and treated us extremely well. The first night we went they stayed open late for us, and on our last day of the trip they opened up early for us. THANK YOU KEITH!!! Thank you to the rest of the staff out there as well, you guys all rock!
The first time I jumped into the air I fell right out It took a bit of getting used to, but once I had been in there a few times and got up to one of the biggest suits I was able to fly. The air flow in there is like a cone and has turbulence passing through. I really liked being able to fly completely out of the air and then jump off the wall and back in.

I found Flyaway LV extremely hard to fly during the day time and extremely tiring due to the heat. The cool morning air was great though. I would not hesitate to go back there or recommend it to anyone, but I would suggest going first thing in the morning.


3) AAC
By far the most incredible view of any tunnel I've seen. It was great watching people fly outside with no walls and seeing the most beautiful scenery in the background. Thank you Dawn and John Suiter sooo much for having Paige and me up there and for your wonderful hosting
Flying-wise I found this tunnel to be similar to the old SVO (before the motor upgrade.) The tunnel is able to operate at very high wind speeds, but the fastest I got was mid 120s.

I found it very hard to get used to flying without walls since I no longer had references that I was used to. It took at least 20-30 minutes before I didn't have to stare straight down the entire time to stay in the air and about an hour or so before I felt comfortable flying. I definitely think that it would be easier next time since I know what to expect.

The air in the tunnel was extremely consistent from the net to as high as I felt comfortable going. No matter where in airflow I was, it all felt the same. You are either in the air or out, there was no "mushy" air. I would highly recommend this tunnel to anyone.


4) Flyaway Pigeon Forge
Again, thank you Dawn and John for bring us here
I found this Flyaway to be similar to Vegas, but with a smaller air column and less airspeed. I still had a TON of fun. The staff here was great as well. Thanks guys

Those are all the tunnels I've been to that I can comment on. I was also at the Aerodium outdoor tunnel in New Jersey for about 5 minutes when I was maybe 8 years old, but didn't know enough then to be able to comment on it.

As I said earlier, my favorite tunnel is definitely SkyVenture Orlando, but I have about 100 hours of time in there and it's only 45 minutes from where I live so I'm sure I'm a bit biased I've had a great time flying at all the tunnels I've been to and would not hesitate to go back to any of them. They are all different to fly in, but all have a lot to offer if you're willing to learn. Go in without expectations and just have fun!

Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

[Paige 0]

I'm going to finish and make sense of my post. I hate when life gets in the way. As I was saying....

FlyAway Pigeon Forge, TN.

I only flew a short while when I was there. We hit it up on our way home to SVO. People we visited with said that the air speed is faster than the Las Vegas tunnel, but I didn't find that to be the case. I had an easier time flying in the Vegas tunnel but I also had more time in there.

The fans could produce the same air, I may not have gotten all the air speed, etc. I'm just stating my experiences and opinions of what each experience was like FOR ME.

I would love to go back and actually fly the tunnel some more. As I stated, I think being an overall flyer is very important and what I'm striving to achieve through my flying.

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com