riddler 0 #1 October 10, 2005 I've been in the tunnels enough to know that a good coach is required for learning. If you really want to improve, you've got to have someone in there to show you what you're doing right and wrong and how to improve. Sadly, we no longer have our (amazing) coach in Orlando, so I'm always on the lookout for a new RW coach. But I'm pretty amazed at the going rates for tunnel coaches (prices advertised October 2005). Comparing standard block hours at the various Skyventure tunnels, vs. hourly rates with coaching, I come up with: Location | Block Hour | Coached Hour (per person, peak) | Coach Rate (per person) Eloy $750 $950 $200 / hour Perris $725 $1040 (1 flyer) $315 / hour $ 850 (4 flyers, 2 coaches) $250 / hour Orlando $700 Not Advertised ?? ($50 for 10,15,30 min) I'm sure the rates are a supply/demand thing. But do tunnel coaches really make $200-$300 per hour? Does the tunnel take a commission from coaching?Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paige 0 #2 October 10, 2005 Orlando coaching prices from non-tunnel employees are usually $75 for 15-20 minutes. Check out Got Tunnel for info on SkyVenture's new pricing and coaching rates.Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate www.TunnelPinkMafia.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlexJ 1 #3 October 10, 2005 I would be sure to check how the hour is flown and charged. An hour of coaching time may very well be flown in 4 sessions of 15 min each but still requires you and the coach to be in the chamber for an hour each time. That's 4 hours effectively of coach time. The rates advertised may be for a single hour session, but then you could surely split that with other flyers interested in learning similar skills. Rates are always negotiable, and remember that coaches sometimes have added benefits if they book the hours for you, so there is certainly some negotiation room. I have never know of a top level coach to try and sell services that were not of value to the flyers. This is an ethical sport and while the coaches have to put food on the table, they are always fair and usually open to discussion on the rates issue. World class FS competitors coaching should be paid more than tunnel specific instructors in my opinion. They could be making good money coaching a team on a dropzone somewhere. I would imagine that for DZ's with tunnels on site such as Eloy and Perris that $200 to $300 per hour is very steep though. 4-way teams could each chip in the cost of a jump ticket or so and pay a coach $100 per hour without breaking the bank which seems very fair. Hopefully someone will respond with the specific hourly rates. Camp rates are something alltogether different since you get dedicated attention for a period of 2 or 3 days. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paige 0 #4 October 10, 2005 ::From the Got Tunnel link:: This is the latest we have from SVO. Their prices have changed as of October 1st so their coaching charges may have increased too. Next time I'm there (Friday) I'll check and post up for you. As of now SkyVenture Orlando says.... Coaching Package: $50 additional charge (For a 10, 15 or 30 minute flight session). Includes: Flight session prep, Coaching in tunnel during session, Follow up debreif of your flight session on DVD - DVD is yours to keep. Outside coaches from local dropzones can range in price: FREE up to $75 for 15 minutes.Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate www.TunnelPinkMafia.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #5 October 10, 2005 no idea how your coming up with the rates for eloy.. but based on my experience your numbers are WAY high ...____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #6 October 10, 2005 You're looking a Tunnel Provided coaching. Setting up independant coaching can be more cost effective, especialy if you set up a package...... it's all about networking.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #7 October 11, 2005 Quote no idea how your coming up with the rates for eloy.. but based on my experience your numbers are WAY high ... The numbers are based on their advertised rates. Hourly block time (peak): http://www.skyventureaz.com/pages/exp_rates.html: $750 Coaching Rates: From http://www.skyventureaz.com/pages/exp_coaches.html QuoteTHE ARIZONA TRAINING CENTER ... TUNNEL TIME RATES: (price includes time and instruction) 10 min: $180 15 min: $270 30 min: $485 1 hr: $925-$950 peak hours How much did you pay? Did you use a coach that was given to you, or was it a friend of yours? I've heard that friends are usually cheaper. Edit to fix clicky.Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #8 October 12, 2005 I used to charge 100 an hour in Orlando."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,384 #9 October 13, 2005 Damn! I get better rates from the girls in downtown Denver!"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
okalb 78 #10 October 13, 2005 If you're looking for RW coaching at SVO, check out www.tunnelcoach.com. RW coaching is provided by Sally Hathaway, who's won 2 golds and a bronze medal at the last 3 World Meets as a member of Synchronicity. Sally's also the most experienced and senior AFF instructor we have at Skydive City in Zhills. If you or your team needs coaching, she's a great choice. You can't beat someone who teaches skydiving for a full-time living IMHO. Rates & schedule can be found on the website, but generally, you're looking at $205.00 for 15 minutes of flight time, including one on one coaching, pre & post debrief, etc etc. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more info & prices.Time flies like an arrow....fruit flies like a banana Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #11 October 14, 2005 Chromy's fantastic too. And if you have a big group, he always bring in extra top notch coaches. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #12 October 31, 2005 Don't go turning this thread into an open-solicitation advertisement, please people. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKFSChick 0 #13 October 31, 2005 Good post. My team and I paid $100 to Pat McGowan at Perris for an hour of time, but as you say, that was literally an hour where he came in and flew with us, then left, rather than an all-day thing such as a camp. You have to be sure you compare apples with apples. Normally we hire our coach (Dan BC) for the whole day to do ground coaching too, so the thing with Pat was a one-off - but I think as one-offs go that was reasonable and seems to be the going rate (if it's what Ron charges at Orlando too). Coaches in general need to make their daily coaching fee of at least $250 - $500 (depending on if you are a regular/ local team). This means doing camps can work out really cost-effective compared to just hiring someone on a one-off basis. If, as a solo flyer, I hired a top FS coach for an hour of solid one-on-one tunnel flying over 2 days, flying 30 mins each day, with briefing/ debriefing in between, I'd be paying (if we take Perris rates) $700 for the 1 hr of time, plus minimum $350 per day for his/ her fee. I say 'minimum' because tunnel coaching of that intensity can be much more demanding on a coach than coaching 4-way from the ground all day, so you could expect to pay $450 - $500. So my total costs would be at least $700 + $450 + $450 = $1600 for one hour coached over 2 days. However when I did a similar thing as part of a camp at Perris (Gary Beyer/ Mark Kirkby) it was $975 for one hour coached over 2 days. That gives me a daily rate of $137.50 ($975 - $700 = $275/ 2 = $137.50) payable to the coach. Other similar camps charge more, but I'd say this is a fair rate for this type of coaching. So sharing the daily rate with the other campers saves you $$, and you get more value than just hiring the coach for a solid hour - since you have their dedicated attention over 2 full days. I guess the main thing when trying to compare prices is make sure you are looking at the same thing - it's variable depending on: - quality of coaching - total amount of time you receive from the coach - in air and on ground - how much time you want to buy - with bulk buying obviously giving you better rates. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
