New to tunnels. Need info

[op5e 0]

Hi all,

I have been browsing this forum for a little while, however I still have a few questions. More than likely I just missed the posts and if this is the case please feel free to tell me to search more.

1. Is there anywhere that has an easy table to look up prices.
2. When I have so little experience will a top coach really help.
3. How many hours should you do solo for.
4. Is there a minimum number of hours till, 4 ways
5. Is there a minimum number of hours till, ff
6. If I was there for 1-2 weeks whats the max # of hours I should aim at.

Are there any other tips or tricks. Like 2 hours on 1 day off. Or is there any tips like 1 hour coach, 2 hours solo. Any non busy times where you will get better coaching. Any times of year to avoid.

I am guessing these are frequently asked questions but I couldnt find them.

[Mike111 0]

I can't answer your questions, but if you were in UK, I would give Bodyflight Bedford a call.

Youll love every SECOND of it.

[skytash 0]

Quote

1. Is there anywhere that has an easy table to look up prices. not sure, but I know tunnels have details on their website. Try to convert this into dollars per actual flying minutes

2. When I have so little experience will a top coach really help. yes, many of them travel around the world (Joe is at airkix right now and I think going to Perris soon), so keep an eye out for who is where before booking your flights

3. How many hours should you do solo for. there is no set amount of time you 'need' to do anything for. There are no rules or guides to this as it depends on how quickly you learn and adapt to the environment. The fab thing with the tunnels is that you tend to fly for 2 or 2.5 mins at a time with the coach right there with you rather than the amount of freefall time you have minus track-off etc.

4. Is there a minimum number of hours till, 4 ways again, a matter of your ability, you also need to find the other three usually, I don't think tunnels offer team matching services at the moment

5. Is there a minimum number of hours till, ff I don't think so, at airkix and the other Skyventure tunnels, they use the back-sit-stand-headdown learning methodology (I think others do too), and you could start off with that irrespective of how much tunnel time you have. Worth checking with the tunnel you are planning on traveling to.

6. If I was there for 1-2 weeks whats the max # of hours I should aim at. really not sure, if you are as unfit as me, you'll ache if you do just 15mins in a day. I do know that fitter people who spend more minutes per day in the tunnel don't ache at all and I guess over a 2 week period I may build up the necessary upper body strength to not suffer too much!

Are there any other tips or tricks. Like 2 hours on 1 day off. Or is there any tips like 1 hour coach, 2 hours solo. Any non busy times where you will get better coaching. Any times of year to avoid.
Think of things in minutes initially, you will find it difficult to fly for more than a few minutes at a time, it will easily build up to hours over time!
In the UK, both tunnels are fully enclosed, so weather makes no difference year around. The SV tunnels in Perris and Orlando both get cold at night and foggy if it rains, so dress for warmth at night and avoid travelling there in rainy season!

I am guessing these are frequently asked questions but I couldnt find them.
Not that frequently asked here yet. I'm sure others will fill you in with more stuff too!

Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is a special occasion. Avril Sloe

[UKFSChick 0]

Hiya Dan,

Just to add to what Tash said which is all spot on:

1. Is there anywhere that has an easy table to look up prices. Not that I'm aware of... But in general, the US is the cheapest, and you can expect to pay between $600 and $700 an hour if you buy in blocks of an hour or more. Some tunnels (such as Perris, California) give you a voucher for more time once you fly a certain amount of hours with them, a way of rewarding heavy users. The UK tunnels charge around 600 pounds an hour, again with discounts for bulk-buying. The up-to-date info is on each tunnel's website.

When I have so little experience will a top coach really help. Absolutely. I would go as far as to say that you will potentially save yourself a lot of wasted minutes (hours?) and money if you invest in a great coach, one-on-one, from the beginning. There are very few (if any?) really excellent skydivers who haven't had a lot of one-on-one tunnel coaching. A good coach can correct mistakes as you make them and accelerate the pace at which you learn far beyond what you could manage by trial and error. You wouldn't learn to drive or fly a plane without close instruction...I think the same goes for learning to fly your body. The better the coach (at coaching as opposed to just at skydiving themselves), the faster you will learn.

3. How many hours should you do solo for. If you mean solo without a coach, I'd say just get in and familiarise yourself with the airflow (just one or two 2-minute flights should do) and then get a coach in with you.

4. Is there a minimum number of hours till, 4 ways As Tash says, it totally depends on your skills. As a guide though, top FS coaches like Gary Beyer and Mark Kirkby will generally take you in for some 4-way (ie two-on-two with them) towards the end of a 2 hour camp spread over 4 days, sometimes sooner. But this would be 4-way with coaches...if you wanted to go in with your friends, again it would depend on your respective skill-sets. You can't really measure it in terms of how much tunnel flying you've done, since your skills will also be impacted by whether you got coaching, how good the coaching was, etc.

5. Is there a minimum number of hours till, ff What Tash said.

6. If I was there for 1-2 weeks whats the max # of hours I should aim at. It does depend on how fit you are as to what you can cope with..Also, if you are really tired out you won't achieve your optimum learning. I would personally choose a coach first and take their advice on that, as they can see when you start to lose momentum and at what point the benefits of extra hours are outweighed by you being totally shagged out! The most I've flown is an hour a day one-on-one over 6 days. On Day 3 I felt like I was going to die, but by Day 6 I felt great again and overall leant an amazing amount....I'd do it again if I could afford it...

Are there any other tips or tricks. Like 2 hours on 1 day off. Don't just buy a big block of time and go in and fly solid. Most people fly in 2 minute slots and switch in and out with other people. Sometimes the tunnel can arrange this for you, but that can be tricky, otherwise you would need to find someone to share time with yourself, or the easiest way is to do a tunnel camp as then it's all arranged for you. Between flights a good coach will also do some extensive briefing and video debriefing with you...on a camp this could mean flying half an hour will actually take you the whole day...For most people, 30 mins tunnel in one day is a lot, and you will feel quite tired. Three or four days in a row of 30 mins per day is fairly heavy going (but well worth living on Ibuprofen and Red Bull for the payback!) and that's the format which Gary and Mark's camps at Perris used to follow, although most people bought additional time in the evenings too.

Or is there any tips like 1 hour coach, 2 hours solo. I'd limit the solo time as much as possible but it can be useful to go in for a few minutes at the end of the day to try out what you've learned. Any non busy times where you will get better coaching. That won't really make much of a difference, although time can be cheaper off-peak, ie mid-week daytime. Any times of year to avoid. I think Perris shuts mid-day during high summer and Eloy is extremely hot during summertime too.

Hope that helps a bit, sorry if I repeated anything!
Emma

[op5e 0]

Thanks to everyone for your quick and very helpful responses. Sorry I did not response sooner.

I am currently booking flights to europe (in Aug). So I have a few more questions. If I spend a few hours with a coach in the tunnels in Europe compared to spending the same time in the American tunnels will my skill improve the same. Does anyone have any Tunnels they would recommend in Europe and coaches. Anyone that has flown in both the Europe tunnels and the main American ones care to comment.

I guess i will have to sit down and draw up the pros and cons of the tunnels.

I understand that some people may not wish to comment on these questions so feel free to PM me.

[tdog 0]

Quote

I am currently booking flights to europe (in Aug). So I have a few more questions. If I spend a few hours with a coach in the tunnels in Europe compared to spending the same time in the American tunnels will my skill improve the same.

I can't see why not as long as the coach is good...

The problem about getting recommendations on coaches is that the perfect coach for person A might not be good for person B... Hence, I would perhaps try to chat to your prospective coach beforehand and see what kind of rapport you can build. Do you connect on the first word, or are you just not relating???

I have worked with 6 world class coaches, and so far I really liked 5, so the odds are good you will do well...

That being said, once you determine the perfect tunnel (for your schedule and budget) - then just ask who are the best coaches there... Don't get too worried about which country has better coaches, because I bet both have great ones... Make this simple...