Wind Tunnels...a passing fad?

[FreeflyChile 0]

Seriously, why ISN'T there a tunnel in the Chicago area?????

I've heard rumors for years that different people want to try to bring one, but it never happens....you'd think with the number of people nearby (both skydiver and non-skydiver), that thing would have enough business to sustain itself...

[RackJR 0]

just a matter of the right investor, or group of investors, to feel like you do. I'm sure Alan will be ready to put one there whenever that group approaches him. :)

Say what you mean. Do what you say.

[rehmwa 2]

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just a matter of the right investor, or group of investors, to feel like you do. I'm sure Alan will be ready to put one there whenever that group approaches him. :)

a midwest tunnel - Chicago, Minneapolis, KC, St Louis - it'll happen. It's not easy getting the right combo of investors, etc in place. I don't doubt there are handfuls of people scoping it out in each of the MW metro areas.

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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

[PhreeZone 15]

KC is on the list to get one in 2009. http://www.schlitterbahn.com/news/press/releases/kc/2007-11-15-2007-kc.htm This is an announcement from a company that has multi-million dollar backing and already runs one amusement park.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[rehmwa 2]

yup, that one sounds pretty solid so far. We had serious interest in a northern Minneapolis suburb for a recreation area with a wind tunnel also 2 years ago - that one didn't come through (those whole project).

I can't wait to hear what the format of that KC tunnel will be - hp, # fans, diameter, etc..... It's much closer to us.

In the meantime, SVCO specifically is taking very good care of us - as are the other tunnels.

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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

[Jewels 0]

When they say "enclosed in an enormous clear cylinder," it makes me wonder if they mean iFly style or if they're just trying to describe a wind tunnel. It'll be nice to hear some details on this one.

TPM Sister #102

[chrismgtis 0]

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Wind tunnels = BLECH. I'm a newbie, but not interested. I'd rather do 500 jumps with real free-falling then 20 jumps of fake-falling to learn the same skills...unless and until the prices for tunnel time go down. All the ads I've seen for wind tunnels show prices that make me laugh out loud!

You have go to be kidding me. Have you ever been in a wind tunnel? 30 minutes of my tunnel time could easily equal 100 of your free falls. I could easily have learned much more. You could have 500 jumps and I could spend an hour in the tunnel and still possibly be a better faller than you.

Tunnels are very price effective. For the price you are paying, compared to spending the same amount of money on skydives, you will in fact, with no doubt whatsoever learn far far more and gain much more expertise.

So if you're a serious skydiver not out there to just fall and land, the tunnel is a valuable tool. You could either spend $12,000 making 500 jumps or you could spend less than $5000 and achieve a much better learning curve.

There are way too many advantages in the tunnel. A coach right there. Plenty of others watching that may be able to provide critique to your tunnel time. 1 1/2 - 2 minute sessions where you can make comments with your coach before you get back in. Video that doesn't cost you $4800/hour, but is instead free which provides valuable material for critique.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[diablopilot 2]

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So if you're a serious skydiver not out there to just fall and land, the tunnel is a valuable tool. You could either spend $12,000 making 500 jumps or you could spend less than $5000 and achieve a much better learning curve.

Pardon the expression but: Bullshit.

You said it yourself.....

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You could have 500 jumps and I could spend an hour in the tunnel and still possibly be a better faller than you.

Being a great skydiver has much more involved than being a good "faller".

He'll be able to fly a canopy better, pack better, do group skydiving better, possibly wingsuit, know more about and be able to use gear, have better freefall survival skills, CRW, the list goes on.

The tunnel is a great training aid for skydivers, and a sport in it's own right for tunnel flyers, but don't get the two confused.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[chrismgtis 0]

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The tunnel is a great training aid for skydivers, and a sport in it's own right for tunnel flyers, but don't get the two confused.

That whole point might make sense if I said anything about canopy skills or such. Point is, someone with tunnel time will wipe the floor with you in free fall without vast vast experience over their tunnel time + actual free fall time. And it IS very cost effective when it comes to how much you learn over what you could learn in the air.

In the first 10 minutes in the tunnel, so much more made sense and started to click that I was still trying to figure out in almost 100 jumps.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[diablopilot 2]

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The tunnel is a great training aid for skydivers, and a sport in it's own right for tunnel flyers, but don't get the two confused.

That whole point might make sense if I said anything about canopy skills or such. Point is, someone with tunnel time will wipe the floor with you in free fall without vast vast experience over their tunnel time + actual free fall time.

Nope, that's also untrue.

I've done plenty of skydives with great tunnel flyers. Some were accomplished skydivers as well.

Someone who's only trained in the tunnel is pretty lost on a tracking dive at first, or exiting 15th from a trail aircraft, or tracking away from a 30 way, or simply docking last on that same 30 way.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[NeedToJump 0]

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Someone who's only trained in the tunnel is pretty lost on a tracking dive at first, or exiting 15th from a trail aircraft, or tracking away from a 30 way, or simply docking last on that same 30 way.

True, but they tend to pick these things up pretty quickly.

In general from what I've seen - tunnel fliers have a much easier time adapting to the sky than skydivers do adapting to the tunnel.

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

[djd 0]

I do know some people that are awsome skydivers Notably Tim Porter whom has never been in a wind tunnel and doesnt want to..

He can fly rings around most people i know in the sky,

The 2 sports are very different but both lend a hand to each other.

Some of the best flyers in the world will tell you tunnel flyers do not make great skydivers at first... they tend to have no awareness of others around them and try and dock from too high all the time ( its a tunnel thing)
these things have to be learned over time in the sky.
but normally with a bit of good coaching good tunnel flyers will pick most things up quickly

but on the other side of the coin if you are of a high standard of freeflying in the sky that will translate pretty quickly into tunnel flying...
especially in the big tunnels like Bedford and Paracleete, where you have more time to react to what is happening before you hit a wall

as long as you enjoy yrselves who cares....

[RackJR 0]

hey JP try telling that to Derek Cox. he exited nearly last (and i only say nearly because i'm not 100% sure he was dead last, but i think he was) on the world record freefly event this past summer. with less than 350 jumps, but copious tunnel time, he got to the formation before many other skydivers with thousands more jumps than he had, docked with annoying ease, and tracked off. oh and by the way, for some of us, the successful jump was record attempt #14. for Derek, who was on the sidelines most of the time, that was attempt #1. his first try. you said tunnel flyers are "pretty lost" on certain jumps. he even found his slot, on the biggest freefly jump in history, with no practice.
so to sum up, on his first attempt at anything bigger than a 9 way freefly (i know because i was on that one with him) he left last from a trail plane, docked earlier than people who had left their plane long before him, broke off and tracked away, all safely, with the skills of 350 skydives, and 1000 hours of tunnel time.

he did fly a rather loud safire 149 to the ground, slider flapping, straight in with a big smile.

bodyflight is bodyflight, however you try to wrap it differently, or bash what it teaches you. the tunnel teaches you bodyflight. Derek has a lot more tunnel time than you do JP, and 1/10 the skydives, and he absolutely will wipe the floor with you in freefall.

good talking to you again.

Say what you mean. Do what you say.

[diablopilot 2]

Derek also has a lot more class that you ever did.


Have a nice day.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[freeflysteve 0]

Well not quite the passing fad!!
My daughter just started her skydiving course(she is 15) with 20 minutes in the tunnel.
She loved it and will be doing wind tunnel coaching for the next 10 weeks prior to doing her AFF,its giving her loads of confidence and skills in the air that she definitely would not get on a 7 jump AFF course.
After all she is my little baby and i want to see her safe as possible in the air.
Steve

Swooping, huh? I love that stuff ... all the flashing lights and wailing sirens ... it's very exciting!

[RackJR 0]

awww, you say the nicest things. i'll let you have that one, it probably stung that someone with 400 jumps is that much better than you with 6300. so i won't bring up the past, where you showed your ass at the tunnel, with no class at all.

but lets not get too far from the topic, which is tunnel flight, and will it be a passing fad. for people to know about what someone like Derek can do, with that few jumps, pretty much guarantees that it's not a fad. you learn correctly, you learn safely, and as Derek attests to, you learn fast.

well, most people do JP. don't feel bad.

Say what you mean. Do what you say.

[diablopilot 2]

I'm not gonna tell you what to do, you don't listen to anyone any way, but if you learn to read a little better, you'll see I have never supported the idea that wind tunnels are a "passing fad".

I think they are a wave of the future. I will however always remind people that wind tunnels are not skydiving, and there is much more to being a great and well rounded skydiver than tunnel proficiency, just as being a talented skydiver, rarely means one is a great tunnel flyer by default.

Now since we're being so civil to one another, why don't you repeat that great landing from Oct 2005, the one with the airborne shoe, only make sure the pond is frozen.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.