Teahing Children to SKYDIVE

[tbrown 26]

Due to being winded out at Perris this afternoon I spent an hour watching the most fascinating thing at the Perris Wind Tunnel. Children learning how to skydive.

There's a Sunday afternoon program for kids under 18. Some of the kids were teenagers, but the ones who were really taking to it and making progress the quickest were in the ten and under age group. There were kids as young as 5 years old who were picking up on controlled tunnel flight at an astonishing pace and they were loving it, just beaming from ear to ear.

Although the Kid's Class has a lot of the usual kid party trappings, like pizza at the end of the session, it was a lot more. These kids are learning how to SKYDIVE. They're learning how to FLY. And they REALLY like it.

Now just imagine what one of these kids is going to do when they turn 18 and can put a rig on their back and jump out of an airplane. They'll still have to learn about safe parachuting; altitude awareness, emergency procedures, and canopy control. But that's going to be about it. Because they're going to have SOLID and 100% coached years of experience with everything from 4 Way to Freefly, and probably both. They're going to HUMILIATE us. They're going to be a radically different generation of incredibly skilled skydivers. This is going to be a bigger shakeup than the transition from static line to AFF (who knows, we might decide we need two of these kids to hold the AFF Instructor in the middle...). This is so radical it's subversive. And it comes with a pizza.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[Shark 0]

....too bad there isn't a canopy simulator for them as well.

Guess I'll still be out-swooping the lil kids!

Kid's Club - great idea to get the parents involved, too!

Congrats to Erin!

• Quote

[shropshire 0]

<<....too bad there isn't a canopy simulator for them as well. >> - Not Simultated but how about Tandem Paragliding.. we give the controls to the passenger and they get to fly....

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Shark 0]

Quote

<<....too bad there isn't a canopy simulator for them as well. >> - Not Simultated but how about Tandem Paragliding.. we give the controls to the passenger and they get to fly....

Isn't that what we do with Tandem parachuting?

[tunnelfly 0]

Quote

....too bad there isn't a canopy simulator for them as well.

I haven't seen it myself, but while I was working on the Egyptian Military Tunnel, I was told that they have a canopy simulator on the base as well...

No.1 reason NOT to be an astronaut: ...You can't drink beer at zero gravity...

[bbarnhouse 0]

Larry Hill's grandchildren ranging from 5-13 have been flying in the tunnel for quite some time.
They are nothing short of amazing.Look for them in a few years as an all women's 4-way team including camera
Yep all girls! LOL
Course a couple of them are back flying and learning to freefly, so maybe they will go 4-way VRW. It's sick I tell you! You can see s few photos on the SkyVentureaz website.

[Jeff.Donohue 0]

I have a five year old daughter, and she and I (and her mom) will be visiting the wind tunnel in Colorado in March. Since we live about an hour from the one that is being built in Nashua, NH, we will also be there quite a bit as well, I'd imagine.

My daughter has seen videoclips from skydivingmovies.com, and already has an idea of how it works, how to turn, etc.

What's most amazing to me is how much she can arch, and how aerodynamic she can make herself. I suspect she'll have a blast, and she'll be better than me in no time (then again, that doesn't take much...)

[Paige 0]

That's why I simply love the tunnel and the little ones because we and they are helping to shape the future of the sport of bodyflight and skydiving. Soon we'll be asking if they'll hook us up w. coaching deals

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[shropshire 0]

Sure but we get loads more air time in which to show different things..... and is loads cheaper.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[freakydiver 0]

I can't wait until skyv colo opens up (www.skyventurecolorado.com). Come June 24th, I'll have a four way built into my family (I'll have almost a two year old and a newborn)!!! My plan is to have my kids smokin flyers by the time 18 rolls around and tell them to really mess with their AFF instructors lol.

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[Shark 0]

Quote

Sure but we get loads more air time in which to show different things..... and is loads cheaper.

So, you would propose paragliding to supplement canopy time? By your reasoning, cheaper with more flight time.

Either way, kids can only participate in tunnel programs. Unless, of course the laws change and kids are able to skydive. Then we'll see someone's 8 year old on a conservative 1:1 wingloading.

[shropshire 0]

Hi,

<>
If you want, why not, it's what I do... there are significant differences but the principles are the same - I love both and currently find a balance that suits me.

As for the kids, it gets them airborne earlier than their first skydive... and combined with their tunnel time, what an excellent step along the road in their skydive sport/career.... if they choose to persue it later.

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Shark 0]

Quote

As for the kids, it gets them airborne earlier than their first skydive... and combined with their tunnel time, what an excellent step along the road in their skydive sport/career.... if they choose to persue it later.

Wasn't that the point of the thread?

• Quote

[damonsteele 0]

Has anyone considered that with all these kids learning to "skydive" that a subculture could be created that would allow these kids to compete?! That would be awesome! You could split them up by age groups, then by type (vRW, RW).

I have a 7 month old son that I plan on taking to the tunnel A LOT (when he's 3, of course)!

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

Quote

Has anyone considered that with all these kids learning to "skydive" that a subculture could be created that would allow these kids to compete?!

I'm wondering if anyone has considered that these kids may never become skydivers?

I mean.. after 5-15 years of endless tunnel flights.... I think it will be a hard sell by that time to convince them they did it all to become better skydivers.

Skydiving is NO substitute for tunnel..... at least IMO.. I've tried to substitue when I wasn't living near a tunnel.. it's just not even close for me and I'm positive I'm not alone

[Shark 0]

Quote

Has anyone considered that with all these kids learning to "skydive" that a subculture could be created that would allow these kids to compete?! That would be awesome! You could split them up by age groups, then by type (vRW, RW).

I have a 7 month old son that I plan on taking to the tunnel A LOT (when he's 3, of course)!

Sure, it's just a matter of how much the parents want to shell out.

Just another addition to Christy's Tunnel League.

[weedstoodey 0]

Last year, wanting to have a go at freeflying in the tunnel, i booked with FFMC boys in perris, selling this to my youngest son as " well go and do all the theme parks" it seemed a good compromise, instead of him just stuck, as most kids of jumpers, bored or up to no good (in my sons case!) at a DZ.

As an after though, i enquired if kids could go in (aged 13).. in the end my son did the FF tunnel camp too!. (thanks Mike!!!!!!!) And loved it.

Since them weve been to Bedford, and recently returned from our second holiday, incorporting FFMC tunnel camp at Perris again! A return to Bedford is planned this year.

I have to say, that I would much rather be in the air, but selfishly this is a compomise, doing something my son can join in with, but which is related to my much loved sport.

However, as i bounced around the tunnel, and continue to do so, watching him learning sit docks with Mike and Jon teaching him "in air break dancing moves" is awesome. With his cheek, he gets what he wants, and i had to smile as i paid while he fullfilled his Bedford aim of running around the tunnel walls with Rob and Chris each determined to win the race! BOYS!

He has no bad skydiving habits, is shown what to do and just does it. And no hes no sporting type, like most parents getting him a way from a computer is difficult and still is.

I dont know if he will ever skydive, that will be up to him. I will never push him, its a step hell have to make on his own.

I do however think putting YOUNG children in the tunnel is not necesarily a good thing, especially todlers and babies,sometimes wondering for whose benefit this really is for.

There is no doubt, that, parents wallet allowing!, there will be a new generation of tunnel flyers whose skills will without doubt transfer to skydiving, but time if that side move will happen. Jumping out of a plane is a whole new ball game, but no doubt theyll outfly the instructor on that jump!:)

[YISkyDive 0]

Thats how I learned to skydive- My first time in a wind tunnel was 11? At the Latest 12. Betwen 12 to 18 I put in 2.5 hours of wind tunnel time with training and had absouletly zero problems with AFF. I actually got chewed out for flying mantis.

I didnt have great level controll at all out there- that was my only problem. I wish that I learned that in the tunnel before skydiving but center point turns came nicely and also having all that tunnel time let me put in a lot of hop and pops but still be able to go do 4way/ 3 way with friends and family and still put together decent point skydives.

I was very happy my dad put me in the tunnel when I was young.

[rehmwa 2]

Quote

I actually got chewed out for flying mantis.

now that sounds like a horrible gap in AFFI training - when a student has obviously good control from pre-AFF tunnel training, 'chewing' out a student and trying to retrain them out of a good habit is not right

sounds more like the instructor is from the 'old school' of do it my way or else attitudes

...
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

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

Hey Y,

I'm curious if you don't mind...

Do you have military family?
if NO
then which civilian tunnel was teaching you mantis more than 8 years ago..?

thanks!

[YISkyDive 0]

Hey-

No military family-

My first tunnel was in Pigeon forge when i was 11 or 12.

actually- I was 12 or 13 in Pigeon forge- I think My dad started jumping 98? Geez my memory evades me. I know I was not older than 13. Haha.

than my parents have been going to florida every christmas and thanksgiving and I went with them till I was 16.

I grabbed a half or hour on those trips. Some times it was shared sometimes it wasnt-

In pigeon forge i didnt learn mantis- in Orelando I picked it up.


Unfortunelty I have not been in the tunnel since I started jumping- but I would love to feel the diffrence now that I have 300+ skydives.

[AMax 0]

Quote

Skydiving is NO substitute for tunnel..... at least IMO.. I've tried to substitue when I wasn't living near a tunnel.. it's just not even close for me and I'm positive I'm not alone

I would like to respond to this by quoting my piece partner who has over 2200 jumps and quite a few hours in a tunnel under her belt.

"If I had a choice between a minute in a tunnel and a minute of actual freefall, I would always choose to skydive"

With tunnels expanding so rapidly there will always be a small group of tunnel people who don't jump (I am talking about adults). However, I seriously doubt that tunnels will substitute skydiving for skydivers. The vast majority of skydivers think of tunnel as a very powerful and fun tool that helps to learn how to skydive better.

Back to the topic:
Watching kids fly is really amazing I once saw a small kid cry when the parents were pulling him out at the end of the session – he didn’t want to get out Ten years from now, the new generation of world champions will be 5-10 years younger.

[jman 0]

Now just imagine what one of these kids is going to do when they turn 18 and can put a rig on their back and jump out of an airplane. They'll still have to learn about safe parachuting; altitude awareness, emergency procedures, and canopy control.

---

I think that it's great that kids can get to experience and learn body flight.

You're right about 2 things:
1."Imagine" how good these kids could be by the time they skydive.
2.They will have to "Learn" safety, altitude awareness, ep's etc., associated with an actual skydive.

My concern would be what I've seen with the advent of climbing gyms. Climbers learn certain skills in the gyms and then head outside into the "Real World" of climbing. Many are unprepared to deal with the situations that arrive when they leave the controlled atmosphere of a gym. Some are just naive and others are the cocky know-it-all types. I have seen the dangers that this brought to climbing and how the result will effect the public view of the sport. By public view, I mean the people who introduce new laws and control access issues. Education will be vital to teach people that skydiving will be a whole new level of adventure. Skydivers will need to recognize this now to prevent problems in the future.