Best way to do Tunnel Time

[jigneshsoni 0]

I am planning some Tunnel time in NH. I am for suggestions on the right way to do this.

What does Tunnel time Sharing actually mean? Is that something I should be looking at to get the best value for the buck?

I am doing this so that I do not have worry about my flying skills while in freefall, how much time should I book for? How much time do people usually do?

When you do tunnel time, are there coach available at site to guid you on your skills? or do you have to let them know?

I would also need video of my tunnel time so that I can show that to my free fall instructor when I return back. Is this extra?

[skreamer 1]

How about asking the place where you intend to do the training all your questions :

http://www.skyventurenh.com/contact_us.html

Just make sure you still have enough money left over to skydive, the freefall skills you learn in the tunnel won't help you under canopy.

[Jewels 0]

Caution: Tunnel time is addictive!

TPM Sister #102

[rehmwa 2]

1 - there's a ton of threads on these topics and specific ones for first timers and newbies getting tunnel training - look through the first few pages of this forum

2 - call the tunnel directly and ask them all your questions, they'll set you up

3 - have fun, it's a great time

...
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

[cjsgrlsx3 0]

I bought 15 min worth of tunnel time. I split that time with my husband and daughter. So they rotated us for 2 1/2 minutes each to give us a total of 15 minutes. I could have taken the entire 15 for myself but I choose to "share" my time with them. If there is no one else to share your time with then they will have other people in there that they will rotate you out with. But you will still get your 15 minutes to yourself. They will not have you fly for 15 minutes straight. We did have an instructor that was with us the entire time. They taught us things such as fall rate, forward and back movement, slides, and turns. And most of all how to be stable during freefall. I do recommend the tunnel if you have access to one. I am glad I do not have one closer to me because I am afraid I would not have enough money to jump! I hope this helps. We did purchase a video of the entire time we were in there and it was only $5. Not sure if the prices are the same everywhere. Good luck! Oh, the one thing that scares me on a jump is the canopy ride. The tunnel is no help with that what-so-ever. But I felt very confident during freefall. I credit the tunnel for that.

[tdog 0]

A lot of your questions can be answered by calling the tunnel directly.

Just so you know my experience, I have somewhere around 30 coached tunnel hours, maybe more. I have done a few camps, and as an AFF instructor, I have coached about 30 people in the tunnel for their AFF/basic belly skills.

There are a few ways at most tunnels to learn...

1) You can book time by the minute with the tunnel. They will group you with other people, and the tunnel employees will act as a coach and instructor. Generally, the instructor does not have much time before or after to debrief your video and/or train you. Most of the training occurs in the airstream (and they are very good at it) When you are sitting between your rotations, the instructor typically is working with other people so he/she does not get to discuss what to work on next. This is the bad part about this arangement (at least for me), if at all possible, having two instructors working with 4 people at least allows them to have a minute to demonstrate/discuss the next drill before you fly and they coach...

2) Another option. You can hire a private coach. In this case, the coach will work for you, and the tunnel employees will mainly look out for your safety. The coach costs extra, but their ability to dedicate their time to you and not the entire group often pays off. (Some people talk in terms of dollar bills blowing by quickly in the tunnel. Sometimes it makes sense to spend more so less blow by)

3) Another option. You can attend an organized camp where you are grouped with other people of similar skills and spend a few days training.

Most tunnels offer time by the minute - where you buy 10 minutes and you rotate with other people so you fly for 2, are resting for 8.... This is more expensive typically than buying a block of time. If you buy a block, you pay for the tunnel from door close to door close, so you have to get friends to rotate with because flying 30 minutes straight (I have done it) gets old unless you are working on small details with a friend and have the fundamentals dialed in... You have to be pretty good to begin with, and be pretty "current" to fly for 30 minutes straight without getting too tired.

My favorite option is the camp. The reason is after a day you and your coach get a good understanding of each other - and because you are sharing time with campmates, you eventually will get to the point where the three of you are flying together doing drills together in the air at the same time. So, buy one minute, get three shared. Plus, it is like going to camp as a kid, but much more fun.

My second favorite option is hiring a coach for one-on-one sessions.

I really don't learn well when I work without a coach...

Now, most tunnels have great instructors who make great coaches. Sometimes you can get them to work well with you while they are also acting as the safety instructor. But sometimes asking them to work one-on-one with you pays off... Once you know the instructors, sometimes you can ask for some one-on-one work and they will make it financially work out with the payment arrangements.

I hired a coach in Perris for 30 minutes of one-on-one time when I had 30 jumps. It allowed me to be able to do 4way (rough, but I was not funneling the group). It was a great experience.

Then I did two airspeed 4 way camps and got about 10 hours of coaching in the camps.

All this combined really worked well for me. (I was able to get an AFF rating pretty early in my career because of the training).

I am learning to freefly in a much less structured way. I went to Orlando and booked 20 minutes and got acceptable on my back. I have worked with the instructors at my local tunnel and have made some progression... But I regret not formalizing my training plan in the form of a camp or scheduled sessions with a dedicated coach who knew where I left off and could formulate the best training for me. Hence, I have spent more money than I probably should have for the amount of progress I have made in freefly skills. So I have tried it both ways, and I highly recommend the coach/camp route, or just a disciplined approach with a dedicated tunnel employee instead of whoever is around that day.

My two cents.