bradStyle

Hi everybody. I'm getting back into the sport after a 7 year hiatus and am ordering new gear. I need help deciding which of three containers to get, Mirage, Infinity, or Micron. In the past I've owned Vector, Talon, Eclipse, Javelin and Mirage. Of those, Mirage was my favorite. I'm predominately a freeflyer. Any advice/recommendations/pros/cons pretaining to these three rigs would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

It is incredibly stupid.

No. "If a FALLING body has an initial constant velocity, it retains that velocity..." If you're lying on the floor you're not falling. The floor isn't rushing past you like the wind in the tunnel. Just because someone can maintain their level in the tunnel doesn't mean they aren't falling, just as if you are skydiving at the same speed as your friend they do not appear to be falling (hint: you are!). In each of those cases the air is providing friction, but not support as a floor would. But beyond that I agree with everything you said. Too often here people are taking the word freefall as being synonymous with their subjective experience of skydiving and so of course they rightfully disagree about tunnel flying being freefall, but freefall is much broader than just skydiving, tunnel flying, B.A.S.E., cliff diving, bridge suicides, construction accidents, falling acorns, dropped cellphones etc. There are lots of possibilities. SUMMARY: * Tunnel time does not go in a skydiving logbook. * Tunnel flying is VERY different from skydiving. * Tunnel time is freefall time.

No, you're falling in a tube of high speed air. People can't float actually. If you were floating you'd smash through the ceiling at whatever the tunnel speed was and that would kill you just as quick as impact at terminal. No help needed. I already saw, and mentioned in one of my above posts that skydiving and tunnel flying are completely different, but skydiving doesn't hold the exclusive rights to the term freefall, and if you examine the definition of the word freefall, in terms of science and physics, it is clear that tunnel flying is freefall. Not the freefall that skydivers are familiar with, no, but freefall by definition- yes. It is all clearly spelled out in the above posts, but if you don't see fit to read them, then I can't help you ;)

They want you to fly 100 hours in a week?!? Damn, and I thought I was getting to be all hardcore and sh!t. Rahspeckt!

A further definition of freefall states, "If a falling body has an initial constant velocity in any direction, it retains that velocity if no other forces are present. If other forces are present, they may change the observed direction and rate of fall of the body, but they do not change the Earth's gravitational pull; therefore a body may still be thought of as freely falling even if the resultant observed motion is upward." But hey, I didn't write the language...

Gravity and physics function the same whether you are in the tunnel or in the sky. Certainly there are vast differences in the psychology, execution, and potential consequences of either. The sports are very different, yes, but if you are falling without touching anything, that's freefall (even if the U.S.P.A. won't let you log non-skydiving time). Freefall def. "The accelerated motion toward the center of the Earth of a body acted on by the Earth's gravitational attraction." There are further definitions that would say that true freefall has to be the force of gravity acting alone and skydiving is not even true freefall because of air resistance, but I don't think many people in this forum would agree. Don't worry, I ain't some tunnel rat trying to step on skydiver toes here. I'm just out representing the forces of nature. SUMMARY: Tunnel time does not go in a skydiving logbook. Tunnel flying is very different from freefall skydiving. Tunnel time is freefall time (as long as you aren't gettin' all slutty on the walls). Thanks for clearing that up ;)

Tunnel time IS freefall time. It is not outdoor freefall time, skydiving freefall time, or U.S.P.A. freefall time.

Can't or don't? Can you get your chin back when you are out of the tunnel? Sounds psychological. It's like the Yogi Berra story when Ken Boswell says to Yogi, "I'm in a rut, I can't break the habit of swinging down at the ball." and Yogi says, "Then swing up." Swing up. If you have yourself conned into believing you can't do it, I suggest you hire a coach who will hit you in the face every time you put your chin down (picture rubber gloves and an interrogation room). You'll be amazed how quickly you break the habit. Hope this helps.

I couldn't disagree more, although I understand this statement to actually be an oversimplification. More tunnel time is going to help you more than anything, yes, but there are two other things (and probably lots more) that will help tremendously. The first of which is to learn to fly modified arm positions in your sit (described in this post) like arms bent 90 degrees (or more or less, move them around) at the elbow. Then learn to shift portions of your lift onto other parts of the body- legs and back. This will help tremendously. Finally you can stretch and strengthen all of the primary muscles and stabilizing muscles that you use in the sit. The ones that are most in need of this are the muscles of the rotator cuff, which are NOT designed for tunnel flying or any kind of heavy load bearing. Just Google "rotator cuff exercises" and you'll find everything you're looking for. Just remember, stretch before you strengthen... Most of the muscles that you need will strengthen themselves just from more tunnel flying. The rotator cuff needs private attention, particularly if you become a total junkie and start flying really long blocks (like 45 minutes without a break). Anyone who says they never get tired sitflying doesn't do this on a regular basis. Best of luck!

Kris Reynolds, or any of the other NorCal Alliance guys.