billyrocket

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Everything posted by billyrocket

  1. There is a portable for sale in florida for $120 k ... needs engines upgraded and a couple of other things,... aprox another 100 K, and it would be an excellent tunnel... 135+ mph, very smooth, ... It does not take millions to have a tunnel. It's called the gemini 1, look for it on bodyflight network.
  2. Yes, the one for sale is the same one that was at Deland. There is supposed to be a noise barrier around the machine, but it was never installed at deland because the airport would not commit to letting it stay there, long story... and yes, in it's current condition it is primarily a wuffo tunnel, but i believe most tunnel-money is made from wuffos.
  3. spent all my money building the machine ... have no money to start the biz portion of it... hire staff, get insurance, rent property, etc ...so there sits a portable wind tunnel... just push the start button and fly ... rusting away in florida, for lack of $$. Better to have someone put it to good use. And please, no more offers like: You are willing to put up 20k, and we split the profits 50/50 .... I have 15 times that much invested, easy!
  4. That one of the reasons it is hard to get financing for a big indoor machine. You are betting BIG that the location you choose will pay off, because you are stuck there. With a portable, you don't have to commit to buying land... you can try different locations... or even go to temporary events and boogies, where the action is. Of course, that involves moving expenses, and you would have to decide and learn which ones are worth going to, and which ones are a waste of time... but at least you have choices. also, finding an investor that has 300K should be easier that finding one with 5-6 M to risk.
  5. Well of course ! You cannot compare the size or power of a portable, with the modern indoor tunnels... and for experienced flyers, and those that can afford to travel to a big tunnel, it is the better choice. I was speaking from a biz point of view. You can afford to put a portable at even small DZs, far away from an indoor machine... and for wuffos and begining skydivers, it is far better to have a small tunnel than no tunnel at all. also, if you charge anywhere near what the big machines charge, there is way more room for profit... since you have to pay for a machine that costs 5-10 % what their machine costs!
  6. yes, they are expensive... and, yet they are very profitable ... even when they cost millions. skydivers pay about $ 10-12 per minute ... wuffos pay about $20-30 per minute... THE SAME AS THEY WILL PAY IN A MUCH-LESS-EXPENSIVE PORTABLE MACHINE!
  7. well, the one for sale burns about 35 gallons per hour... so if diesel were $4/gal, then it costs $140/hour to feed it. In florida you can get off-road diesel, which is about 50 cents per gallon LESS that "road" diesel. Off road diesel is currently $3.44/gal. Oil change every 500 hours ( aprox $450. with new filters ), plus a couple of helpers at , say, $12/hour. You would need a place to set it up ... your land or someone elses... and if you get insurance, it's available for about $1,200 a month.
  8. I see a lot of posts from people that wish there was a wind tunnel near them, or wish they had one for themselves or for a bussiness... or for their DZ. BUT ... is there anybody out there that would actually buy one if it were available? ... and how much would that be worth? $100 k ?, 500k ? ... 3 Million? What is your price point? lets talk numbers and see what you guys think... have you done any math ? ... like what it would cost to run per hour... versus how much to charge people... etc. post your thoughts... or write me directly.
  9. GEMINI 1 (US - FL ) - Billyrocket - Bill Mensinger ( MFG - Owner )
  10. thanks svnh. the machine is "movable", but i intend to set it up at one location and have it there year round. could you tell me who your insurance guy is? i would like to talk to him/her and see if we can work something out. like you said, i have to have it. HELP ! thanx. bill.
  11. thanx andy. i believe you are correct. one of them flat out told me they were running with no insurance. i would do the same, but i will be renting land, and the owners want the insurance. i believe that if there were enough tunnels together, we might have the clout to get better rates. and with only a few tunnels in the USA, with a population of over 300 million, and hundreds, if not over a thousand miles between tunnels, none of the tunnels are anywhere near being in direct competition with each other. blue skies, bill.
  12. thanx. yes, i have spoken to john many times. is there anybody ELSE out there that works at a wind tunnel or has personal knowledge of which insurance agent to contact, phone number, etc ? perhaps you have owned or operated one of the old portables back in the day? does anybody know where skyventure gets their insurance ? or I-FLY ? or vegas ? i have called a bunch of people, but it seems like nobody wants to reveal their "sources". WTF ?
  13. i have been looking for an insurance company to write a policy for a portable wind tunnel, with no luck. if anyone knows of a company that will carry one, please let me know. any info appreciated.
  14. i dont think anybody really "LOST" their cherry.... you people know dam well right where you left it! :-D
  15. as far as worrying about how hard a reserve would open at terminal speeds... you must simply forget about that! here is the "total"scenario: you pull your main and nothing comes out, or the pud is stuck, ( or you can't even find the pud) ... at this moment you are at terminal velocity and you must pull the reserve! i mean... you have nothing else to do! who cares about about getting "banged-up" by a hard opening reserve... what is your choice? PULL! and here is the "partial" scenario: you pull your main and a bunch of crap comes out... at this moment you may be at freefall speed... or faster ( the main pilot chute can put you in a standing position and you may end up going even faster than when you were flying flat) or slower if there is more drag ( more nylon in the air ) .... so you chop the crap first and there you are: back in freefall with nothing but the reserve to save your ass. PULL ! at this moment your altitude awareness is long gone... stability is questionable... JUST PULL! my guess is that anytime you are in midair, and find yourself looking at your reserve handle, the "fun-jump" is OVER! pull that reserve without hesitation, and be gratefull for what you get... even if it "bangs you up good" ! to live long and prosper, you must first pull ! .... did i mention PULL ?
  16. anybody who would file a law suit because of skydiving injuries after having signed a waiver is a piece of sh-- ! regardless of the circumstances or severity of the injuries. the waiver is clearly intended to remove anybody involved from the threat of lawsuits. it's not "the DZ" or the insurance companies that get sued... it's you and me! because when insurance companies pay out money, they raise the rates for all drop zones... who then have to raise their rates for jumps... and then we all have to pay more. or it gets so high that skydiving comes to an end. any jumper that sues is selling all of us out for their own bad luck or stupidity... and we should treat that traitor like the piece of sh-- that he or she is! " skydiving is a dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death" ! ... which part of that do they not understand?