Avion

Yes, entries for both canopy rides and freefall/tunnel time in the profile. It would be pleasant to be able to list somewhere other than my log how much time I've acquired.

I guess between 1/3 to 1/2 are wuffos in Orlando. I ask next time I'm there.

I've got about 90 minutes in the tunnel. That cost me around 1,100. I bought some a couple of 10 minute blocks and the rest was 2 minute tickets. I think the package deal for AFF runs around 1400 if you pay all together, and jump each level only once.

The most I've spent in the tunnel is 20 minutes. I'm usually fine. I do a lot of stretching/warmup before and some stretching after if I'm sore or stiff. If your going to preload some thing, I recommend either ibuprofen or naproxen, which are advil or alieve. The new pills are much better than asprin at both preventing swelling and relieving pain/stiffness.

This past spring when I was starting, I was wondering how fast I was flying. They told me about 85% power which worked out to ~100mph. One of my friends, who has flown for hours and hours here, told me maxium speed for the Orlando tunnel was about 135mph because they only have 1000hp, with the 1600hp higher speeds are possible. Did they upgrade the motors lately? I've watched the control room when four way teams were training last spring and at about 85-86% power with four people in the chamber the speed drops to around 95-100mph. With an empty flight chamber the speed goes a little higher. It's been a while since I watched the control room. I give it another look next time I go

Does Alan, the director of the the NCSL, have anything to do with the L1. When he was here in Orlando with the Fox Force girls, he mentioned that he had his own tunnel. I was wondering if that's what he meant?

Sounds like I gotta try the L1

I've watched Pete, Olaf, Joey, Rusty and a bunch of the airspeed guys coaching. I have yet to see Eleana working :) Prehaps a better question than who's the best, is who your going to be most comfortable with. All these people are among the best, although their personalities are quite different. It might be to your advantage, if you could meet them first, see 'em in action and then decide who you want for a coach.

Instructors have told me, in order to get any considerable distance above the glass, you have to have alot of momentum already going when you reach the top of it. Otherwise you'll stop going higher just above the glass where the tunnel start to widen up because of the pressure drop there. I've gone up about 4' higher than the glass in boxman, but only to the top of the glass in mantis. The air stream seems very uniform within the entire glassed portion. If the operator gives you more air than you can handle, you'll tend to float up just to the top of the glass and stay there. They say the best air is 3-4 feet above the net, but it seems to me to be all good between the net and the top of the glass. There is one problem, a design flaw, that they acknowledge. That is, when ever someone flies in frount of a door, the air speed in the whole chamber drops 10-15mph, then goes back to normal as soon as they move away from the door. Considering the air speed drop and how many injuries how occured around the doors, it would seem like a good idea for skyventure do design closing flight chamber doors.

I suggested this months ago in the suggestions and comments forum, as a way for people who have yet to jump but have acquired tunnel time to show that they have at least some related experience.

I decided to acquire freefall skills in a tunnel before I started jumping. I wanted to remove the stress of having to figure out how to move around while at the same time keeping track of all the other suff in AFF, circles of awareness etc... After reading the skydivers handbook, I realized I'm clueless as to how to land a canopy. I comprehend what book says about the landing pattern, and flairing, I just lack a feel for what that means. Some people have suggested doing a tandem first. I have considered traveling to Cleveland to train on a canopy similulator, like president Bush did. After all, he ended up doing a perfect standup landing his first time. I've read the canopy survival skills article here, understand what flat turns and flair turns mean, and I am still concerned about landing a canopy. So, what do you all suggest as canopy skills to be mastered by a new jumper?

In Orlando, I believe 85% works out to about 100mph and 100% works out to about 135mph. I've only see 'em pop the breakers a few times one day last winter.

I've got close to 90 minutes of tunnel time. I'm working on developing turning strength in my legs belly flying. A couple of times now I have brought one knee down and across my other leg, causing me barrel roll on to my back. So, I asked the instructor to show me how to get back to my belly without instructor assistance. Well the first instructor I asked evidently failed to describe the process in sufficent detail and what to avoid doing. The next time I went, I asked the instructor, a different one, if I could practice getting back to my belly from my back with a barrel roll, and showed him on the floor what I was going to attempt. He said, OK, but to signal my intentions first, so he could protect my head, because he said it is possible to break ones neck in the process. Well to make the story short, after I had signaled and the instructor had entered the chamber he thought I was going to continue back flying when I attempted to roll back over to my belly. I extended my legs too much and launched into the wall, just what we wanted to avoid. It was something less than a slam, but I felt it. So much for barrel rolls in the tunnel for me. I'll learn back flying first, as subsequently suggested, before I try that again :) Tunnels have their own risks.