awindrider

I have hypertension, "controlled" with medication. I don't know what my bp is during a jump but for about 4 or 5 days afterward it is substantially down, 10 or 15 points. I broke my leg last March and haven't been able to skydive and I am having a heck of a time with the bp. (Heavy physical labor works too, but no where near as well as skydiving!) If God meant for us to fly He'd have given us imagination!

I hope you have jumped several times by now and are nailing the landings. But I haven't seen you post about it so thought I'd add my 2 cents worth. I am recovering from a broken fibula and looking forward to returning to flight. I have really thought about what I did wrong and though I don't remember the moment of impact, except for the pain, I can remember what my feet and legs were doing just before impact. What I have realized is if I had had my toes together as well as my heals the force of the clod of dried mud I hit would have been spread over both feet and not caused the twist and upward bend that caused the break. The other and perhaps larger error was stretching my legs to reach the ground, there by taking the bend out of my knees. Since they were not bent the force of impact locked my knees. or knee. They (it) stayed straight rather than bending to absorb the shock. If either of these errors hadn't been made I probably would have avoided the break. If I had gotten both things right I am confident I would not have suffered any serious injury. Like you I believe it is counter productive to obsess about all that can go wrong. But it is important to have a realistic assessment of risk and do all I can to minimize it. Sorry I broke my ankle but glad I broke the bad habits I was developing. Fly Free If God meant for us to fly He'd have given us imagination!

Any chance Myth Busters will let you post that well recognized redhead saying that's the most fun she's ever had on the IFlySFBay website? That is what I heard her say on the show, isn't it? Now that's an endorsement! Maybe you shouldn't. I don't want to have too much competition for my preferred time slots. See you there. If God meant for us to fly He'd have given us imagination!

How do Adult Leagues like SVCO work? Costs? I've been to iFlySFBay several times now and brought some friends. Learning alot and plan to be a regular. But would be interested in anyway to reduce costs and/or bring more friends. They are still not running at full capacity so might be open to ways of bringing in more customers. Thoughts or suggestions? Another problem is that I live far enough away that a trip to the tunnel is an all day affair so its hard to get there more than a couple of times a month. But hey whats life without a few challenges? If God meant for us to fly He'd have given us imagination!

Successful flight releases endorphins and other neurotransmitters into the bloodstream which reduce anxiety and tension, produce an overall sense of well being and reduce the sensation of pain, physical , mental and emotional. Flight provides a legal alternative to other ways of dealing with anger, trauma, pain, despair, withdrawal. And it is vigorous physical exercise. If God meant for us to fly He'd have given us imagination!

Oh yeah! I had a great flight. Smooth air and quiet. Cured my flight withdrawal. Ahhh at last. Smooth air and quiet. Great staff. Can't wait to come back. (Have made the reservations, thanks Alicia). Every one keeps asking what that silly grin on my face is about. You'll have several more flyers from among my friends. Thanks Doug. Enjoy your well deserved success. Wid If God meant for us to fly He'd have given us imagination!

The new IflySFbay web site answers most of my questions. One thing needs clarification though. The beginner packages do not specify time in minutes, only relative to a skydive. Although I would assume that to be about a minute, I would like to know for sure how minutes of tunnel time are included in say the "earn your wings" package (equivalent of three tandem sky dives). Thanks

Any update on opening date? I see staff is flying. When can skydivers start? I have bought and given a couple gift certificates but the logistics of putting together a big enough group for an hour block has still not worked out, though I have found one guy who sounds like he would be willing to let me buy into some of his block time. As I said I'd be very interested in getting a few 5 or 10 minute blocks. The web site says to check back later. I have signed up for the news letter and sent direct inquiries but have received no responses. Info please. I have the itch pretty bad and am trying to figure if I can wait to fly at SFbay or should spend another pile of money to go elsewhere to avoid "flight withdrawal" Thanks for the help. Feel free to email me direct.

Great news. Post hours or Phone number when you are open to the public. My friends are ready to cash in the gift certificates I got them and I am ready to come fly the day you are ready. Once my friends try it out I expect we will want block time. Get in touch or post contact info and I'll be there. I am an AFF student with 30 minutes tunnel time. Woo Hoo!!!

Yep. Thanks. See you there.

Sure, I hear you. But my point was that if IFly SF bay wants to sell more pre-opening block time, I'll bet they could sell a bucket load of 15 min blocks. I know I'd buy at least a couple, probably more. Flyaway Vegas is my only tunnel experience . It was enough fun (read "flying") that I know I am going to end up spending a fair amount of time in vertical wind tunnels. Whatever its limitations, I was flying! And I saw others working on 2-ways and what looked like free fly to me.

What I would go for is a frequent flyer an/or skydiver discount. I bet others here would too. I couldn't wait any longer so hopped a plane to Flyaway Vegas and took advantage of their skydiver discount package. Did my first 30 minutes of tunnel time and learned a lot. Made friends and will go back but am really looking forward to a "local" tunnel (only 3 hr drive). I need more than 3 min at a time to make the progress I want but don't know people to purchase an hour of block time with. How about a package built around 10 or 15 min of flight time for individuals?

I know it is only an educated guess but what is the current expected opening date? Still selling pre-opening discounts?

O.K. Now we are talking! I haven't got my investors signed up yet but what are the fuel requirements? I know we are talking some pretty broad estimates but generally how much fuel per hour? Where would we have to go to see one in operation? I know I could email these questions but I think people who read this forum would be interested in this discussion. I would guess by the lack of operational portables still around that it is (was?) a pretty tough business to keep profitable so love of the sport and the desire to help it grow would have to be the driving force. But we would have to at least break even and pay staff more than just tunnel time. I talked to a friend who got to fly at the Fort Bragg tunnel and he called it the closest to heaven he has ever been. There are a lot of people who want that feeling. Thanks Wid

http://www.bodyflightconcepts.com/vertical_wind_tunnel_sales.html I read it to mean you can buy a 10ft diameter 135mph portable tunnel for about $350,000 US. Plus operating cost, personnel, insurance etc. Am I reading it right?

http://www.bodyflightconcepts.com/vertical_wind_tunnel_sales.html I read it to mean you can buy a 10ft diameter 135mph portable tunnel for about $350,000 US. What am I missing?

Are they still around? Where? I remember seeing one years ago at a county fair. If there is any way to find out if any are operating near me here in Northern California. I sure would appreciate knowing. I'd bring a bunch of people. I'm still waiting for SkyVenture Silicon Valley even though it is several hours from home.Thanks

Is there an expected opening date? Any educated guesses? I am really looking forward to some tunnel time and Perris and Los Vegas are a little far from home, though I am seriously thinking about using up some of the family vacation time and heading to Perris.

Quotehow many times does it need to be said? if you have problems with your ears, you should see a physician trained in treating diseases of the ear! Once. I have an appointment with the ENT specialist but the soonest they can see me is still 3 weeks from now. I made the appointment two weeks ago. My GP is no help (he said not to worry about permanent damage!!!)and there is a ONE YEAR waiting period to get taken by the more prominent GP's in the area! Rural Northern California, USA. I am not misusing the drugs. I follow labeling instructions and discussed them with my doctor and pharmacist. The saline solution is simply salt and water, hardly qualifies as a drug, though I suppose even that could be over used. Thanks for your concern and advice. Fly Free Wid

I used a commercially available saline (.65% sodium chloride) nasal spray called Ocean. It was definitely a help. Really snorted it to get it way up nose and then down throat. Significant clearing of mucus. Next time I'll try it and the ear plugs without any Sudafed. I am pretty sure the ear plugs helped too since I removed one right after landing and that ear gave me more trouble than the one I left the plug in for a additional half hour. I am optimistic about finally getting to progress more rapidly. Thanks to all who gave information.

Tried ear plugs called EarPlanes that are supposed to slow down the pressure changes. They have a little filter that allows only a small rate of change. I have only used them for the one jump but my initial impression is they helped considerably. I was also using a commercial saltwater spray designed for nose and sinus. The old snort and swallow technique reduced the thickness of the mucus and so helped too. I was using Sudafed but I have had very limited success with it in the past and so don't credit it for the improvement. Thought I should mention the ear plugs because at first I did not see how they could possibly work, but my unscientific and limited experience definitely gives me the impression they do work.

I used to fly an ultra lite. Anybody here old enough to remember the Pterodactyl? They were originally hang gliders with a fixed cambered wing with a hang cage below. My favorite pastime was to motor to altitude and shut down the motor and soar. There was no in-air restart so reading the air and finding lift was pretty important. Dead stick landings and approaches were the norm. Ridge lift was easiest to find but occasionally I could catch a thermal. Yep. Flying a glider is really something special. Even a low performance glider like the Pterodactyl. Even a lower performance glider like a parachute. Even a really low performance glider like me. When I was lucky enough to soar it was because the air was rising faster than I was sinking. My point is it is really a matter of degree. In a strong enough updraft even my body could soar. If there is no rising air even the best sailplane is coming down. Yes, I know a glider can trade potential and kinetic energy back and forth and so momentarily go up even in still air, but basically it is coming down relative to the air around it. So are we. Which brings up an interesting question. Can a wing suit do the same? Of course in a 40mph updraft they could fly all day, looping and rolling to heart's content. Ah, what a pleasant thought. Happy flying

FF sure feels like flying. A glider in stable flight is falling relative to the air it is in, yet most people easily admit that the glider is flying. Seems if the FF skydiver has any horizontal velocity then they have a glide slope, albeit not a great one, and thus are gliding, ie flying. Any one know or like to estimate how much of a glide slope we can attain in FF? GPS people? Trackers? Wing suit people? Since I have about 2 minutes of FF I don't have much to base a guess on yet, but I know I am flying!

Being a new guy I hesitate to say, but was there a full test of the breaks followed by a sudden full release? With the result that the canopy sped up so much faster than the diver that it was more in front of him than over him. Things go wrong when that happens.

I do have the problem on commercial flights. I had the problem when I used to skindive but since I finished with an ascent I was pretty much ok. I do try to equalize when descending. It helps some. I haven't when ascending because I figured they would need that much more adjustment when descending. I have mild sinus problems, congestion often. I work in construction and the woods and am exposed to a lot of "stuff". I am 56 years old and had my adenoids and tonsils removed as an infant. A lot of allergies as a kid. I had not considered the anti inflammatory drugs. Thanks Wid