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I'll take a stab based on how we do things.. I would arrive 1 hour early Yes there is a place to meet, I'm sure you can just ask for Sally when you arrive Yes you can have a video tape, I can't see why not! Yes bring your logbook, and record your tunnel time too! In 2 and out 6 PROBABLY means, you'll be in the outside chamber for 6 while others fly.. I'm sure debrief comes after you exit the tunnel completely. other advice, drink lots of water in the 24 hours before you fly, sleep well and stretch your body! oh, and have fun too!!! Blue Skies, Dawn Suiter

Have you asked Sally or emailed to tunnelcoach.com? I would've thought they would give you all that information up front!

currently the only open air tunnel that you can fly in during the rain without getting wet is the L1 in North Carolina, simply because the intake is far away from where you fly, and the air is strong enough that even heavy rain doesn't penetrate. Unfortunately, they are all subject to cold weather when they are located outside, although you can contain an open air facility within a larger building, keeping it 'open air', while circulating the climate controlled building air to maintain temperature. Although I believe we can take the 'bite' out of cold outside air in completely outdoor system, it seems impossible (not impossible BUT extremely expensive & wasteful of energy) to keep it a comfy warm temperature.

When we're staffing a particular facility, obviously we have to take into consideration the desires of the tunnel owner on certain points. In some cases, these 'desires' have nothing to do with flying abilities, but rather hinge on things like a clean appearance or outgoing personality. (just like any other business) As far as flying abilities, while it's sometimes nice to have student instructors with alot of flight time under their belt, it's by no means a requirement. We'll take trainees at every stage of their progression, including beginners. We won't release you to instruct until you're ready to do so (by John's definition). There is no set amount of time required in training before your cleared, because everyone is different and progresses at different rates. Our requirements for an instructor before we train them would be basically the following: 1. Overall good physical health 2. An understanding of basic aerodynamics or strong desire to learn 3. The ability to speak clearly & be understood (very important) 4. Flexibility; in regards to scheduling/work hours or travel and sometimes relocation. We believe in the healing power of flying, and that teaching others to fly is a gift, and should be respected as such. If you want to become an instructor because of money, exposure or free tunnel time, then you would NOT make a good candidate. Wrong attitude for what we're looking for. Bonus skills to have before applying to our instructor program would be: CPR/First Aid/EMT/Massage Therapy and/or being Multi-lingual Hope that helps! Edited to add: This system has worked well for us and maintained our reputation for over 10 years now. The only open tunnel in the US we haven't helped to staff or train is Perris. Blue Skies & Fast Tunnels, Dawn Suiter

Hi, John Hoover was such a nice guy, and the Knights really did have some fun, that was certainly the best part... it was alot of fun to see them working on some freestyle/freefly maneuvers knowing full well they rarely get to play like that at 'home'. It's not funny at all that you haven't heard about the tunnel, considering the owner hasn't done ANY formal advertising. AAC has no staff right now and no plans to staff in the near future. Right now AAC does it's only coaching through us at Bodyflight University (which you will find advertised), by appointment only. AAC has been operating this way for over a year, and will continue to do so until later this year. We maintain a relaxed enviroment, everyone feels like one big family when your there. We have a few semi-local regulars that come back quite often but mostly we have groups driving up from Florida and students coming from E. North Carolina. We are working with the owner right now to create a Membership Program, which will probably be the first thing that is formally advertised (and the first of it's kind at a vwt). Just like any other health club membership, there will be benefits & discounts only available to their members, and guests of members. Benefits would include exclusive access to quarterly competitions with prizes, discounts on tunnel gear, and so on. SkyMonkey was exaggerating a little bit, there's only really 1 thread here about AAC where some DZ.comers have come & flown and posted their thoughts... started by base698 (formerly of Perris SkyVenture), you can find that here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1268175#1268175 DZ.com tunnel training links: http://www.dropzone.com/links/Training_and_Coaching/Wind_Tunnels/index.html Blue Skies & Fast Tunnels, Dawn Suiter

You'll find some discussion on here already at: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1268175#1268175

I hear ya! I just swore off movie rentals for a while, what with paying the late fees for being an HOUR late, I figured I had invested enough to OWN a copy of the movie I rented. Since, I have decided that in most cases, I will just simply BUY the darn movie I know I want to see. I can resell it on ebay (if I really don't want it) for no loss and keep it AS LONG AS I WANT! Other than that.. I wait till it comes out on HBO or something. Thinking about NetFlix, good to know your satisfied with it, and that it does work for you. I live out in the middle of no-where so ontop of paying extra for late fees, add the 40 minute drive, & Netflix would certainly be a money saver! Good to know, thanks!

From Reuters http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7549701 We use camping heaters at the WFFC every year.. they are propane, not butane and have built in charcoal filters... too bad they didn't have that type for themselves.

seems cheaper to NOT have private health insurance!

no Satisfying sex is vital to a healthy lifestyle and happy marraige. I think it's advisable to play the field a bit before being able to make a decision on what is good for you for the rest of your life/marraige. I do not recommend that my kids wait until married to have sex, and so I would not recommend it for anyone else.. can I go through the REST of my life with only one sexual partner? YES, now that I've found the right one!

where's the pic?? you gotta browse & upload and then you post!

Hey! Way to hijack a thread!! but since this thread is about the purple monster I suppose it'll pass the muster! No more from Roger right now, he's sorting out the legal aspects of the design, etc. Actually he may be here on Tuesday for a visit! Flyaway is just off the strip on Convention Center Drive near Circus Circus, you'll have no problems, and tell the manager Keith that you know me, he'll take great care of you. Good thing to get in there before they close down, those final details haven't been decided but alas, it's likely on the horizon. We're considering bringin this thing back up for Rantoul '05, but not sure yet, talking with some folks who might like to rent it for a couple of years.. so ya never know with these things! As far as a permanent facility it won't be long before the greater Chicagoland area see's it's own top notch wind tunnel! Let me know if/when your headed down this way, we'll take you ourselves of course!

Ok then, There is a VWT in Australia, however they do not fly tourists or skydivers, regularly anyway. They built this tunnel for selling technology and system modules. Free Flight Indoor Skydiving Pty. Ltd in Queensland Then well, it's not Oz, but there's Freefall Xtreme in Roturua, NZ Phone +64 7 357 5856 This one looks very fast, there is a picture on our home page from that tunnel right now! They have flown someone over 300 pounds! Hope that helps ya!

Ok, I'll bite, what or where is Oz?

Yes, that is the same tunnel, a portable with wall to wall air. The are currently operational, the speeds are fast. This is the tunnel that we brought to the 2004 World Free Fall Convention. Also, speeds in the 130mph range, and although prop driven and therefore not smooth air, it's sufficient for 2 way rw & freeflying, and the column is quite solid. What else would you like to know?

There is no L2 tunnel... so no differences to point out. The L1 vertical wind tunnel design is manufacturered by Vertical Wind Tunnel Corporation and sold through Bodyflight Concepts. Here's a DZ.com article: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=452 No SV affiliation.

correction: Houston is getting an L1 tunnel, called Adren-l-n 2, at this point. this one shouldn't be operational until early 2006. Also, in almost every case from groundbreaking to operational to the public, it takes about 1 year and in most cases longer, so those in the list who haven't started building yet, may not make it until 2006 as well. Of the publicly announced tunnels we're forcasting the following to reach completion in 2005: SkyVenture Arizona SkyVenture UK Bodyflight Bedford Bodyflying Korea Personally, I don't think there will ever be too many tunnels. Too many of a particular design would take some of the fun out of it for me, I like the variety, so I'm glad that it is still a diverse market!

Flyaway Indoor Skydiving in Pigeon Forge, TN - $125 for a book of 5 flights, includes coaching, 15 minutes of air time, all gear, and video is about $15 more bucks. Non skydiver coaches but all tunnel rats. Appalachian Amusement Center in Waynesville, NC - $600 per hour, includes coaching, flight time, gear & videos are free if you provide your own tape. Skydiver coach & tunnel rat. Also see the tunnel coaching links on the DZ.com Tunnel page: http://www.dropzone.com/links/Training_and_Coaching/Wind_Tunnels/index.html These are the two tunnels closest to you.. AAC about 6 hours, and Flyaway about 7.5 hours by car. Flyaway is more for fun than intense skydiving training and AAC is good for realistic freefall practice. and of course everyone else already mentioned SkyVenture Orlando. There are other tunnels here in the States, but these 3 are all within close proximity to Ft. Bragg. Good luck!

Obviously, the answer depends on which VWT your talking about.. examples SkyVenture Orlando/Perris - Yes you get wet, No it doesn't hinder operations Any Indoor Units like Flyaway Pigeon Forge or Las Vegas, no it doesn't affect the tunnel at all In North Carolina, although outdoors and open, the tunnel at AAC isn't affected because the intake is so far way from the flight area and is filtered, so the flyer doesn't get wet even though it rains all around them. In the outdoor portables.. the rain can be painful and everywhere, but other than getting the other equipment wet, there shouldn't be a real reason for not flying in the rain. The ones with airbags tend to collect water on the surface and funnel it down to the column.. makes for a water ride really.

That would be me... I don't as far as the freefall aspect of my jumps, but under canopy, I do. Well of course I did and really enjoy jumping. It's like getting to stretch out really big and not worry if I'm shifting off center. For just a moment, say the first 10 seconds, it's really a blast! Then seriousness sets in, and well, then it isn't as fun anymore. I would agree completely with this except for the fact, that when I fly in the tunnel, I'm not practicing to be a better skydiver therefore not substituting anything.. Agreed! Love the high from jumping! When I was in 4th grade I decided I wanted to grow up and go skydiving! But it never was for the parachute part of it, cuz I'll tell you those round canopies look like alot of things, and fun just isn't one of them to me. But I wanted to do it for the FLYING part, the freefall. I didn't know about wind tunnels then, just knew I wanted to fly. When I grew up and learned that I could fly, for unlimited amounts of time, without worry about parachute malfunctions, etc, with LOTS of control of my flight areas.. I just about forgot about skydiving! It was my husband who MADE me go jump.. we were dating then, living in Florida and he was working with Bill on opening up SkyVenture. Made my first jumps in Titusville then over to DeLand. It was truly a blast..but I hate planes (that's no help) I've had a great experience jumping, lots'a formations, lots of tag & tracking dives, jumping with friends.. but there is nothing to me like flying for the next 30 minutes uninterupted. What I learned last year is that skydiving is ALOT of committment, work and responsibility. I finally bought my own rig and made 5 jumps while living in Fl again and depleted my budget. I plan to jump again, next time I'm around a DZ for a week or two, but until then I'm thrilled with lotsa time playing in the air with my friends, without worry of death or major injury, and yes sometimes it lacks the same "thrill" or adrenaline push as a scary skydive, BUT what I realized is that when that happens, I'm just not pushing myself hard enough and so I need to step it up a bit! I could never never never make as many jumps as I have tunnel time, and since I'm just getting started (7 years now) I can only assume my time will continue to increase. But no, there is NOTHING like kissing the sky. It feels good, it's more "free" than the tunnel.. less worry for a few seconds.. like flying in the worlds largest tunnel, only FREEZING cold! But, I still prefer the tunnel over skydiving, I can fly so much more that way, and that, is the feeling I'm after! From an article I wrote a few years ago about how learning to fly felt to me: "....experiences change your life. I am someone new, as if my rebirth came when I learned how to stretch my wings and let go. To let go of tangible things," ".......... is to realize that in a wind tunnel, YOU chose your landing area and come down when you want. In flight the problems of yesterday are gone; absent from your mind. Release from endless boundaries and restrictions used to facilitate cohabitation and goodwill among men. Relentless stresses of career, family and personal achievement simply melt away when I stretch out and submit to my dreams. Inner peace comes with brutal self honesty and the satisfaction in knowing that you are the best that you can be. "

Appalachian Amusement Center in Waynesville, then 2nd would be Flyaway Indoor Skydiving in Pigeon Forge, TN, after that, SkyVenture Orlando.

To all of you... http://www.bodyflight.net/Christmas04Home.jpg

So your saying that Skyventure Perris flys more whuffos than skydivers?

Although I was hoping to hear back from them for a more current report, I belive that someone named Gluck Balázs 'seems' to be the contact person for the project and we first heard about it in 2/2003 so it's been in the works for a while. When/if it opens next year, it will have the 3rd largest (VWT) motor in the world! Thats alotta HP! It certainly LOOKS fabulous I think! Hope it's open for next year when we head to Europe! Love the open design, reminds me of the DynaSoar before it was bought by PowerFlyte.

wow. I'm sorry it was interpreted that way.. the Skyventure crews are all very nice to us.. I cerainly don't have a bias against them and we recommend them to buyers & students whenever it's a suitable match. I'm not motivated by finances in this manner at all.