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I'd have to disagree with you strongly on that, and to avoid confusion, I will be specific. It is the FIRST priorities of any of the following wind tunnels with new students to: #1 Never let a student be alone in the air.. instructors don't stand by and watch, they are in the air, standing & flying with the student AT ALL TIMES #2 Not to provide any more airspeed than is necessary than to bring a student 3-6 feet off the net, with an instructor at their side. Those tunnels in the U.S. are: Adren-L-N,TX Appalachian Amusement Center,NC Flyaway Indoor Skydiving,TN Flyaway Indoor Skydiving,NV Lifted Entertainment, HI Vertical Velocity,ID VR Skydiving, MI and although SkyVenture Orlando started out with a very similar approach to student flyers.. today their instruction technique is quite different. Of course, since they are mostly booked with jumpers, less constant monitoring is usually necessary. When you fly whuffos nearly all the time at a tunnel, much more attention to detail is required.

Hi Avion, No Alan involved with L1 in North Carolina, which besides the military is the only tunnel operating in N.C.

This is an interesting statement in itself, considering you haven't had the privelege of seeing any real students learning in the [AAC] tunnel. You and your guest were already well established for the most part and required little supervision. Also comparing AAC's teaching technique to the one Skyventure uses now is like comparing apples & oranges. Additionally, the SkyVenture experience bears little resemblance to outdoor tunnels, since the entire process & system is different. It's easy in an enclosed tunnel to turn up the air with no consideration to the skill level of the students, however, in an open tunnel, like Flyaway, Lifted Entertainmnet, AAC, Powerflyte, Vertical Velocity (and the list goes on) students aren't given enough airspeed to get any height until they demonstrate control (or are in a harness). Also, recovery positions, such as tuck & roll are taught to students in open air tunnels, and in the case of AAC, the net was designed for taking a fall (as explained in a previous post here) Also, about the neck breaking thing.. This is possible in ANY wind tunnel configuration, wall to wall, open air or not. It's a dangerous sport regardless of the tunnel setup.

Hey OSU, Flyaway, as was said is only about 7 hours from your location and is an excellent place for family or friends to have the experience. It's quite family friendly there and you will from time to time see some skydivers training. They have been in business there for over 20 years and are excellent at catering to the general public. Pigeon Forge, is as well one of the top 10 Vacation Destinations in the United States so it's a fabulous place to hang for a couple of days and get away. There are lots of things to do.. bungee towers, rafting, skiing (if you come in the next month or so) mountain climbing, lots a go karts, etc.. so it's a fun place to visit even if your not gonna fly! Flyaway.. about 7 ft diameter column, indoor padded room, bouncy net, average speed is around 110 mph and all equipment is provided for about 25 bucks a flight.

Of the tunnels that are open predictably, not a touring portable, Flyaway Indoor Skydiving in Pigeon Forge, TN is closest, and then the L1 in North Carolina is 2nd closest only 72 miles from Flyaway. Information on both are available by clicking my sig line.

Every wind tunnel has it's restrictions, but most will let a 3+ y/o fly providing that the noise doesn't bother them and they WANT to fly. The closest wind tunnel to you is going to be Vertical Velocity, a small outdoor tunnel, not a bad experience for kids too. It's very powerful but small and a harness is required for first timers during flight. Still a fun experience, but not the place for major training. http://www.bodyflight.net/vertical_velocity.html

The only thing we've ever really celebrated was reaching a certain height above the net..nothing official.. for instance, at Flyaway Indoor .. Top of the Net Club once you can fly and bounce off the top net.. or pass the 30ft mark in an open circuit tunnel like Powerflyte or L1, or fly up to the top doughnut at Lifted Entertainment, then you have bragging rights.. none of which are based on quantity flying in wind tunnels is a celebration!

I have photos of the site under construction from a site visit a couple of years ago, but haven't had an update since.. so it WAS under contstruction for sure, but not so sure anymore.

Perhaps, but in the case of the original post, the experience was certainly similar and certianly not uncommon. (and referred to Orlando)

I'm not really sure what you mean about either comment, I spent a great deal of time, at the Orlando site as it was being constructed, in addition to lots of time spent discussing the workings with the designing engineer, even shared a house with him in Celebration, FL, during the final phases of construction, and into the opening months. Most everyone will find that they stay at the top of the air.. this is where the constant speed you speak of in the approx. 15ft begins to slow down as the chamber opens out to the fans. This is the area above the windows where it is natural to hover. Of course you can fly down into the lower area, of course the speed will affect this as well.

Hello ScratchTX, Let me answer a couple of your questions for you. First of all, your SkyVenture experience would not be duplicated in any type of blowing type tunnel, wether wall to wall air or not. The design of the SkyVenture, simply creates an "optimal" test section, which is where we all end up naturally, above the windows where the air starts to diffuse, not down toward the net, although you will find that the optimal area changes, depending on how many people are in the tunnel. Now, at the L1 in N.Carolina, the 50 foot net was designed specifically for catching a stunt flyer from 70ft or more. 180lb sand bags were used during the testing and of course, we are all very happy with the results. What you could expect from a visit to L1, is slow enough airspeed to keep you in even if you panick, a coach, John Suiter, at your side constantly, flying with you. When you can demonstrate control, you will get more airspeed. There is a different style of learning when your not in wall to wall air. We teach people to tuck & roll if you are ejected from the column. But honestly most people slide out so slowly that they simply stand up. Its most certainly fun to take some falls.. kinda like when you were a kid and jumped off of a swing to see who could land the farthest away. The net isn't bouncy like a trampoline, it's more like a trapeze net.. when you pick your feet up, the net stays with you, you won't ever bounce out of it unless you are at heights of more than 50ft, and if so, you would bounce up about 2 inches and land right back down with little force or impact. I hope that answers your questions for you! Perhaps we'll share some air someday!

Sean, the thread you are looking for is here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1377994#1377994

Sure! http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1379968#1379968

At the request of piisfish, here we go. (Only around 30 are operational today.) Adren-l-n - completed in 2003; manufactured by Jus’ Fly; propeller driven; 1st prototype; currently operating successfully Aerodium - propeller driven machine built 1980-1981; patented in 1982; operational for 5-7 years after opening. Closed for unknown reasons, business is being carried on by the children of the inventor. Aerodium Mexico - built 2002 for military; small propeller driven; inadequate for training; Aerokart - completed in 2002;fan driven; french training facility; currently operational Airodium Zurich - completed in 1991; propeller driven; currently operational and successful. The swiss tunnel is keeps current with technology and currently sell a portable vwt design. Airodium Gran Canaria - completed in 2000; propeller driven portable tunnel; operating successfully since completion this tunnel moves little around it’s home in the Canary Islands Airofly #s 1 - 8 - propeller driven machines delivered to different locations; built to be movable with slow airspeeds of approximately 83mph; it is believed that all are out of commission as a result Airpower Arena - completed in 1996 after success with the portable unit they built first; currently operational Airpower Arena Portable - completed in 1985; propeller driven; possibly available for rentals. Airzone - propeller driven portable; location unknown; no other information is available American Dream Flying Machine - completed in 1991; changed ownership 3 times and is currently for sale; slow airspeeds of 80-90 mph Appalachian Amusement Center - completed in 2003; unique design, superior airflow & quiet, operational since 2004 Blue Skies America - completed in 1990; propeller driven; closed due to lack of demand Bodyflight Skydive Simulators LTD - purchased an old canadian propeller driven tunnel; considering operations, little progress since 2000 BodyFlying SportanLagen - completed in 1997; constructed for an exhibition; disasembled 1 year later Dr’Homme Volant - little is known about this facility which seemed to surface in 2002, extremely large suits have indicated extremely slow airspeeds; Egyptian Military - completed in 1998 by the Swiss Airodium Manufacturers; built for paratrooper training; currently operational with no public access Wright Patterson Air Force Base - completed in 1943 for military testing; in 1946 Jack Tiffany flew in this tunnel making him the first human to fly in a Vertical Wind Tunnel and making WPAFB VWT the first VWT used for human flight; closed. Moved operation to Ft. Bragg Flyaway Japan - completed in the mid 1980’s; propeller driven tunnel; operational for just a couple of years Flyaway Las Vegas - completed in 1982; propeller driven tourist facility; currently thriving* Flyaway Pigeon Forge - completed in 1982; propeller driven tourist facility; currently operational (*same owner) Freefall Xtreme - completed in 2002; mechanics unknown, fast airspeeds, currently operational Free Flight Indoor Skydiving - completed in 1990; not open to the general public; prototype Free Flight Skydiving School - completed in early 90’s operated on a DZ; small propeller driven tunnel; original burned down; rebuilt and disassembled due continued to structural failures Jetfly - much is unknown about this tunnel other than it was manufactured by Mistubishi and has been available for flights in Japan Ft. Bragg - completed for the military; no public access; fan driven; currently operational Bodyflight Bedford - refurbishing a military defense testing facility; currently planning to open in 2005 Mobile Aerodium - propeller driven portable; operational for several years in a water park; currently disassembled an in storage; reason for closure is believed to be a result of the water park closure/lost location Onera, France - science facility, used for human flight once for fun :) Party Zone - portable propeller driven tunnel, used for promotion of a Russian brewing company Powerflyte - completed in 1994; propeller driven; successful on a portable tour; changed ownership twice; refurbished by new owners; currently non operational due to budget Aerodium Isreal - unknown start date; operational until approx 2002; dismantled Skydive LTD - propeller driven portable; currently for sale Skyflyer - tiny 3 fan driven portable tunnel; no other information available SkyVenture Genting - completed in 2002; fan driven; currently operational tourist facility SkyVenture Orlando - completed in 1998; fan driven; currrently operational for skydiving training & tourism SkyVenture Perris - completed in 2003; fan driven; currently operational on a drop zone for skydivers Sundsvall Swededn - completed in 1999; propeller driven; currently run by a swedish skydiving team Terminal Velocity - completed in 1999; closed due to noise restrictions; for sale Tokyo Roof - unknown; no information is available Brazillian Portables - 3 propeller driven portable tunnels used as rentals and promotional aids throughout Brazil Twister -Nancy-Azelot, France, enclosed transparent tube, fixed Vertical Velocity - propeller driven portable unit; small and easy to move; currently operating successfully X-treme Air (now Lifted Entertainment) - propeller driven portable unit; purchased in 2002; currently operational Vuelo Libre #1 & 2 - slow speed propeller portable unit; sold & resold DISCLAIMER: Those are just the tunnels that have been built or were operational, that we could track and what we know. In most cases we had a photo that we had to track back to a tunnel, most of the time we are successful. Many more facilites have been announced but have still not completed construction on their projects and so are not listed here. If we missed someone.. please let us know! Also this post is long to edit, so please excuse typos!!!

Scott's tunnel, at Action Park in Vernon, went down some years ago, but does still exist, only it's in storage. So many start, but never keep going It's definitely a tough business! In the first movie ' Body Flight' there is TONS of video from Action Park.. it was a cool looking tunnel for sure! Wish I had that one on MY list! [green with envy]

I realize most everyone here is only a one tunnel flyer, but I still thought this might be interesting or even motivational! Here's my list since I started (in order): Powerflyte Flyaway Indoor Skydiving Pigeon Forge SkyVenture Orlando Lifted Entertainment/formerly X-treme Air Adren-L-N/formerly Jus' Fly L1 at Appalachian Amusement Center Fun Fact: There have been over 50 operational VWT's specifically for human flight since 1964 World Wide

Absolutely normal to feel sore or achey as you will see from other posts here. Important difference is that a propeller driven tunnel is always choppy and the air has a tendancy to 'beat' you as it goes by.. although it's subtle.. when you fly in a laminar flow tunnel like SkyVenture or an L1 you can really notice a difference. That will add to the soreness! I'm suprised to hear that you learned a transition so quickly and were able to work with a sit. This tells me the tunnel is pretty fast. Can you tell me about the suit you wore to fly in? Also, if the net was flexible, springy like a trampoline, and you used it to bounce off of a bit while on your belly, this is also a common reason for sore stomach muscles. Sounds like you had a great time.. if you got a picture of it or two, we'd love to feature it on our home page so send it along. We are always looking for a new Photo of the Week!

Yes. Houston is the location for the first multi-level VWT, with two completely different flight areas operating with the same column of air. The sale is complete and the site is being prepped.. It is owned by Adren-L-N, who currently have the portable in the U.S. with wall to wall air. So not looking, at this point, IS building. It will be part of an entire complex including competition class climbing walls, yoga, etc. Full body fitness.. one section of the air will be enclosed and the other open, to suit all preferences. Yippee!!!

One person can purchase a 30 minute block for themselves... Single Flights refer to a walkup "3 minute flights" like a whuffo might want. When one person purchases that much time, they don't usually want to do it all at once, a break can be provided at your request. You can use the contact information on the website to ask questions directly. Have fun!

I'd sure like to know what it's like, our info has always been lacking on them... it looks as though it would be ok from the pics we've seen.. kinda like the outdoor portable known as PowerFlyte or as fast as Adren-L-N without the walls.. I love tunnels with the airbags, not as good for safety but I love landing on them! If you go, let us know! Have fun!

Hilarious! You could implement this as shaded parking for all of eastern europe! Ok seriously, I wonder how many panels that would really be!

If we were as lucky as you to find a site like you did, I just would have to think I died and went to heaven.... of course the first thing I would do is open up some panels to view the outside.. can't stand the dark room syndrome.. surely you can replace SOMETHING, to get a view of the outdoors... of course if its not nice looking around there, might be better to paint a mural I can't wait to get over there, need to time it with a trip from Gunti!

In support of what your saying, this sort of thing is more common with the types of tunnels pulling that much juice, the Open Air North Carolina tunnel, also has time restrictions, aka peak time, which forces closure during certain hours in the summer. Not a business issue, although can cause issues with business

We're waitin for you Ari!!!

Hey Paul, I have faith in the ethics of your operation... I know that you will maximize flyer benefit at every opportunity! We have considered many ways to SPLIT a large diameter single flight area... it is possible with little modifications...