Tunnel flying vs in the sky

[NeonLights 0]

I have recently started working on freefly in the tunnel. In the sky i can move around in a sit, fwd and backward.. Side to side... Up and down.. Take a dock.. But in the tunnel, i suck! Part of my problem is creating lift, i cant just get into a "neutral" sit position because i am still on the net.. They said it was cranked all the way up, but i really have to put alot of effort into getting up off the net and it feels like i am learning something brand new. Any input? Advice?

[surfbum5411 0]

I have maybe 5 hours of tunnel time, so from my limited experience, I can tell you that it will magnify bad body position x100. Sometimes I still catch myself having to remember to put my shoulders and head back to create some huge lift. Most people don't realize that their rig creates some lift, so get those shoulders back to create more surface.

[NeonLights 0]

I will keep that in mind for tommorow. Any other things i should focus on for tunnel flying? And if you dont mind me asking, did you pay for all those hours!? I just bought 35 mins and i have burned through it in 2 days.. I really cant afford to do this all the time. Gonna have to take out a loan and move into a tent at the dz.

[Austintxflight 0]

The benefit to the tunnel is they can really work to give you excellent form, alot of this is done with lower windspeeds and work on the net.

This can often times feel frustrating as it can feel like you are taking a step backwards from what you are doing in the sky. I have felt that many a times, but the next time I'm in the sky I can almost always tell the improvement I made.

If the tunnel is nearby, find local groups that make regular tunnel visits, they can help speed your progress, give you spacing and often times can negotiate for better rates. Then try and keep a regular schedule if possible, even if its only once every other month.

Good luck, have fun!

[EOCS 0]

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I have recently started working on freefly in the tunnel. In the sky i can move around in a sit, fwd and backward.. Side to side... Up and down.. Take a dock.. But in the tunnel, i suck! Part of my problem is creating lift, i cant just get into a "neutral" sit position because i am still on the net.. They said it was cranked all the way up, but i really have to put alot of effort into getting up off the net and it feels like i am learning something brand new. Any input? Advice?

Well... with my massive 1 hour worth of experiance in the tunnrl i know they made me start out with the slowest windspeed possible when seatflying. i think the speed was around 230 kph and according to protrack my avg in the sky is around 260kph and yea i had a really hard time getting off the net.... however the tunnel was no where near full power.. so either the tunnel you are at cant reach the speed needed for full on FF or they just want to keep you at lower speeds for a while....

my 2 cents

[NeonLights 0]

Ok, so i did my second 15 min session in the tunnel today. I figured out the low speed flying. This tunnels max is 120. Hopefully learning in low speeds will help me in the long run

[Mr_Polite 0]

What tunnel are you at?

[surfbum5411 0]

That sucks. Yeah if the tunnel is maxed out at belly flying speeds, I wouldn't even waste my money. Perris has a tunnel with the same problem and they try to compensate by putting you in a big ass jumpsuit.... kind of defeats the purpose since you're trying to learn to fly your body :-/

[NeonLights 0]

Yeah, this was at perris. I wont be going there anymore. Im pretty sure they just "upgraded" this thing too. I wish i would have gone somewhere else, probably would have got more out of my time.

[surfbum5411 0]

iFly Hollywood for sure. I can fly with my own jumpsuit in their tunnel and I heard they just recently increased the max speed... powerful little tunnel.

[NeonLights 0]

Nice, i forgot about that place. I flew my own suit in perris, im sure that didnt help. Thanks for the info, i will go next time. Elsinore does excel camps there as well.

[BigBUG 0]

Thats ok.
Really.
I could tell you so as a WT instructor.

Do not worry, your air experience will get your learning curve steeper and easier, just get yourself some time.

What actually happens when cool flyer gets in WT for the first time? He knows he could fly good, ok. But then he see the walls, the net, feel this hard wind and his body begin to tense. And voila - he starts to drift around. The more you drift, the less relaxed you get (I am a cool skydiver, why the hell I could not stay in the center?) and the more you drift. Done.

Also, freefly in the tunnel is something really different. In air you do not create lift. You just gain stability. There is a plenty of wind when you needed. In WT you start to fly in low speed. So you will need lot of extra efforts to get off the net. That's why you always recognize tunnel flyer in the air - his posture is different because he uses every surface he have, legs, back, arms - everything. '90 degree sit' could be learned in the tunnel, no problem. But is much easier to start with more 'tunnel specific' headup positions and work a lot on transit and layouts - actually you learn to fly when you move, not when you trying to lift some 'static' posture off the net.

Freefly in the tunnel will require some serious 'back to school'. But then you will be rewarded by fantastic control and possibilities in the air, and you'll get them pretty fast, using previous experience :)

Start slow, fly a lot at slow speed - and you'll be supercool when you go faster later on.

[BigBUG 0]

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Hopefully learning in low speeds will help me in the long run

if there are cool instructors (I am sure they are) - then absolutely. If you could backfly in your tunnel - then you have all layouts and carve.

When we started to fly our tunnel, everyone fly on 90+ percent (250+ kph). Now we fly at 72-80% and do same routines much better, they looks beatiful and they are super controlled. Our great guests, Ramsy from Bottrop/Voss and Alex from Skywalkers showed us how to do it right.

[BigMark 1]

Perris upgraded the motors but did not get the expected gains in airspeed, the power supplies may be the culprit. Not good enough for this fatboy...(me)

[NeonLights 0]

Pretty disappointing. I was hoping to learn HD there next, but with a 120mph max.... Looks like i will be going to hollyweird

[surfbum5411 0]

That is very disappointing indeed because the Perris tunnel is much bigger than Hollywood, but at 120 mph, just a waste for anyone more than 150 pounds.

[NeonLights 0]

well i figure learning HD in a small tunnel is better anyway. maybe i can find a tunnel i can barely squeeze my body into. If im already touching all the walls, i cant slam into them very hard..

[Freeflaw 0]

go to Hollywood and buy the frequent flyer 600 dollar block...You fly for 10 bucks a min...however it is standby time and you have to wait for open time and cannot schedule in advance...most of the time that is no problem, especially around non-peak hours...call ahead and ask them if there is a bunch of time scheduled before driving out, mention you are a frequent flier...they are more than happy to let you know...further, after you have bought your first block you can just keep adding money to your now existing frequent flier account at the 10 dollar rate

another option would be to contact atlas freefly at Perris or Elsinore...they can schedule time, and you will be flying at a rate of around 15 dollars if not less with a coach...If you need contact details for the guys let me know...cheers

-A

[surfbum5411 0]

Yep, ditto on the $10/minute. I'm always in the tunnel within 15-30 minutes, but the one time I had a problem getting in quickly was on a Friday.

As far as coaching, the guys at iFly are just as or even more qualified to make sure you continue to progress in the tunnel. Every time I go, the instructors have always been more than willing to offer instruction or hop in and show me how to do something. Just let them know what you're working on and I'm sure they'll help you out. Do make sure to tip... trust me it goes a long way.

[CornishChris 5]

Another problem is that when you are in the tunnel and static it is a lot harder than when you start moving around. I had this issue with static head down in the tunnel - I found myself in 2 jumpsuits, fighting for lift. Once you start moving about the positions for movement generally create more lift so you can fly at lower speeds. It is frustrating though - the tunnel I was in varied in power a lot and some days I needed all my effort just to get off the net in HD at which point i had nothing left...

Keep persevering though - it is definitely the best way to learn...

CJP

Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

[Whamie 0]

Hullo,,,i live in the LA area...im looking for a group to split for a 30 min or 1 hour session,,,are you guys interested?

[BKW82 0]

From what I understand, iFLY Hollywood's blocks are more expensive than if you were to open a frequent flyer account and get the $10/minute deal...

[BigMark 1]

http://www.groupon.com/deals/i-fly-hollywood-9?p=5&pt=3ULsYkFDAXpDub6r2v7S_YGFOITS0Fpqn&utm_source=pc&utm_medium=email&sid=1bfa52fb-d9c1-4fdd-ad35-57d6936bfcfe&division=los-angeles&user=00d21c34f6dfd1c710f3bc816676f2f9aefb3051a226f51f40097553268a8d9f&date=20121202&s=body&c=deal_img&d=deal-page]Coupon

[BKW82 0]

Quote

http://www.groupon.com/deals/i-fly-hollywood-9?p=5&pt=3ULsYkFDAXpDub6r2v7S_YGFOITS0Fpqn&utm_source=pc&utm_medium=email&sid=1bfa52fb-d9c1-4fdd-ad35-57d6936bfcfe&division=los-angeles&user=00d21c34f6dfd1c710f3bc816676f2f9aefb3051a226f51f40097553268a8d9f&date=20121202&s=body&c=deal_img&d=deal-page]Coupon

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your Groupon thing is $50 for 3 minutes, while opening a frequent flyer account will get you $10 per minute (e.g. 5 minutes for $50)