TomAiello 26 #1 May 19, 2005 Hey, Does anyone know what one of those little portable tunnels costs? The kind you see on trailers getting towed out to the county fair? I understand that they're not really a serious training tool, etc. I'm not thinking about them in those terms. There's one for sale near me that was a bank foreclosure, and I'm trying to get a handle on how good a deal it is (or even if it is). Thanks for any help!-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chutem 0 #2 May 20, 2005 Bodyflight.net has info mentioning sales/design with a picture of a "trailer unit" behind it. Hope that helps, I've seen them posting here so maybe someone will give you the answer. James Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chutem 0 #3 May 20, 2005 Following that link it looks like they get $350K for a new one depending on options. Says big enough for 2-way RW. James Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodyflight.Net 0 #4 May 20, 2005 Tom, We have a complete write up about the tunnel you are talking about.. on our home page, click on the Auction Alert.. you can pm me or ask here (so others can learn,) with any questions you have.. I can answer ALL of them! Pink Suits, Blue Skies & Fast Air, Dawn Suiter PMTS #3 You could be Next! Join @ A.A.C. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #5 May 20, 2005 I'm guessing it's this one? I guess I have one big question, which is how much it's worth. Your web site has an approximate value of $150,000 in the corner. Is that accurate? And some little questions: How much does it cost to operate something like that? In terms of how much fuel (and what kind) you have to feed through it per x minutes of operation? And I see that you'd recommend some safety retrofits. What kinds of things? Thanks for any information.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodyflight.Net 0 #6 May 20, 2005 WORTH.. as you can imagine is sometimes 'subjective'.. I quoted $150K in terms of parts as well as value.. this tunnel is small is is perfectly suited towards an amusement rental/show type environment.. but only with experienced & trained flyers doing the flying. Because it's so small it's barely suitable for one person.. being so small.. there is little room for traditional safety features, such as airbags or cushions.. these should be added, and the modifications can be made. The crude harness system that is in place now.. seems to work OK, but is not something I would recommend keeping.. I would of course only endorse hands on training as a true flying experience is certainly the only way to build the industry and gain repeat customers. Also.. because it's so small... it's easy to move.. you can pack up, pull it with your pickup and move from venue to venue every day if you wanted, this in and of itself makes this a very valuable tour.. if you charge 3-5K per venue plus expenses you can get quite alot done as COMPARED to other portable tunnels.. but can you get a venue.. sometimes.. with lots of advance planning and a bit of research, you COULD locate several places to remain in your DOWN time from bookings... but they will not be easy to find.. OH THE NOISE from these things, and that will be the primary and in some cases ONLY reason you cannot find a place to operate. Typical 3 minute flights pushing them through you could probably run 15-20 flyers at about $20 bucks a head.. $30 would be pushing it.. people seem to give up twenty dollar bills much easier.. Operating costs.. 3 staff.. training time (+/- 30 hours at least).. 20 gallons (ESTIMATED) per hour of off road diesel.. insurance 20-30K per year, travel, expenses.. etc.. you can do the math.. (we offer full consulting svcs if you don't want to) Saftey retrofits... sturdy railing on the top, airbag/cushion of some type on the deck, and of course everything should be fully inspected prior to usage.. those sort of things.. (waiting for next questions) Pink Suits, Blue Skies & Fast Air, Dawn Suiter PMTS #3 You could be Next! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkiD_PL8 0 #7 May 21, 2005 Buy it tom I know where you can find some staff Greenie in training. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onewaydown 0 #8 January 26, 2008 There is a Tunnel on e-bay. Check it out! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freefalljenn 0 #9 January 27, 2008 eBay link for the lazy: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250208103645&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015 Man I wish I had 50 grand!!! Based on the picture on eBay, and the description, I suspect this is the American Dream Flying Machine, as seen here: http://www.bodyflight.net/american_dream.htmljenn Tunnel Junkie Since November 2005! ;o)~ TPM #46 Paraclete XP TPM Delegate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
