wind tunnel in Ohio?

[DustyP 0]

is there?

.

[PhreeZone 20]

Nope, you are looking at a trip to NC, NH, TN (for the Flyaway with the baggy suits) or Orlando.

I wish someone would remember the Midwest and open a tunnel near me.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Hooknswoop 19]

SVCO is probably the closest.

Derek

[matthewcline 0]

Hmm, atlas must be old.

Phree, you all have a Wind Tunnel company right there in Dayton.

Just a few envestors and thewinte rjob is covered too!

It is the compnay that built AAC.

Use that $30,000+ you spent in another thred.

I will spot ya a $20.00 to get ya started.

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Hmm, atlas must be old.

New, but biased.

Derek

[PhreeZone 20]

Don't tempt me...

I've already done some basic running of the numbers and its going to have to be an indoor tunnel to make it profitable here. AAC's design looks great, but with it in the 40's and lower Nov-April its not exactly a great time to be bodyflying.

If I can get a large investor interested... I might consider trying to get a project like this off the ground at some point. I just need to go to Business school first so I don't run it into the ground

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[matthewcline 0]

Alpha Mechanical makes 3 designs.

The outdoor like AAC. (Running)
An indoor. (designed and looking for placement)
And a Portable is designed. (but only on paper)

No excuses now huh?

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[Paige 0]

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Alpha Mechanical makes 3 designs.

The outdoor like AAC. (Running)
An indoor. (designed and looking for placement)
And a Portable is designed. (but only on paper)

No excuses now huh?

I'd love to see AAC done 100% before investing or telling investors to buy into Alpha Mechanical. I loved my AAC expereince but would want to know what the product can REALLY do when running at top speed, full capacity, price of parts, how long it will take to complete, etc. They have had a very long time to complete that tunnel and it's very sad still today it's not 100% I wanna fly that thing topped out so bad!

Okay back to the topic-
I have a few investors who were wanting to open up a tunnel in Ohio, but there are far better locations from the market research that was acquired. I tried so hard to get them to build a tunnel before and after moving to FL, they just don't want the risk that is involved with building Ohio, i.e. not that many tourists esp. in the winter months.
Tourist play a huge roll in a tunnels success, look at Vegas, Orlando, Pigeon Forge, Colorado, for example.

Instead of building a tunnel where you live, it's best to say (for any business), "Where is going to be the most successful/profitable location?" Find it, then build it!

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[matthewcline 0]

If the tunnel was built near Cinci or Cleveland it would be just as active as any other tourist location when partnered with e sports team (the Bengals are popular again so they could draw clients).

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[Paige 0]

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If the tunnel was built near Cinci or Cleveland it would be just as active as any other tourist location when partnered with e sports team (the Bengals are popular again so they could draw clients).

You can make so much more money elsewhere in the country. The investors I had didn't care if they made a dime (loosing $6 mill to them is nothing) and they still didn't want to buy into the Ohio market.

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

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I'd love to see AAC done 100%

I couldn't agree more! This tunnel, although operating is not yet complete.. they haven't even finished with all the part of the airflow at this point!! It works but hey.. I can't wait to see what it can REALLY do! When that day comes around.. I'll be throwing a party!!!

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A tunnel in Ohio would be mostly viable near Cedar Point or Kings Island... but generally.. the midwest is a rough area for business... climate aside with an indoor tunnel.. the numbers of people just aren't there...

Investor Tip.....
Now... if you took that down to say a 10 foot tunnel.. good enough for 2 way freeflying or individual belly work PLUS tourists... it gets MUCH cheaper to operate and you could do a smaller location without as big of a risk.

[PhreeZone 20]

Cedar Point is still a 45 minute drive from a major city and is in the middle of nowhere Ohio. Kings Island just got sold to Cedar point this year so its unclear as to its future (rumor is at least one of the coasters are coming down).

The population base is not here for a tunnel, but Chicago has it. It still amazes me that Chicago doesn't have a tunnel with the population size and tourist areas it has.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[matthewcline 0]

Kings Island would be great. (with the coaster coming down there is the space they need)
Some what close to Dayton, Cinci and not to far from big cities in IN, KY and TN.

Indoor of course would be year round clients.

I understand it has been tried before and the invetors didn't like it. But that doesn't mean it wont work. There is even a resurgance of RW and that can help to bring in clients instead of them travleing to warmer areas all the time (yes skydivers are a small percentage of the clients for a none DZ tunnel and maybe even a DZ tunnel too, but they can help get the word out).

What I think is amazing is the AAC tunnel isn't up to full speed? and it is still real fast and smooth! when it is up to full speed is stlye gonna be practiced there? how about speed diving practice?

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

Chicago is the best viability... but you gotta get downtown.. near Navy Pier would be my first preference... but the land is just not available at a reasonable price.. hell even an unreasonable price
Now.. anyone know Donald Trump? He's building a humongo building there and it would looke GREAT with a half circle of glass on the front and an open jet vwt operating inside 18 feet in diameter of course... c'mon it's TRUMP we're talking about here

[matthewcline 0]

But it will mess up his hair!

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[SKYWHUFFO 1]

INDIANAPOLIS!!!!!!!!!!! Center can draw from Ohio, Chicago, Kentucky, Michigan, Southern Illinois, St. Louis. You can get land cheap downtown, ALWAYs a convention going on and a great sports town.

Roger Hadley, had the right idea with his tunnel, just wrong place and little to no hype, advertising, or enthuiasm from the DZ. I am really suprised nothing has drifted thru on strong rumors about putting one here. Sombody like Team Fastrax would be in heaven not having to fly all the time to Fl, or Cal to fly. Shurely, there is enough tourism in this area and the Large DZ's in Chicago, Ohio, Ten, Indiana, Michigan would fill in the gaps. I am a poor boy or i would jump on it.

Blues
D

[PhreeZone 20]

Tunnels don't care where the jumpers are, they care where the tourists are Indy don't have near the population or tourist draw to support it. Cinci might with Kings Island in a few years. The park might be getting a huge influx of cash (and coasters) so that it might finally get to the point it could support a tunnel.

Navy Pier would be perfect in that aspect, anyone look at a barge like what they want to do for SkyVenture NYC?

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[SKYWHUFFO 1]

I really don't care where, Cincy, Indy, Dayton, Chicago or anywhere in between. I am just saying the mid-west should be able to sustain a tunnel.

[matthewcline 0]

Yes it should and why not right next to the Gambling boats? Before they go in and loose all thier money!

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[Eule 0]

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Chicago is the best viability... but you gotta get downtown.. near Navy Pier would be my first preference... but the land is just not available at a reasonable price.. hell even an unreasonable price

From people I know that have lived and worked in Chicago, that isn't even the start of it. As I understand it, to estimate the cost of building a tunnel (or anything) in Chicago proper, one would need to first find the cost (minus the land) of a comparable design that has already been built elsewhere. You would then multiply that cost by 1.5 to 2, to account for all the weird building codes, union pay scales, and bribes that it takes to do business in Chicago. (It costs a lot of money to drive all those dead people to three or four voting booths each!) _Then_ you get to add on the cost of the land.

Just looking at the US population, it does seem a little odd that there isn't a tunnel anywhere between Denver and the close pair of Flyaway Pigeon Forge and L1/AAC. I took a map of population density I found here, turned the lowest two levels white and the third level a very light gray, and plotted the approximate location of current tunnels on it. Just going by this, it would have made more sense to build a tunnel in the Chicago area before Denver, and the "next" tunnel "should" go somewhere around Chicago, or possibly somewhere around Dallas or Houston, or (long shot?) Minneapolis/St. Paul. But besides the problems with Chicago, it's been noted that "tourist density" is probably more important than "population density", which means Denver is a little better spot.

I'd vote for putting the "next" tunnel in Texas somewhere, as that's a lot closer to me than Chicago. On the other hand, if the tunnels remain far away from me, I won't have to eat Ramen noodles as often. :)

Eule

PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

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I'd vote for putting the "next" tunnel in Texas somewhere, as that's a lot closer to me than Chicago. On the other hand, if the tunnels remain far away from me, I won't have to eat Ramen noodles as often. :)

Eule

Texas is where wind tunnel projects go to die
In fact... right now.. there is one in El Paso, 2 in the Houston area, 2 more PLANNED but never built for the Houston area, and there WAS one operating in the College Station area, also gone.

And I'm from Chicago... it's not as bad as you say! But alas.. still pricey. And not just a good tourist draw and local pop but also a couple of large student focused dzs as well within an hour.

I would've went for Denver before Chicago too but I suspect that had little to do with it. The first time I met Bill Kitchen before SVO was even complete he wished he could've put the first one in the Denver area which he called home but Orlando was the best location for profitability. I wasn't suprised at all that the Denver project happened so quickly. However it's not always about the most profitable location, sometimes they ARE built just to be nearby the owners... take AAC for instance... almost no tourism, small population, no dz's... not to mention that there was already a tunnel in this area for 20+ years...

Now Oklahoma City might be an interesting location...
(Say Hi to Rebecca for me!)

[SKYWHUFFO 1]

Dawn,

Here is an interesting question, do you or anyone else think a "protable tunnel" in a stationary spot sort of like Arden-l-N can ever be profitable or sustainable over a long period of time? it seems like you see them come and go alot.

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

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Here is an interesting question, do you or anyone else think a "protable tunnel" in a stationary spot sort of like Arden-l-N can ever be profitable or sustainable over a long period of time? it seems like you see them come and go alot.

Heck yes one could! No problem.

They DO come & go alot, and that is most unfortunate. It takes alot of resources to make any tunnel profitable.. and only a couple of portable units so far have been of any decent quality and been able to stay operational over time.

alot of portables were just cheaply & carelessly thrown together, after all it looks fairly simple doesn't it? and obviously those were destined for failure from the start without enough budget or information/education to sustain them.

but hey... you've got a portable sitting in your back yard! Some independents from Indy bought the little portable at auction.. they said they wanted to use it for Oktoberfest or something like that.. perhaps you can find them

[Eule 0]

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In fact... right now.. there is one in El Paso, 2 in the Houston area, 2 more PLANNED but never built for the Houston area, and there WAS one operating in the College Station area, also gone.

The "one in El Paso and 2 in the Houston area" are dead plans, too, or still in process, or ?

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Now Oklahoma City might be an interesting location...

I can think of some DZs that would be pretty happy with that, but I think the tunnel owners would tend to lose their shirts. The land would be cheap, but I don't think you'd get enough local business nor tourism to make a go of it.

Besides, like I said, if there was a tunnel a couple of hours from me, I'd probably end up being glad that there are lots of bridges on the turnpike to sleep under. :)

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(Say Hi to Rebecca for me!)

Will do. Hopefully the next time I see her, I'll be jumping again.

Eule

PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

The one in El Paso is operational.. just not open to the public nor operating... it was purchased for a gentlemens children as a play toy... now they are over it.

Houston portables.. one actually IN houston.. being rebuilt right now, and another just south near Orange, broken down.

Houston stationary units... one actually partially paid for but NOT under construction, and the other I don't think they've even signed purchase contracts yet.. but both are still "planned" as far as I know.

OH.. and OK City.. well... said it would be INTERESTING.. not necessarily that profitable.. but OK city could totally sustain a semi-permanent portable

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