tunnel training

[geanky 0]

What do you guys think of tunnel training?
Is it worth spending one hour or just go with 30 min instead?
How similar is it to actual freeflying?

[neural9 0]

I went last year to the tunnel and seeing as though I can't flat fly, I tried to freefly in the tunnel. It's hard. It's been quite a while so they might have changed things to make it easier, like cranking up the speed. Are there any freeflyers using it regularly? I have seen some lighter freeflyers in there (i.e. 7/8 stone) doing some fantastic things though. Let me know how you get on.
Rob[n9]

[WmLauterbach 0]

how much money do you got!
If you got money to burn... go for an hour (or more)
Tunnel training works wonders if you use a coach and video...
If you have a body position problem in freefall... it is amplified in a tunnel... a good coach will be able to show you what your problem is
In freefall, in air instruction is 'sketchy' at best... once you exit, the jump is on... in a tunnel you control how long you fly.
just my 2 cents....
ps...
go with the hour

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

I've never been to a tunnel myself, but I know an instuctor who went to one and he said that it helped him loads, and he's got about 3000 jumps I think.
When I grow up, I want to be a post whore

[JJohnson 0]

I've spent about an hour and half or so in Orlando's tunnel and about an hour in the Las Vegas one. The Orlando tunnel is much better.
However for freeflying the tunnel is not easy. If you are tall and slender, you can probably get a sit or evena stand up.
The airspeed is just not limitless like real freefall. However it definetly teaches control. You will get tired of bouncing into the walls and learn to use small movements.
JJ

[freeflydave 0]

Here is a quick bit of a recent article in the mags,
Anything you can do in the air you can do in the Tunnel.
"Thompson says, “The tunnel quickens the learning curve. As opposed to training in the sky, you can literally fly forever”. This makes the wind tunnel a vital aspect to freefly training. In addition to the Freefly Training Centers instructors and team members bringing up groups to the tunnel, world champions Mike Swanson and Rook Nelson have been training compulsory freeflying moves there as well. Their focus is to put into practice moves such as: rock the cradle, sixty-nine, eagles, jokers and carving, in close proximity. They also have participated with Starck and Hughes doing impressive 4 way head down, 5 way sit fly and hybrid maneuvers, one of the most exciting being a simulated ‘Indy’, where 2 people stand on the ground and one flyer figure eights around them on their head. In addition to ALL of this, they have completed all of the maneuvers for the USPA 3-D award in the tunnel, as well as achieving the award in the sky.
The SkyVenture Wind Tunnel will be celebrating it’s fourth anniversary this coming July. " article by Erin Golden
The most efficient thing for you would be to do one hour of coaching and combine it with in air coaching to gain the most from the training. An earlier comment said in air instruction is sketchy, bull, both training methods work as good as you can demonstrate and your instructor can teach. Contact me for more freefly tunnel info, I've been quite a bit, 6-7 hours. Check out the pix I attached, there fresh.
later
Dave

[geanky 0]

Dave:
thx for all the info...but some other questions?
1. Can you fly both daffy and straddle?
2. Will they crank up the speed for a tunnel rookie?
3. Will they let me practice all positions even if there is not a coach there?

[freeflydave 0]

Answers.
1.You can fly any position in the Tunnel provided that you gain the proper experience to do so, ie proper training. And always remember there's someone who can do it, so you can too.
2.They will crank up the speed but this is only as much as they will do for a heavy RW flier, the speed, dependant on air temperature and such varies greatlly, faster in the winter than in the summer. You learn to fly in slow air flow, sub 140mph
3.They will let you practice headup, backflying and mabye transitions if the previous positions are good and your not already bouncing yourself off the wall, however headdown is a different story you will have to be with one of their coaches or go through an outside school,
hope this helps,
Dave