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The Boss
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 23/10/2007 12:58:29
Posts: 115, Visits: 547 |
| Tunnel flying questions
What is tunnel flying?
What is a Vertical Wind Tunnel?
How do I learn - is tunnel flying difficult?
How do you move around in the tunnel?
Why would you want to tunnel fly?
Who can tunnel fly?
How many people can fly at once?
Is tunnel flying safe?
What does the average wind tunnel look like?
What happens the first time you go to a wind tunnel?
If I want to get in to tunnel flying in a big way - what do I do?
How do you buy time in a wind tunnel and is it expensive?
Are there tunnel flying competitions?
What is tunnel flying?
Tunnel flying is a fast growing and extremely fun recreational pastime that allows you to fly and perform breathtaking manouvres suspended safely in a column of air. You don't need wings of any sort or any form of special equipment, in fact pretty much all that's needed is yourself and your enthusiasm. You can learn to tunnel fly at one of the many specially equipped Vertical Wind Tunnels sited around the world.
Whilst suspended in the column of air you can learn to move forwards, backwards, up and down, left and right and to perform an almost infinite variety of moves and positions that will make you grin from ear to ear, help you develop a better awareness and understanding of your body, increase your fitness and dazzle any onlookers.
Several flyers can enter the tunnel at the same time and build formations, fly around each other, play "zero-gravity" tag and if they so desire work towards refining their flying skills together so that they can compete in group competitions, where teams try and out fly other teams. You can make tunnel flying as challenging as you want it be or fly solely for your own recreational enjoyment. Tunnel flying is cool and fun. It's a genuinely incredible sensation that we're confident you'll enjoy tremendously.
What is a Vertical Wind Tunnel?
A vertical wind tunnel is a miracle of human engineering and imagination. It's a magical place where any dreams and ambitions you have of being able to fly are turned in to a reality. It's a place you, your friends and family can visit, normally at a time that suits you, to experience the joy of human flight in an exciting, safe and professionally operated environment. A wind tunnel creates a stream of air moving upwards so fast that it can support your entire weight, lifting you off the ground and allowing you to experience what it feels like to fly without the need for wings.
A wind tunnel as the name would suggest creates a fast moving column of air - wind - through a cylindrical chamber or tunnel. In its simplest form a wind tunnel can be a single powerful fan or propeller that blows air though the chamber. Wind tunnels have been used for years by research establishments to test the aerodynamic qualities of objects that pass through air at high speed. For example the shapes and contours of cars are tested in wind tunnels so that their designers can measure how smoothly the air passes over them at different speeds with scientific accuracy. These qualities are easier to measure in a wind tunnel than by driving the car down the freeway at 100mph!
Wind tunnels have been essential in the development of a wide range of automobiles and in particular aeroplanes where it is extremely important that the flow of air at high speeds over a wing is understood in great detail. With one of two exceptions, most of these wind tunnels built for research purposes were built to generate horizontal air flow, meaning wind that moves in one direction from left to right or right to left. A vertical wind tunnel creates wind that moves from the bottom of the chamber upwards. Tilt your head backwards; open your mouth and blow straight up-wards. Now imagine the same on a grand scale, only instead of your mouth - huge powerful fans blowing air upwards at a speed and strength capable of lifting a human being in to a controlled and amazing flight.
How do I learn - is tunnel flying difficult?
Learning is straightforward and fun! Tunnel flying is not difficult although like any sport you can choose exactly how far you want to develop your skills. After the first few minutes within the tunnel you should be able to remain stable and fly with some level of confidence - you might wobble a little bit or move from side to side a little, but you'll be flying and you'll love it.
The first flying position you will be taught is the basic "belly to earth" position - imagine laying down on the floor on your front - arching your back and having your arms out by your sides bent at the elbows slightly. Instructors will be in the tunnel holding on to you whilst you master this, but for most people it only takes a few minutes before they get to grips with it.
Once you have mastered the belly to earth position and are basically stable you can then go on to learn to turn in a circle, move, backwards and forwards, up and down and so on and so forth getting better all the time so that eventually you have real command of the air. If you want to learn how to tunnel fly you will quickly become confident about your skills and be able to fly round the tunnel with speed and grace. Flying will eventually become like second nature to you.
As you become more professional at what you do in the wind tunnel you'll learn neat new tricks to help you move faster, easier and with more accuracy. What's more none of this is difficult, but like most activities of this nature it will take some practice, concentration and co-ordination. Other tunnel flyers are on hand to help your own progression towards being an expert, in your own time and at your own pace.
How do you move around in the tunnel?
Whilst flying in the tunnel your whole body is suspended in a fast moving column of air. This air travels upwards all around your arms, your legs, your head and torso. By moving these parts of your body you can deflect air off you in different ways causing you to move around in the tunnel - in much the same way that moving a rudder on a boat, deflects water and causes the boat to turn.
Tilting your body to one side will make you turn in that direction because as the air comes up from beneath you and hits the underside of your body it "spills" out over the higher side and begins to push you round. If you extend your legs, more air air-bounces off them and starts to move you forward, likewise if you extend your arms out in front of you will move backwards. Extend both your arms and your legs and you'll not go forwards or backwards - but you'll go up! Why? Because you're making yourself bigger - this causes more air to catch you on its way up, taking you up with it.
Flying really is an amazing experience and learning to move round the tunnel is incredible fun and can be done all in your own time at your own pace. There are a thousand different ways to move in the tunnel and as you gain experience of them you will find you can fly with increasing accuracy - moving from place to place in the tunnel with ease and elegance.
Why would you want to tunnel fly?
For many people the dream of being able to fly without anything attached to them like superman and the sense of freedom and excitement this must bring has been a reoccurring theme in their lives. That dream is now possible with tunnel flying and - it's safe. If you have ever wondered what flying above the ground without wings might feel like, are interested in new physical experiences or a thrill-seeker in any way shape or form you need to fly in the tunnel. What's more tunnel flying is safe.
Tunnel flying appeals to a variety of people from different backgrounds and for a wide variety of reasons. For many people it's just something fun to do at the weekend - for others it's an environment in which they can carefully hone their skills and compete against other flyers. Ultimately tunnel flyers all have their own reasons for doing so, but all would agree on one thing and that is the sensation of flight is truly amazing and it's something everyone should experience.
Although many tunnel flyers are interested in other sports, tunnel flying attracts a lot of people for who traditional sports simply have no appeal. If you find that other sports all seem a little bit "dull" to you then you might find that tunnel flying is for you because it feels great and allows you to develop your skills as fast or as slow as you want to. Tunnel flying is genuinely cool, it's different and provides an opportunity for you to gain a whole new awareness of your body.
Interested in getting fit? Tunnel flying can help. Although recreational tunnel flying does not require you to be an athlete, moving your body within the tunnel requires that your arms and legs are always "pressing" in to the wind and resisting its push. If you didn't resist the wind with your arms and legs in the tunnel they'd just be flapping around in the air-steam! The more time you spend in the tunnel the more this constant but mild resistance strengthens your muscles and body.
Some of the more advanced manoeuvres that experienced tunnel flyers have developed require some degree of strength in your arms, legs and torso. As you spend time in the tunnel working towards learning these manoeuvres, your strength will naturally grow.
A lot of tunnel flyers who have led quite sedentary lives before discovering the joys of tunnel flying find themselves much more motivated to get fit and look after themselves after discovering the sport. Tunnel flying is genuinely so much fun it provides many new tunnel flyers with exactly what they need to get fit - a real reason to be fit. It is likely you will find yourself wanting to get better in the tunnel and this will motivate you in a number of different areas of your life.
If you're not currently that athletic finding a form of exercise you enjoy is very likely to change your life for the better, the right level of exercise will extend your life, make you feel better and has been shown to help with depression and the blues! If you've found it difficult getting in to anything physical in the past, you need to try tunnel flying - because it really is incredible fun and certainly doesn't seem like exercise. Don't take our word for it? Try it for yourself!
Who can tunnel fly?
The youngest person to fly in a wind tunnel - with the assistance of an instructor - was just 3 years old and you see children older than this having fun in the tunnel and developing their skills all the time. The oldest person to have flown in a wind tunnel was 80. There are highly skilled tunnel flyers that are amazing to watch and an inspiration of all different ages. Tunnel flying is pretty much for everyone.
If you are able bodied and in reasonable condition, haven't had problem with any of your joints such as repetitive shoulder dislocation and weigh under 15 stone (100kg or 210lbs) you should be fine. Please note that different wind tunnel operators have different requirements and if you are close to the weight limit above or have some physical impairment its probably worth calling the tunnel operator in advance before driving there to fly just to make sure everything will be ok.
How many people can fly at once?
Wind tunnels vary in size but most of them are about 12 feet in diameter and essentially circular in shape. Up to 4 experienced tunnel flyers can fit in this space at any one time and in fact many groups of people have formed 4-way teams to show off their skills. There's not a lot of room to spare with 4 people in the tunnel and performing manoeuvres with this number of people shows a high degree of skill.
It's very common to see 2 or 3 people flying together in the tunnel and as you progress you will probably want to do so, flying on your own is of course fun - but flying with one or more friends lets you perform some cool moves, play games with each other and generally just have a laugh!
When you are learning to fly and developing your basic skills you will almost certainly be on your own in the tunnel with an instructor nearby to help you or even holding on to you on your first flight. This gives you the room you need to learn without worrying about knocking in to other flyers. You need a certain level of competence to fly with other people, but that competence generally comes quickly.
Is tunnel flying safe?
Like most physical activities and sports, tunnel flying is not completely without risks but injuries are very rare and literally tens of thousands of people have flown in tunnels around the world without incident. Most people never have and never will hurt themselves tunnel flying and those that do are often very experienced tunnel flyers pushing their own skills to the limit trying new and advanced moves.
You will be suspended in a column of air that is moving very quickly and sudden movements of your body can make you move quickly round the wind tunnel. Many wind tunnels have transparent plastic walls and other surfaces that it's possible to bang in to, potentially causing minor bruises and scrapes.
When you get more experienced it is also possible to fly quite high in a wind tunnel and then to fly back down towards the bottom of it quite quickly. If you do not slow down you could land hard and "bounce" on the net at the bottom. This rarely causes an injury but can wind you or knock the breath out of you.
It's not impossible to injure yourself in a wind tunnel but injuries are not common and when they happen they are rarely serious. All vertical wind tunnels require that you wear a helmet whilst flying and the tunnel and will supply you with one when you get there. The key point is to remember that flying in a wind tunnel is not an amusement park ride - it's a physical activity.
What does the average wind tunnel look like?
Wind tunnels come in a variety of designs but it has to be said most of them are fairly big, strange looking constructions from the outside. The way they look differs from operator to operator but all share one common theme and that is in the centre of them there is a vertical chamber, a tunnel through which air is passed at speed either by blowing it up from the bottom or sucking it up from the top, in the case of sucking it up from the top, rather like a huge vacuum cleaner. It's in this column of air that you fly.
From the outside most wind tunnel buildings either resemble a large grain silo in the case of one of two operators - something that wouldn't look out of place on a science fiction film, a brightly coloured tall circular building that could easily be mistaken for an alien spacecraft! With few exceptions the moment you pull up in your car at a wind tunnel you know you're in for something different, something exciting.
This actual tunnel itself in which you fly is often made of transparent plastic so that observers on the outside can watch you fly, but some tunnels have no walls as such or are simply netted around the exterior. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of tunnel, fully enclosed tunnels with plastic walls allow you to fly right up the transparent walls and touch them but perhaps feel more enclosed whereas as the open design tunnels perhaps give you more of a visual thrill but it's possibly to slip off the air stream if you get closed to the edges, making you fall and land on the padded areas.
Most wind tunnels have a reception area, shop, toilet and showering facilities, changing rooms, class rooms an observation area to watch other flyers and of course the chamber itself, the tunnel in which you will fly. There's a great atmosphere at wind tunnels, people have fun there and you can normally sense this the moment you arrive. Want to see what a wind tunnel looks like? Just visit one!
What happens the first time you go to a wind tunnel?
When you first visit a wind tunnel you'll normally be given a chance to go to the observation area and watch people fly for as long as you want before you make the decision to fly yourself. Not only does this put you at ease, but it's a clever strategy on behalf of the tunnel operators because once you've seen someone fly you're extremely likely to want to try it for yourself. Tunnel flying is incredible to watch.
Once you have decided that you're going to fly you will probably be guided to purchase a package that gives you 2 flights of about 2 minutes each (although this differs from operator to operator). This is enough time for you to experience the thrill of flight without you being overwhelmed on your first visit. If you decide you like it you can buy more time as and when you like.
Depending on how busy the tunnel is you may have to wait a little while for your first flight or come back later in the day, normally though the wind tunnels can accommodate first time flyers very quickly.
You will generally be taken to a classroom and given about 30 minutes of training in basic body position and given an overview of tunnel flying and how to get in and out of the tunnel itself. You'll be asked to take off any jewellery and store this in a secure locker and be given a flight-suit, essentially some overalls, to wear over your clothes which should by the way be fairly loose fitting and comfortable.
You'll then go and wait at the entrance to the tunnel itself with a highly trained instructor who will help you in to the tunnel and hold on to you whilst you learn to get stable in the standard belly to earth position that will have been taught you in the training session. After a little while the instructor will release you and you'll be flying on your own. Until you get the hang of it the instructor will always be there with you to help if you get in to difficulties, the instructor is a professional and is there to help.
As a first time flyer you'll often be in a group with other people in the same position as you, it's a great place to make friends and share your first time experiences of tunnel flying. Family members who choose not to fly can often watch you from the outside, take photos and will almost certainly kick-themselves for not having gone and done it themselves when they see the smile on your face.
If I want to get in to tunnel flying in a big way - what do I do?
After your first couple of flights there is a good chance that you'll be hooked and want to try it again. Nearly all wind tunnel operators will allow repeat flights at a reduced rate, think of this as a sort of frequent flyers bonus. You can either choose to fly again the same day if the wind tunnel can accommodate you or come back some other day. Mention to the tunnel operator or you instructor that you liked the experience and want to develop your skills so that you can fly like the professionals and they'll give you a range of options to choose from to help you achieve your goals.
You can come back as and when you want and progress your skills, and progress at your own pace in an informal way to you can choose to take part in one of the many courses in tunnel flying that are organised by tunnel operators using professional instructors - sometimes operated by the instructors who put this www.tunnelflyer.com web site together.
If you want to learn to tunnel fly there is route for you that will suit you that you can be assured of. Although by no means necessary it's often a good idea to get a friend in to tunnel flying at the same time, you will soon find that you are good enough to fly together - this helps you both develop your skills and at any rate it gives you someone else to share the joys of tunnel flying with.
How do you buy time in a wind tunnel and is it expensive?
Different wind tunnel operators sell their "tunnel time" at different rates depending on how much time you buy, how frequently you come back and what time of day you buy it. There are off-peak and on-peak times and in the off-peak times, for example 3pm on a Wednesday when most people are at work - regular flyers are more likely to be able to fly at a discount because the tunnel operator wants to encourage you to fly at those times and help them out in their quieter periods.
However please note that there is normally a set price for your first couple of flights and training, irrespective of what time of day you fly and this is normally somewhere between £30 and £40. The price often includes a T-shirt and sometimes a video or DVD of your experience. Repeat flights are often much cheaper and if get very seriously in to tunnel flying you can purchase block time. This means it is possible to buy a straight 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes in the tunnel at a discount and you can share this amongst a group of you, with up to 4 members of the group flying at the same time!
Tunnel flying is by no means a "cheap" hobby but in terms of the enjoyment it brings to its participants, the sense of well being and the opportunity to make new friends tunnel flying is tremendous value for money. First things first, go and try tunnel flying if you haven't already, we're confident you'll enjoy it.
Are there tunnel flying competitions?
As more and more tunnels open around the world there are an increasing amount of competitions where flyers show off their skills on their own or as part of a team. For example several teams might be asked to perform a series of specific moves and the team that performs those moves the fastest wins the competition. A different take on this is an endurance event where the teams are given routine to follow and the team that get through the routines say 50 times in the shortest amount of time without making a mistake wins the competition. There are also lots of competitions based upon the exact precision and accuracy you can fly, the winner being chosen by a panel of judges. Tunnel flying as a sport is relatively new and new leagues and competitions are forming all the time, one thing is for sure though - if you have a competitive streak and like to push yourself this is catered for with tunnel flying. |
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 25/10/2006 13:57:51
Posts: 78, Visits: 373 |
| Speaking of youngsters flying in tunnels, I have attached a picture of a little guy from SkyVenture Orlando. We later learned that his dad was involved in a tunnel camp. This guy is well on his way to being a great flier and he looked like he was having a blast. Sorry for the picture quality....it was taken through the glass.
Jenn
Tunnel Addict since November 2005!!! 
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