tunnelflyer.com / Talk about specific wind tunnels / Appalachian Amusement Center / Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go .. / Latest Posts

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

stevenflewaac — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 21:17:59 GMT

i can't wait i'll see yall in april still earning my wings but getting better at it almost no kick the last outing and was almost stable with keith letting go of the grip i was still holding on to john but was flying my self for a min with out keith looking forward to me flying on my own

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Bodyflight.net — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 17:01:19 GMT

you are right right right!

Oh and the two annual tunnel boogies are going to be great for the sport, especially in such a relaxed atmosphere that is at aac.

Speaking of the boogie, I think I'll start a new thread with some 4th of July pics from the last couple of years, they are amazing as you know, I'm sure others will love to see!

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

WindWorX — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 16:17:24 GMT

AAC is amazing! It is truly a bodyflyers paradise. Fast, consistant, wide air column, and in the mountains, on top of one actually! If you love to fly in tunnels, and love to see the different types of facilities this one you can't miss. Go fly it! I had been waiting for this place to open since I was 10, it was soooooooooooooo worth the wait. The halloween BOOgie was awesome! Can't wait til the 4th of July!

If you go, take cameras, the pics/videos you can get will blow your minds.

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Bodyflight.net — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 15:55:44 GMT

I have been fortunate to be involved with this facility for some years now (pre construction).

This tunnel was engineered to be a bodyflyers playground. It was created with every feature that tunnelrats have been seeking since the beginning back in the early 80's! Large catch net for a single soft surface landing area, single fan with low rpms for low operating costs, high power motor for better efficiency, fan located far away from the flight area for low noise emissions (I fly without earplugs all the time now), outdoor and open air because flying any other way is, well.. not nearly as fun! And it restricts your flyable area because we can fly easily with arms/legs sticking out of the air too! It's a nearly 100 foot tall airstream which is wonderful and provides lots of flyable area, although right now everyone is staying under 70'! A blower was chosen because it provides the most stable air column and allows for expansion to over 13 feet, in addition it can hold the quantity of flyer we like to fly with..over a dozen of us can get in and not bother eachother or affect the speed of the stream!!! Interestingly enough, the more of us that get in, the more the air flows around us and can create additional width on the column. Right now we've only taken the tunnel to 70% of power which provides us speeds of 130mph, and is more than any of us need for sure!

We simply love this tunnel. It's everything we ever dreamed about and in addition to all of that, it's the cheapest place to buy time, I think pretty much anywhere!

The only downsides I see to this tunnel is the operating schedule which is a bit sparse, but as the tunnel has NOT YET been completed I figure that's understandable. Some time next year they are hoping to be operational full time and be ready to operate at 95% or more of power. The location is also a bit 'out there' but since it's a sales prototype primarily, that's not too much a concern, but there's not much else to do around there but fly... ski a little in the winter and look at the beautiful mountains year round.

Right now coaching is led by my hubby, John Suiter, who has coached at dozens of vwts over the last 20somethin' years, so we're over there quite alot, really! He and the owner have been friends for alot of years and both have worked with lotsa different tunnels. All reservations include John as your coach, and without a doubt, he is the worlds best tunnelflyer (that would mean to say he can do what he does in any VWT anywhere) and not just in his 'comfort' zone. For him, air IS his comfort zone.. it's amazing. Everyone else flops around a bit from tunnel to tunnel, but not him. He's taught many millions of people to fly and has probably taught one of your favorite coaches from other tunnels too, or in the alternative, taught the coach who TAUGHT your coach!

I guess I've rambled alot now but I wanted to tell you about the tunnel from my perspective. This is the safest environment I've ever been in, and no you can't launch yourself past the net, it's over 50' of space, no way to travel that far, although we have tried a bit and really... can get about halfway to the railing! Gravity rules!

Another thing to note about airspeed... alot of people coming from tunnels with limited heights do not understand being able to fly up so high! You will not get high airspeeds outta this tunnel until you can prove you are stable and in control. This can take a little while depending on your skills & experience. As Paige noted, it's easier to go to an enclosed tunnel from an open air one, than vice versa. The skill set needed to fly without walls or top nets must be learned, as well as safe exits. Be patient while you pick up these skills, they will only make you a more calibrated flyer and are necessary for your safe enjoyment of the tunnel. Don't expect to fly the same as you would in an indoor sucker tunnel.. however if your used to a propeller driven blower, than your in for a treat as your skills will translate instantly to the column at AAC!

Hope to see many of you there... the tunnel will be closed during Jan and February and possibly part of March but not sure about March yet. They are making final adjustments & changes to get the tunnel at full operations! Very exciting!

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Jalexp — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 17:00:26 GMT

Shame .. You'll have to do without me then.

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Paige — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 16:06:41 GMT

Boys are allowed but we're revamping the site and I'm not sure if we are going to keep them. I've been the only one to post to them so I'm not too hopeful.

I'll be here posting here instead

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Jalexp — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 15:57:39 GMT

Are boys allowed?

Point me in the direction of your forums and i'll happily go over there and make some discussion for you ..

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Paige — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 15:40:50 GMT

[quote]I will certainly be brushing up on my skills inside an enclosed tunnel here in the UK before attempting anything in the open-air !!

P.S. Looks like there's a lot of people involved in the Tunnel Pink Mafia .. You going to bring them all over to the forum to say hello ?? [/quote]

Actually, flying at an open facility then going to a closed one is easier than going from enclosed to open

I'd love to get lots of TPM girlies on the forums. However, we don't like to send out tons of emails bugging the girls. I am going to send out emails to my close friends and those that I think would not mind hearing from me about the forum. I love this site and would love to have TPM goodies here.

A forum for Organizations?
We have a TPM forum but there isn't much chatter. Maybe we could bring some more action to the forums and the community here can bring us more replies?!? Who knows.

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Jalexp — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 16:21:02 GMT

That makes me feel better, thanks Paige :-)

I will certainly be brushing up on my skills inside an enclosed tunnel here in the UK before attempting anything in the open-air !!

Sounds like a rush though ..

P.S. Looks like there's a lot of people involved in the Tunnel Pink Mafia .. You going to bring them all over to the forum to say hello ??

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Paige — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 15:11:03 GMT

It is possible to hurt yourself by falling out of the air stream- just as you can hurt yourself flying into walls or the like of an enclosed facility. However, they are not going to leave you unassisted if you are not safe or give you more air than you can handle. They have very good flyers and instructors there. John Suiter is one of, if not the best tunnel flyer in the world. The man is simply amazing (that's an understatement).

If you book time at AAC ( http://www.aacwindtunnel.com) via Bodyflight Network ( http://www.bodyflight.net/aac.html), you get FREE COACHING FROM JOHN!!!!!!!! Take him up on this offer, he is an amazing flyer and person w. so much knowledge to share.

I 'fell' out of the airstream and did hurt my hip a little. This was also due to a previous injury I was recovering from. Had I been 100% and not fallen on my bad hip, no worries! The net is plenty forgiving and safe, like a trapiese (sp?) performer's net.

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Jalexp — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 11:38:57 GMT

Sounds like a great place to go .. Not sure I would feel safe flying in the open-air, though!

Is it not possible to exit the air stream and land in a heap of broken bones 30ft away? I've never flown in a tunnel like this ..

RE: Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

Paige — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 19:34:04 GMT

There have been 13 flyers in the tunnel at once w. Dawn Suiter and other rats. It is an amazing VWT. The air flow is just as clean and steady at 70 ft as it is just above the net! I don't have first hand info on that obviously, but I'll bow to the superior nature of John Suiters flying, knowledge, and opinions

The tunnel engineering is mind boggling, staff is amazing, owner is super cool. Great place to be and visit. You can stack flyers and fly above or below people, much closer than you could in the SV environment.

The view is to die for, the pics are amazing. You'll love John, Dawn, Lexi, Chris, Wes, Keith, and any of the other rats you can meet out there.

Little tip: Be sure to check out Flyaway Piegon Forge as it is only 45min away from AAC

Wow .. this place looks amazing ... I want to go ..

cloudfall — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 16:51:11 GMT

I've looked at their web site over and over again .. and this place looks incredible. I meant to go the last time I went out to the states but with one thing or another I couldn't make it. Does anyone know what sort of speeds this thing can get to? It looks to be able to support a number of different flyers in the air-stream at the same time. Next time I'm in the good ole US of A .. I'm going here.