MapMuse - Locate Indoor Skydiving Centers, Skydiving Simulators, Vertical Wind Tunnels Near You

...Wind moves upwards at approximately 120 mph, the terminal velocity of a falling human body belly-downwards, although this can vary from person to person. A vertical wind tunnel is frequently called 'indoor skydiving' due to the popularity of vertical wind tunnels among skydivers, who report that the sensation is extremely similar to skydiving. The human body 'floats' in midair in a vertical wind tunnel, and this is called 'bodyflight' or 'body flight'.

Bodyflight

Bodyflight, or 'body flight', is the art of 'flying your body' in a controlled manner. This include turns, rolls, lateral movement, fall rate control, and other acrobatics in the air. The skill of bodyflight makes it possible for skydivers to fly closer to each other while they are falling, to allow them to link together in formation skydiving, then fly apart to a safe distance before opening parachutes. Many skills of bodyflight can be learned in a vertical wind tunnel, to enable skydivers to become better at controlling their bodies in the sky.

Bodyflight is accomplished via increasing/decreasing the drag of your body, using arms and legs as rudders for bodyflight motion control, as well as other techniques similar to that of an airplane. Professional athletes who fly through the air for long distances, such as ski jumping, have also used certain bodyflight techniques to increase jumping distance by manipulating their bodies to be more airfoil-like. Frequent visitors to a vertical wind tunnel are often called 'tunnel rats', much like frequent visitors to ski slopes are called 'ski bums'.

Vertical wind tunnel types

There are two main types of vertical wind tunnels:

* Outdoor vertical wind tunnels, including Aerodium and Appalachian Amusement Center.

* Indoor vertical wind tunnels, including SkyVenture, Flyaway and AIR2TUNNEL.

Outdoor vertical wind tunnels can either be stationary or portable. Portable vertical wind tunnels are often used in movies, demonstrations and are often rented for large events such as conventions & state fairs. Portable units offer a dramatic effect for the flying person and the spectators, because there are no walls around the flight area. These vertical wind tunnels allow you to fly with a full or partial outdoor/sky view. Outdoor vertical wind tunnels may also have walls or netting around the wind column, to keep beginner tunnel flyers from falling out of the tunnel.

Indoor vertical wind tunnels include recirculating and non-recirculating types. Non-recirculating vertical wind tunnels typically suck air through inlets near the bottom of the building, through the bodyflight area, and exhaust through the top of the building. Recirculating windtunnels, form an aerodynamic loop with turning vanes, similar to a scientific wind tunnel, but using a vertical loop with a bodyflight chamber within a vertical part of the loop. Recirculating windtunnels are usually built in climates that are too cold for non-recirculating wind tunnels. The airflow of an indoor vertical wind tunnel is usually smoother and more controlled than that of an outdoor unit. Indoor tunnels are more temperature-controllable, so they are operated year-round even in cold climates.

Various propellers and fan types can be used as the mechanism to move air through a vertical wind tunnel. Motors can either be diesel-powered or electric-powered, and typically provide a vertical column of air between 6 and 16 feet wide. A control unit allows for air speed adjustment by a controller in constant view of the flyers. The controller can turn the air up for extra lift or down for less lift depending on the size, skill level and needs of the tunnel flyer.