Thanks to iFly SF Bay for allowing me to join the science class that was taking a tour to [...]]]> The following video shows what’s underneath the flight chamber of a Skyventure wind tunnel. The plenum chamber is the “constriction point” where the winds increase in speed to create the lift for those flying in the tunnel.

Thanks to iFly SF Bay for allowing me to join the science class that was taking a tour to learn about the physics of wind tunnels!

I have always been an athlete, dancer and a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Over the past two years, I have had to scale back because of arthritis.  Looking for a [...]]]> Here’s an inspiring interview of a woman in San Francisco who stays active through indoor skydiving. She uses the iFly SFBay vertical wind tunnel:

I have always been an athlete, dancer and a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Over the past two years, I have had to scale back because of arthritis.  Looking for a way to get a fun and challenging workout that was kind to my joints, I checked out indoor skydiving.

Greatest accomplishment?:  Becoming a Level 2 tunnel flier. I have learned how to fly on my belly, back and in a sitting position as well as a number of transitions like barrel rolls and flips.
My goal is to become a Level 3 flier by the end of this year, which means I have to learn how to fly upside down.

The explanation of the various levels of certification for tunnelflyers can be found at http://www.bodyflight.net/

Everyone, on their first flight, starts belly-down, below the top of the windowed flight chamber: no matter how bold or eager you may be to free-fly around in the chamber, you’ve got to master the basics. The plus side is that it’s very simple to progress and once you do, it’s a whole new adventure.

It will be at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center from 11 a.m. to 5 [...]]]> Tuesday, September 29th, Bill Adams (CEO) and I will be at the NW Event Show.  We plan to introduce the concept of indoor skydiving as a team-building event, and create some networks and cooperative  marketing opportunities with exhibitors there.

It will be at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All attendees receive the 2010 Event Resource Guide…

If you plan on attending let us know via our contact page!

To raise money for Global Angels, he and two other men broke the World’s Record for longest indoor freefall at the Airkix indoor skydiving tunnel in Milton Keynes, U.K.:

Airkix record breakers

“I’ve [...]]]> Bear Grylls, known to most Americans through his show Man Vs. Wild, uses his talent for adventure & survival to support many different charities.

To raise money for Global Angels, he and two other men broke the World’s Record for longest indoor freefall at the Airkix indoor skydiving tunnel in Milton Keynes, U.K.:

Airkix record breakers

“I’ve never had to concentrate so much in my whole life. It required digging a lot deeper than I expected and has been one of the most intense records I have ever broken:”

The truth is that I had no idea what I was letting myself in for!

The previous [indoor skydiving] record was 1hr 36mins by a US team. I thought: ‘how hard can it be!?’ My two fellow skydivers, Al & Freddie, are excellent freeflyers, and they knew that the most efficient body position to maintain in the wind tunnel over such a long time would be on their backs. This requires a much stronger wind strength than normal skydiving (ie face down), in order to keep them up. This meant that it was much harder for me to maintain stability on my tummy as everything becomes so responsive in that wind strength….

By 50mins I was having to dig deeper than I had in a long time! The record was a record for good reason! And to stay in freefall for over an hour and a half is tough. This for me was becoming one of the hardest mental challenges I had ever known.

By 1hr 30 I was beginning to hallucinate. Several times I started to lose control and Freddie had to help me regain control. By 1hr 35 we were all at our limit and I was fighting to hold it together for a precious couple of minutes longer. At 1hr37 on the dot we all crashed together in a pile. We had broken the record by a matter of a few seconds! It had been touch and go but we had done it.

We were brilliantly supported by Airkix and were also raising awareness for the charity Global Angels that saves children’s lives around the world.

To say an indoor skydiving record was the “most intense” one to beat, is really saying something, when you’re the youngest Brit to have climbed Mt. Everest, first to circumnavigate Great Britain on a waterski, among other feats.

We have a dream of breaking the indoor skydiving freefall record here at Seattle Indoor Skydiving, to raise money for Seattle Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center.  Time to start training!

Just to be clear, if Bear had been able to do the backflips, spins, bounces, loops, etc., that indoor skydivers do, it wouldn’t have been the same: the difficulty was in holding to the freefall position for so long in 220 mph wind.

Bear’s blog is here: http://beargrylls.blogspot.com/

One firm that offers this to the general public [...]]]> I’ve always been fascinated by videos of the freefall experience of a parabolic arc flight (usually in a Boeing 727), which is done for astronaut training, and was used to make the Jim Lovell movie Apollo 13. It’s something I absolutely intend to do one day!

One firm that offers this to the general public is ZERO-G. I’ve heard only good things about them and their services. A flight costs $4,950; for most people it would be a once in a lifetime experience. “During the flight 12-15 parabolas are performed each providing about 30 seconds of reduced gravity or weightlessness… [The] 12-15 parabolas are flown for an approximate weightless time of eight minutes.”

Another reason why we’re so excited about establishing a new indoor skydiving vertical windtunnel here in the Seattle area: an 8-minute wind tunnel ride could be had at about 4% of the cost of the parabolic jet ride, bringing the adventure, the thrill, of human flight into many more people’s lives… and they can come again and again.

Adding this video to show the large volume area that tunnel fliers will be able to enjoy in  Seattle… this is a 14 foot diameter chamber. Can’t wait!

Bodyflight/ indoor skydiving continues to grow in popularity. The above collection of videos comes from 15 different wind tunnels in active operation throughout the world. It’s an unforgettable experience — and new vertical wind tunnels find an instant market wherever they’re established.

We’re excited to bring this world-class adventure to the Pacific Northwest. If you’ve ever [...]]]>

Bodyflight/ indoor skydiving continues to grow in popularity. The above collection of videos comes from 15 different wind tunnels in active operation throughout the world. It’s an unforgettable experience — and new vertical wind tunnels find an instant market wherever they’re established.

We’re excited to bring this world-class adventure to the Pacific Northwest. If you’ve ever flown in one, you know what we mean!

More than a free flight, one lucky winner from among our Twitter followers will win a GRAND OPENING flight– one of the first five people on opening day!

Details to follow!