Headline: Indoor skydiving on the increase! While the presentation of this fact is a bit extreme, the statement is true nonetheless. Hundreds, even thousands, who want to experience a skydive have taken to the indoor vertical wind tunnels being constructed across the country. Many get their thrills close to the ground and never jump from an airplane with a parachute pack on their back.

According to reports from those who have had this vacation experience or a training session, indoor skydive facilities provide nearly all the sensations of skydiving. For a few minutes, the individual can get into this well-sealed vertical wind tunnel and get the feeling of flying. All of this is possible because of technology that provides winds of up to 120 miles per hour in the facility. The wind force is similar to that in a real skydive experience, allowing the beginner or recreational skydiver to maneuver and enjoy as if in an open free fall.

Training Facilities

A large number of these indoor skydive centers are an early step in training for a skydive from an airplane. Combined with intensive on-the-ground instruction, the vertical wind tunnel can be an ideal way to introduce the newcomer to the feel and control that are possible with a free fall skydive. This can help reduce some of the anxiety and doubt a beginner might have, allowing that individual to enjoy the dive and focus on learning the details of the activity.

People who experience the indoor version of skydiving as their first try the sport don't realize that there is one thing missing. However, the experienced skydiver who tries the indoor method will miss the thrill of direction change that comes with leaving a flying aircraft. In spite of this, dive teams, skydiving clubs and military groups use the vertical wind tunnel regularly, often to save the expense of training in a full, aircraft-supported session.

Learning Acrobatics Without Added Pressure

Of course, with the indoor skydiving experience, no parachutes are opened. The focus of the indoor activity is the freefall. Newcomers can use this method to overcome some of their fear, while experienced skydivers often turn to the vertical wind tunnel to perfect their freefall control and to try some new maneuvers. The tunnel is usually about 12 feet wide and at least that high, allowing the individual to practice the proper horizontal position that can slow a freefall. Whether it is viewed as a new sport, a tourist activity or a training method, indoor skydiving is an exciting new opportunity!

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