Is Indoor Skydiving Worth It? Indoor Skydiving vs. The Real Thing
General
Key Takeaways
Is indoor skydiving like the real thing? Vertical wind tunnels simulate the physical characteristics freefall pretty accurately, but they lack the emotional benefits of real skydiving. Plus, indoor skydiving doesn’t have the plane ride or parachute flight of a traditional skydive. Avid skydivers go indoor skydiving to improve their freefall skills; novices opt to indoor skydive because the age requirement is just three and up! Although indoor skydiving is a cool feat, it doesn’t even come close to the real thing.
Is indoor skydiving worth it? Well, it depends what you’re looking to get out of it! Indoor skydiving can be a fun, family-friendly activity. Indoor skydiving is done in a vertical wind tunnel, which simulates the physical attributes of freefall during a real skydive. The wind tunnel provides a great introduction to the sensations of skydiving, without all the adrenaline or potential stress that skydiving can bring.
Let’s dive into how indoor skydiving and traditional skydiving from an airplane are different, similar, and ultimately, how nothing compares to jumping for real!
What Is Indoor Skydiving?
When it comes to indoor skydiving vs the real thing … is there even a comparison? Yes, and no. Despite the similar name, indoor skydiving is a totally separate sport from skydiving. Indoor skydiving involves flying around machine-generated wind in a vertical tunnel in order to emulate the feeling of freefall during a real skydive.
Although skydivers use wind tunnels to hone their skills, there are people who solely fly indoors and have never touched the sky! With a bit of a chip on their shoulders, skydivers refer to these skilled flyers as “tunnel rats”. (To be fair, indoor skydivers do have flying skills that rival those of skydivers – no hate)!
Why do people choose indoor skydiving over the real thing? Perhaps they just like it better, maybe they don’t want to deal with flying a parachute or riding in an airplane, or maybe they’re under 18 years old. People as young as three can enjoy indoor skydiving, while the age restriction for real skydiving in the US is 18 years old.
Similarities: Indoor Skydiving & Real Skydiving
Is indoor skydiving like the real thing? Despite their vast differences in nature, indoor skydiving and outdoor skydiving do have some similarities!
High wind speeds. Does indoor skydiving feel like real skydiving? Wind tunnels mimic the physical sensation of freefall well. But think of it this way: When we skydive for real, we’re falling to the earth because of gravity, and the wind speeds up around us because we gain velocity. In indoor skydiving, the wind is actually blowing upward toward us. This creates a slightly different sensation.
Body flight position. Beginner tunnel flyers start out on their bellies in the traditional ‘banana position’ just like tandem skydivers!
Is it hard to breathe indoor skydiving? Nope! Similar to real skydiving, there is nothing physically preventing us from breathing during freefall or in the tunnel – it’s all in our heads! Just like SCUBA diving or snorkeling, you may just have to focus on your breath a bit more than you do on the ground.
Differences: Indoor Skydiving & Real Skydiving
Age requirement. In the US, the age requirement for skydiving is 18 years old. Why? Two reasons. First, to sign the waiver to skydive, you must be “the age of majority” – meaning, an adult – which in the US is 18. Second, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) mandates that all member dropzones enforce an age minimum of 18 years old.
No parachute flight. Many people find that soaring around under the parachute is their favorite part of the jump! The wind tunnel takes this part out of the experience.
No ride in the plane. Similar to missing out on the parachute flight of a skydive, the excitement building in the plane prior to jumping is non-existent when flying in a wind tunnel. Yes, there is still some bonding that takes place before the tunnel flight, but it sure isn’t the same as climbing in a plane surrounded by other skydivers!
Minimal emotional impact from indoor skydiving. It’s common for people to land from a skydive feeling empowered and on top of the world! For many, skydiving is a big feat to conquer and doing so can give you a sort of newfound perspective that translates to life on the ground. When it comes to indoor skydiving, someone may feel accomplished for trying something new, but it’s unlikely they’ll have the confrontation with fear like skydiving provides.
Indoor Skydiving vs Real Skydiving FAQs
Is indoor skydiving painful? Nope! Similar to skydiving, indoor skydiving gives us the chance to use muscles we rarely do, which can leave us feeling sore and fatigued (in a satisfying way)! If it was an inherently painful experience, people wouldn’t do it for hours on end.
Does indoor skydiving help with real skydiving? Does indoor skydiving feel the same as real skydiving? Not necessarily. But, this doesn’t mean that training in the wind tunnel can’t translate to the sky. Think of it like running on a treadmill vs running through the city. These two activities have a lot of differences, but running indoors can still help you run more efficiently outdoors and aid in training for a race.
Does your stomach drop when indoor skydiving? Nope! People may experience nervous butterflies, but there’s no centripetal force happening from a parachute turn! When we make these turns and initiate centripetal force, we actually feel centrifugal force, and this doesn’t happen when in the tunnel. Fun fact: Because the plane is already moving forward, the ‘roller coaster feeling’ doesn’t happen when we jump from the plane, either!
There’s Nothing Like The Real Thing
How similar is indoor skydiving to falling from the sky? There is nothing else in the WORLD like skydiving! Although indoor skydiving has its unique perks, it’s not on the same playing field as jumping from an airplane – they’re both totally different sports that have a few overlapping similarities.
The beauty of the world from a few miles up, suspended under a parachute is unmatched! Come see for yourself – book your jump with us! Blue skies!
