When the first non-military wind tunnels were built in the very early 1980s, it’s unlikely that their progenitors knew the extent of the effect they’d have on the sport of skydiving. With the introduction of the wind tunnel has come a near-magical ability: to practice freefall skills within a controlled, high-precision environment that allows for detailed adjustments to each tiny little movement. Where a skydive only allows a handful of seconds to practice these skills, tunnel training offers hours.

Complex moves and routines that once took years of skydiving to perfect can now be developed within a matter of months.

That aside, the wind tunnel isn’t just a training ground for the freeflying and belly-flying disciplines. Wind tunnel flying is a distinct sport, in and of itself. Tunnel training is valuable to build strength, agility and skill even if you’ve never made a skydive -- or never intend to.

With all the benefits the wind tunnel offers, there are drawbacks. First, it’s easy for a new bodyflight student to feel daunted by the prospect of those first few rotations in the tunnel. Beyond that, wind tunnel training comes with a hefty price tag.

To help new bodyflight students find the most effective approach to their training, I spoke to two preeminent tunnel coaches: Joel Strickland and Devin Roane. Strickland, a podium winner at the International Bodyflight World Challenge 2013 competition, coaches at AirKix Basingstoke in the UK. Joel has logged more than 1,200 hours in the tunnel with coaching alone (as well as many hundreds of hours outside of that for his own training).

Roane, who coaches at the iFly Utah tunnel, has been a tunnel instructor for six years. He has more than a thousand flying hours and a thousand-plus coaching hours beyond that.

1. Respect the progression.

“When a new student comes in, we start them on their belly and progress from there,” Roane explains. “The progression of flight is always the same: belly, back, sit and, finally, head-down.”

The strictness of the progression may sound unnecessary, especially if you can already execute these moves during a skydive. However, a flyer's solid performance in the (very) wide blue yonder does not necessarily mean that tunnel flight will come easily.

“A lot of skydivers who already freefly well in the sky have trouble when they first start flying in the tunnel,” says Roane. “Our tunnel in Utah is only 12 feet in diameter. When you’re flying in a tunnel, there’s not a lot of room for error.” Humility is as important a tool in the wind tunnel as fitness, agility and pre-existing skill.

2. Arrive prepared.

Though helmets, goggles and jumpsuits are available to borrow from any tunnel you visit. However, if you have them, it’s far preferable to bring in your own gear.

The tunnel's provided jumpsuits are intended for those persons who only intend to fly for a few short moments as a one-time leisure activity. They are not built for the purposes of training, and are often uncomfortably loose to fly in for that purpose.

If you’re borrowing one of the tunnel's helmets and your hair is more than an inch long, you will be more comfortable if you bring a light stocking cap. The cap will prevent your hair from being pushed through the air holes in the helmet and getting painfully tangled.

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