Should I go Indoor Skydiving or Outdoor Skydiving?

May 27, 2019

Outdoor Skydiving Vs. Indoor Skydiving Explained

Trying to go on a new adventure and can't make up your mind? Both forms of skydiving offer different ways to experience freefall.  Freefall is the part of skydiving that happens once you exit the airplane and free fall for 60 seconds at 120 mph. While indoor wind tunnels and real skydiving share some commonalities, they offer an incredibly different experience. Let's break down the basics of each experience:

Indoor Skydiving 

An indoor wind tunnel (indoor skydiving) is located in a large building. Insider, there is a giant fan inside a glass tube that simulates the experience of freefall.  Customers walk in, fill out a waiver, attend a safety briefing and fly at a scheduled time. It's a quick experience, but tons of fun!

Indoor Skydiving Requirements 

  • Weight- 250 lbs or less
  • Age - 3 years old

Outdoor Skydiving

When you go to a skydiving center it is like walking onto a whole new planet. A whole culture exists that you never had any idea about. Skydiving centers are all privately owned and have that good ol' Mom and Pop type of feeling to them. Customers walk in, fill out a waiver and attend a safety briefing. Your adventure is 100% weather related and the time that you spend at a skydiving center can be anywhere from 2 hours up to 10 hours. There may be several rescheduled appointments, but in the end it only adds to your awesome story that you can tell your friends.

Tandem Skydiving Requirements

  • Weight limit - 230 lbs or less
  • 18 years or older (regardless of parental consent)
  • Must be physically fit to climb up and jump off of a picnic table unassisted

Q. How Are Indoor Wind Tunnels And Skydiving Alike?  

A. Skydiving and indoor wind tunnels both offer an amazing experience of freefall. When you go on a skydive, freefall happens when you exit an airplane and fly through the sky at 120 mph. In an indoor wind tunnel, freefall happens when you walk into the windy chamber and fly in a simulated free fall experience. 

On both a skydive and a wind tunnel flight you can control your body and fly! With enough practice it is possible to control your body on your belly, in a sit fly position or even upside down on your head.

outdoor skydiving

Q. Why Do Skydivers Use Indoor Wind Tunnels? 

Student Skydivers

Indoor skydiving is a great way to get skilled during free fall. The best skydiving schools in the world utilize indoor skydiving with their student training program to help students learn to skydive in a controlled environment. Taking away the distractions created by flying in an airplane, landing a parachute and the fear of skydiving itself creates a more focused platform to begin training in.

Professional Skydivers 

The skydivers who compete at a professional level ALL use wind tunnel training to hone their skills. The wind tunnel is so helpful in this aspect because you can fly in the tunnel in 10-30 minute sessions. Each minute flown in the wind tunnel gives you the equivalent skill set gained from 2 skydives. It would take several days of good weather to skydive 30 times, where as in the wind tunnel that can be achieved in just one night.

Q. What Are The Differences Between Indoor And Outdoor Skydiving? 

Outdoor skydiving comes with so much more to experience than the indoor wind tunnel. The major differences are: 

Airplane Flight

When going on a skydive you must first get in an airplane and fly upwards as high as 14,000 ft. The airplane ride at Skydive Danielson flies over the scenic country view of the Last Green Valley. Newport, the Boston skyline, Hartford and Providence can all be seen from above. This plane ride lasts 20 minutes and helps you mentally prepare for your skydive.

Parachute Ride

After your freefall is over a parachute is deployed. Flying under a brightly colored parachute is an invigorating sensation filled with peace and serenity. After the intense experience of freefall, the parachute rides is so comforting and calm to fist time skydivers. 

outdoor skydiving 

indoor skydiving

learn to skydive outdoors with skydive danielson

Check out the indoor skydiving center that is closest to us and once you've read up on it and are ready for the real deal, book your skydive with us here at Skydive Danielson! 

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