posted Apr 8th, 2020 - Not all wind tunnels in the world are shut down due to the corona virus crisis, even though the vast majority of drop zones and wind tunnels are currently not in operation. There are some exceptions, at least for military indoor/outdoor training, and some wind tunnels accept training sessions for experienced fliers by appointment.

Matthew Iles, Blue Steel team member in Finland, explained during a new NSL Live Talk how the Fööni wind tunnel in Helsinki conducts the operation despite the challenging circumstances. The usual business operation for the public, with new fliers visiting in smaller and larger groups, has been shut down for the moment, while 4-way teams are still permitted to train.

Matthew Iles' own team, Blue Steel, has not taken advantage yet of the rare opportunity. However, he and his whole team have new jumpsuits, and he was eager to break it in before team training resumes very soon.

Blue Steel competed at the Wind Games, where they were inspired by NMP PCH HayaBusa to order new jumpsuits. They used them for the first time for the ten rounds of the Finnish Tunnel League's March meet, a sub-league of the World Tunnel League.

---

---

Matthew Iles confirmed what NMP PCH HayaBusa member Dennis Praet had explained in an earlier interview. The design of the new jumpsuit has an impact on the flying style, and it takes some practice to get familiar with it.

The March meet might have come a little bit too early, as Blue Steel lost the Finnish indoor showdown with Just4Fun by a single point, as the NSL News reported on March 8th. However, the duel between the two teams will continue, as league director Vesa Vuorenkoski has scheduled the next indoor meet for June 6th.

That's the meet where Vesa Vuorenkoski and Matthew Iles hope to welcome the Pro Team back to the wind tunnel in Helsinki. The strongest Finnish 4-way team in the country's history is literally isolated in Rovaniemi, a town in the north of Finland, right at the Arctic Circle.

It's not only a very long trip for the Pro Team to visit Helsinki. The capital city of Finland is currently locked down and does not allow any visitors from outside to step into the city limits. The Pro Team is the role model for Vesa Vuorenkoski and Matthew Iles both, even though they have both competed at a world meet long before the Pro Team was founded.

---

Finnish Tunnel League November 2019		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	K,13,E,17		11,C,1		N,M,16,6		14,9,B		Q,D,3,7		21,18,L		8,10,G		4,H,O,F		J,A,22,5		12,15,P		Total	Avg
1	Pro Team	29		24	-2	27	-1	30		26	-1	23		21		35		24		22		261	26.1
2	Just4Fun	21		21		22		22	-2	20	-1	17	-1	16		27	-1	17	-4	18		201	20.1
3	Blue Steel	21		17		21		22		21		18		16		23	-3	19	-1	16		194	19.4

---

Pro Team - Just4Fun - Blue Steel at the November 2019 meet of the Finnish Tunnel League

---

Matthew Iles is an expert in the current corona virus crisis, as he is working in the scientific research program of the pharmaceutical industry. He is hoping that the intensive and border-less international cooperation will make vaccination and medication available faster and earlier than in the past.

The NSL Live Talk was recorded at the Fööni wind tunnel, while Vesa Vuorenkoski and Matthew Iles were both in action. Vesa Vuorenkoski was training with his complete Just4Fun lineup, while Matthew Iles had scheduled a short flying session for his own individual skills training with the new jumpsuit.

Just4Fun now has a short head start over Blue Steel who will be back in action with the complete lineup soon. Both teams will then be able to take advantage of the wind tunnel situation in Helsinki, while the Pro Team is on a hold in Rovaniemi. However, Vesa Vuorenkoski and Matthew Iles both know that the Pro Team is completely out of reach at the moment, and they plan to get closer only in the long term.

The Pro Team could still come back to Helsinki better prepared than expected under the circumstances. The NSL News reported years ago how they used the winter months to train at a bike shop in Oulu. However, there is no wind tunnel near Rovaniemi to compensate for the head start of the Helsinki teams...