posted Aug 10th, 2005 - The NSL News mentioned in the last story that an update on SkyVenture Arizona would be next on the NSL News list. The new SkyVenture wind tunnel at Skydive Arizona in Eloy is now fully functional and in the final stages of getting ready to be opened for the public.

The NSL News reporter Kurt Gaebel was recently invited to visit SkyVenture Arizona, eye-witness live flying sessions of an Airspeed 4-way line-up and test the wind tunnel for his own flying experience. The short trip was well worth the effort, SkyVenture Arizona left a strong impression on the NSL News.

The whole story of the new SkyVenture 14-footer begins with the actual flying experience. An interview with the present Airspeed members will follow, and the SkyVenture Arizona experience will be completed with perspectives from the management angle and a look into the future of skydiving and wind tunnels.

The SkyVenture wind tunnel in Eloy is two feet bigger in diameter than the SkyVenture Orlando tunnel and Perris SkyVenture. It does not sound like a lot, but it makes a significant difference. Airspeed members had told the NSL News before that the 4-way line-ups can now train all 22 blocks of the current dive pool in the Eloy tunnel on their home turf.

Airspeed has been running the popular Tunnelcamp.com camps for several years at SkyVenture Orlando and used the wind tunnel for their own training at the same time, as many other teams have now been doing for years. However, SkyVenture Orlando was not built to serve as a training tool for 4-way teams.

Airspeed and an increasing number of 4-way teams still challenged the Orlando tunnel more and more every year. SkyVenture Orlando has been a great training tool to improve individual skills from the very first day. However, nobody knew on opening day in 1998 that 4-way teams would eventually train many of the 4-way blocks at SkyVenture Orlando. The 12-footer allowed comfortable flying for individuals and 2-ways, but 4-way blocks?

The tunnel skills of skydivers improved year by year, and finally the top teams were allowed to enter the Orlando tunnel with all four team members. SkyVenture Orlando followed the 4-way demand with technical improvements and increased the power of the first SkyVenture wind tunel.

The stronger and more consistent air, combined with the ever increasing skills level, gave the teams and the SkyVenture Orlando management enough confidence to train more blocks of the 4-way dive pool. The progression has come to the point where many 4-way teams are able to practice many of the 22 blocks at SkyVenture Orlando's 12-footer.

However, there are limitations, and several blocks cannot be trained in Orlando or Perris. That was one of the main reasons why Skydive Arizona's owner Larry Hill decided to build a larger wind tunnel, SkyVenture Arizona's 14-footer.

Airspeed had promised the NSL News prior to the trip that one line-up would be present to demonstrate that a 4-way team is now able to practice the whole dive pool at SkyVenture Arizona. It was not easy for Airspeed to make this happen since both line-ups, Velocity and Odyssey, are currently taking turns in providing coaching and load organizing services at the Freefall Convention. Three Airspeed Velocity members, Neal Houston, Andy Honigbaum and Dennis Rook, were available, and Pete Allum filled the open slot for Kirk Verner.

The NSL News was mostly interested in seeing the blocks that cannot be trained at SkyVenture Orlando. Airspeed Velocity with substitute Pete Allum did not hesitate to demonstrate Block 1 (Snowflake - Snowflake), Block 8 (Canadian T - Canadian T) and Block 10 (Diamond - Bunyip). NSL News reporter Kurt Gaebel later had the opportunity to add Block 13 (Hammer - Hammer) to the blocks demonstrated by Airspeed. The NSL News audience has the opportunity to watch three different sequences with several different blocks and also Random Formation G (Cataccord) on NSL-TV.

Pete Allum was in Eloy as the player coach for team Kachina, which attended NSL meets in Florida and Virginia this year. Kachina trained at SkyVenture Arizona while the NSL News was visiting and confirmed that tunnel trained teams can practice all blocks in the 14-footer, not only world class 4-way teams like Airspeed.

The opening of SkyVenture Arizona comes at a great time for Airspeed. The coaching activities and other commitments of the team members in the summer season have made it difficult for the 4-way teams to train much during the final stretch of the countdown to the USPA Championship 2005. The fully functional 14-footer on their home turf will give them the chance to catch up as soon as all team members are available. The NSL News will follow up soon with Airspeed feedback and an update, provided by the team members in an interview during the NSL News visit in Eloy.