{"id":28625,"date":"2020-10-14T14:57:04","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T14:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=28625"},"modified":"2020-10-30T17:18:35","modified_gmt":"2020-10-30T17:18:35","slug":"the-story-of-the-biggest-open-air-wind-tunnel-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/the-story-of-the-biggest-open-air-wind-tunnel-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"The Story of the Biggest Open-Air Wind Tunnel in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cYour Mission \u2013 should you choose to accept it \u2013 is to build the Biggest Open-Air Wind Tunnel in the World\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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World\u2019s largest open-air wind tunnel, built for Tom Cruise\u2019s movie \u201cMission: Impossible – Fallout\u201d, London, UK, 2017.
Photo courtesy of Aerodium
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Tom Cruise laid down the challenge and thus began the biggest adventure Aerodium faced until now. We got the full story from their General Manager, Ivars Beit\u0101ns. But first, a bit of background…<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Aerodium History<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Aerodium is the original inventor of vertical wind tunnels for public entertainment. In 1979 the Canadian Jean Saint-Germain came up with the idea of the first vertical wind tunnel for bodyflight. Jean owned two parachute schools and had the idea that a wind tunnel would help his students practice freefall. The first commercial wind tunnel, Aerodium, was opened in Saint Simon de Bagot, 50 miles east of Montreal in 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2006, the closing ceremony of the Winters Olympics in Turin, Italy, featured the first flying acrobat show ever, flown in a custom-built wind tunnel \u2013 a milestone in tunnel history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next steps in this innovative journey were:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • the world\u2019s first recirculation wind tunnel with a fully tempered glass flight chamber \u2013 built for \u201cWorld EXPO 2010\u201d, China<\/li>
  • the world\u2019s first wind tunnel with an indoor BASE jump chamber \u2013 at \u201cSirius Sport Resort\u201d, Finland in 2013<\/li>
  • the world\u2019s first flight amphitheater for shows and public flying \u2013 Dengfeng, China, 2015<\/li>
  • the wind tunnel with the tallest glass chamber in the world (12m) \u2013 at \u201cGravity Indoor Skydiving\u201d, Bahrain, 2016  <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    Amazing perspective with skydivers training at Gravity Indoor Skydiving, Bahrain
    Photo courtesy of Aerodium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    • the world\u2019s first open recirculation wind tunnel for shows at \u201cShanghai Disney Resort\u201d, China, 2016<\/li>
    • and the building in 2018 of Aerodium Peryton \u2013 the world\u2019s largest open-air wind tunnel with 6,5m x 3,5m (21,3ft x 11,5ft) large flight zone. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

       And we’ll stop here and introduce you to Mr. Beit\u0101ns…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"
      The “Flying Dream” – world\u2019s first flight amphitheater for shows and public flying built in 2015 on the sacred Mount Shongshang (\u201cThe Centre of Heaven and Earth\u201d) \u2013 Dengfeng, China
      Photo courtesy of Aerodium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Mr Beit\u0101ns, how was the Peryton project idea born?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      We were called by Tom Cruise\u2019s team for the movie Mission Impossible 6. They wanted to rent a wind tunnel to see if they can use it for a movie. We sent a machine and it was rented for more than a month before Tom Cruise had the time to test it, because he has a busy schedule. When he did try it, he liked it but almost immediately asked if we could make a bigger one. We asked: \u201cHow big?\u201d. He said, \u201cHow about the World\u2019s biggest?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What followed was like something you see in the movies\u2026 We basically made a sketch on a napkin in the studio\u2019s canteen, then I went back home and convinced our team of engineers to try and design this machine in the scale that Tom Cruise wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What were the main challenges of this project?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Firstly, the timescale, it was April and they wanted the machine up and running by August, an incredibly short deadline in this industry. Our final agreement had very tight conditions, so we basically refused all other projects in that period and we focused 100% on Peryton. If the tunnel wouldn\u2019t have been ready by the end of August the penalty was 20,000 pounds per day! But I took the risk because I believed that this project will be very important for our business and for our industry. I remember our engineers would lock themselves in a room and nobody was allowed to disrupt them. It was like four weeks of complete isolation for them. After one month we opened the door and we had everything done. It was an interesting time \u263a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Secondly, the air flow was a challenge, it had to be laminar (turbulence-free), but actually the noise was the biggest one because the machine was not isolated, so we could not wrap in the noise. We were exposed to the outside world. It was challenging but we achieved that. It\u2019s the first tunnel that is so silent that you can actually talk to others while flying. Don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s not completely silent, but we don\u2019t even have to wear ear plugs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Open wind tunnels are harder to design than recirculating indoor tunnels, because of the safety issues. In the end it had to be not only bigger but also better than everything that we have done so far”       <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Thirdly, safety; how to make the tunnel so big and keep it safe. In this machine you can fly very, very high, like 8-9 storey building high. If you lose control from that height and drop down, the cushions have to sustain this. You have to survive. Also, from that height the tunnel can look really small. You can get easily horizontal distance while flying, so we made a lot of tests to see how far a flyer could travel. Afterwards we changed the size of the cushions, we made them bigger\u2026 and bigger again when they started the filming for the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Open wind tunnels are harder to design than recirculating indoor tunnels, because of the safety issues. In the end it had to be not only bigger but also better than everything that we have done so far.       <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"
      Testing the flying environment
      Photo courtesy of Aerodium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Where do you fit into Aerodium?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      I am the 3rd<\/sup> generation of management after the original inventor and his son. My involvement in this company dates back from 2005 – I bought my first open tunnel from Aerodium Canada as a customer. Then I brought Aerodium to stage of Olympics 2006 to perform unforgettable flying acrobat’s show. Since 2009 I am in charge of this company and we did quite a few innovations, we have some patents on safety features, like our special cushions. In the past I was a stunts coordinator and producer for shows. My job was to keep people safe while doing sometimes very dangerous stunts, so this expertise was useful. I used a lot of things I learned working in the movie industry. The safety nets for example, it\u2019s not simple. It is designed to absorb energy. In a normal wind tunnel you can bounce up and down on the net maybe half a meter maximum. Our net can bounce 1.5 meters, a significant difference. If you fall from 20 meters, this can really help a flyer not get injured and probably save a life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Is there a risk of coming out of the airflow and crash-landing on the ground?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      No, because everything is calculated and everything is safe. We have never had a serious accident in an open wind tunnel. Never.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The flyers say the airflow is \u2018amazing\u2019! \u2013 how did you make it so consistent?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      We have a dedicated engineering team, and aerodynamic specialists, in our company. I think this is where we make a difference from other companies, because we take over these very difficult projects, challenges. We specialize in customized wind tunnels. The one we have in Disneyland, for example, is unique. The engineering team do the fine tuning, they predict all the wind streams and they know exactly what to expect. They are always almost 99% correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Sometimes we design even wind itself\u263a. For the Sochi Olympic Games, they wanted a big tornado to happen on a stage. We achieved that! Nobody was flying but it was the pure wind just dancing on a stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      From our portfolio I think half of the tunnels we built were custom built. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Sometimes we design… pure wind, just dancing on a stage”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The “small” tornado built for the Sochi Olympic Games<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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