{"id":60500,"date":"2025-09-22T15:16:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T15:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=60500"},"modified":"2025-09-22T15:22:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T15:22:55","slug":"wind-tunnel-or-sky-a-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wind-tunnel-or-sky-a-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Wind Tunnel or Sky? A Beginner\u2019s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Learning to skydive today means you have two powerful training tools: the wind tunnel and the open sky. Both build different skills, and beginners often wonder where to focus their time and money. The answer isn\u2019t the same for everyone. The short answer is: it depends on your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If canopy flight is all you care about, then tunnel isn\u2019t necessary. If you only want bodyflight progression, then you don\u2019t even need to skydive. But if your goal is to become a well-rounded skydiver, safe under canopy and confident in freefall, then both will help you reach that goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tunnel vs. Sky: What Each Provides<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Tunnel = an accelerated learning environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the tunnel, you strip away pack jobs, weather holds, canopy work, the pressures of altitude, and the adrenaline of jumping. It\u2019s pure repetitions with real-time coaching and instant debriefs. You learn to fly more precisely and with better technique. For the money you spend, you also get far more freefall time than in the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1990s, skydivers learned freestyle and freeflying in the sky because tunnels didn\u2019t exist. Today, we have better tools, and they shorten the learning curve. Jumping has also become more expensive, so nearly every serious flyer you see now has spent time in the tunnel. If you\u2019re planning to stay in the sport, tunnel flying is one of the best investments you can make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one caveat: tunnel time can feel expensive upfront, which is why some people still choose to figure things out in the sky. That works too, but it\u2019s usually slower and less efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Beau Kahler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sky = application<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sky teaches what the tunnel cannot: exits, flight planning (angles and tracking), breakoffs, and, most importantly, canopy piloting. Depending on your orientation, body positions can feel different with a rig on your back, which changes your balance and aerodynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In formation skydiving (FS), many skills can be learned in the tunnel. But only in the sky do you practice diving to formations, flying with larger groups, and handling safety factors. The tunnel builds technique and the sky turns you into a skydiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Beau Kahler <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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How to Balance the Two<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Your balance depends on four factors: time, budget, access to a tunnel, and access to a drop zone (DZ).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have convenient access to both tunnel and DZ<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is the ideal setup for becoming a well-rounded skydiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n