Adrenaline junkie *cough* Gavin received a voucher for indoor skydiving for his birthday so we hoped on the train to Bedford for the day. A freezing day. Blues skies though!
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.jpg "Kathryn Soady")
.jpg "Gavin Salt")
Yes that is Kathryn's face being smashed into the wall on the way out at the end of the video. Smooth.
The tunnel and building dates back to the 1950s when it was built (by the Defence Ministry) for the purpose of testing and better understanding aerodynamic forces as pilots and engineers were becoming more adventurous and were testing aircraft tolerances to the limit and experiencing 'flat spins'.
Once kitted up (no cameras allowed at this point. How else are are they able to make money out of you if they left you take your own photos) you are given a half hour briefing on 'How to Skydive'. They go over what happens in the tunnel and what to expect and they also go over hand signals with you. Thumbs Up = I'm ok, Thumbs Down = Get me the f**k outta here.
.jpg "Skydiving - Kathryn Soady") |
| Kathryn ready to kit up |
.jpg "Skydiving - Gavin Salt") |
| Gavin giving the models a run for their money |
The experience itself is quite quick. You get about 2mins inside the tunnel bobbing about trying to keep your mouth shut to avoid the embarrassment of saliva flying about the place. It's good. It's different. We've done it.
I think it's fair to say we're probably not the most graceful skydivers and it's fair to say we probably won't be trying the real thing.
Yes that is Kathryn's face being smashed into the wall on the way out at the end of the video. Smooth.