Having launched our own indoor skydiving business in several countries, we know the entire process inside out, and are ready to offer our assistance at any stage, from evaluating a project to implementation and management. We offer three options for collaboration:
When evaluating a project, it’s important to start with the biggest costs:
land, tunnel equipment, utilities, the building.
Population density will have a significant impact on client traffic. A population of more than 2.5 million people within a 50 km radius is ideal. It’s also important that your indoor skydiving facility is easy for clients to reach. For example, having highway junctions or public transport stops nearby is an asset.
It’s best to ascertain at an early stage what requirements the local authorities have with respect to the facility and the site surrounding it, because this can have a considerable impact on the parameters for your indoor skydiving business. For example, it is a good idea to take into account at the planning stage restrictions on the permissible height and footprint of buildings, noise level, and distance from the nearest homes.
You should find out in advance what noise and vibration limits will apply to the site of the planned facility, and choose your supplier according to these specifications.
Different clients require facilities with different capabilities.
For novices and casual visitors, average speeds are sufficient, and a relatively compact wind tunnel will do. Client traffic is less regular in this case, but flight costs for these visitors are relatively low.
Professional flyers need a lot of power and a spacious flight chamber. They may also need an additional entrance for BASE jumping. Flights like these cost more to run, but professional flyers provide constant demand.
In countries with a hot climate, an active cooling system is also recommended.
This is important for assessing your potential clients and formulating a proposal accordingly.
Free-standing indoor skydiving facility
If the majority of your clients are experienced flyers, you may wish to include rooms where they can stay and a café in your building. For example, Fly Station in Tokyo.
Part of a shopping and entertainment complex
Constant visitor traffic allows you to greatly reduce expenditure on attracting clients and marketing.
Part of a leisure complex
Your skydiving facility might share a complex with sports grounds, or with an artificial wave machine for training surfers. Indoor flights here could be sold as part of a package offer for an action holiday. For example, Fly Station in Moscow.
A reliable way to assess equipment quality is to ask owners of similar facilities whether or not they are satisfied with their performance, about any problems experienced, and how much time and money they spend on operating and maintaining their facility. It’s also a good idea to visit facilities and assess for yourself whether features are as advertised.
When visiting in person, pay attention to the following:
The quoted price of a tunnel is often for a basic package, without the important additions that made such a good impression on you during your test flight. In order to calculate the full cost, you need to include all of your desired options and associated expenses. It’s important that these are explicitly included in the contract: