Would you dare? In Germany’s largest wind tunnel, the Hurricane Factory Berlin, you can be blown up by the wind generated by the six large turbines, each with 400 hp, and glide like a bird on an air current. Fitness level doesn’t matter. FITBOOK intern Svenja Heinol tried bodyflying – and got happy.
Arrived at the Hurricane Factory Berlin, a large room awaited us, which particularly impressed me with its brightness, which was due to the huge glass windows. I got the first queasy feeling when I saw the first professional “Bodyflyers” in the wind tunnel: They floated playfully in the transparent tube, rolled over and soared. That’s when I realized that the wind tunnel is much higher than I had expected: the tunnel has a flying height of 15 meters, the lower six meters are glazed. How should I get through this with my fear of heights?
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Flight attitude training and safety briefing
Dressing up before the briefing. The bulky, black-and-orange jumpsuit made me feel like Bob the Builder. Anna, who works as an instructor in the Hurricane Factory Berlin alongside two others, explained the flight procedure, gave flight attitude training (the basic position we should assume when flying) and a safety briefing: You lie on your stomach, arms and legs are slightly bent angled. Since there is a lot of wind in the canal, it is extremely loud in it. So Anna showed us how to use sign language to communicate with each other during the flight. She was able to help us correct our posture during the flight.
Now helmet, goggles and oropax – and it really started.
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This is how bodyflying works in the tube
The glazed tube in the Hurricane Factoy Berlin has a diameter of 5.2 meters and is 15 meters high – this means that parachute jumps from a height of 4000 meters can be simulated in the tunnel. Above and below the flight area is delimited by a steel net.
Six large fans with a total output of 2100 kilowatts generate the necessary air flow. A comparison that makes the dimensions clear: If the fans run at full power for a day, you could use the same amount of electricity to supply a family of four with electricity for a year.
The air flow on which the aircraft is flown is between 140 and 280 km/h. The speed in the cylinder can be controlled using a controller. The weight of the person flying determines the airflow required. For example, a person over 120 kg cannot fly in a wind tunnel. Otherwise, anyone over the age of five is allowed to fly.
«Let yourself fall, the wind will catch you!»
First, together with six others, we went to the so-called pre-flight chamber, where those who were not flying had to wait. As a proven scaredy-cat who would never do a parachute jump, I let the others go first and took a look at what awaited me. I was surprised at how well the other beginners did – it put more pressure on me internally. I was last. I took bold steps to the connection opening to the wind tunnel.
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«Just let yourself fall into the canal, the wind will catch you,» Anna explained. I did too. With arms crossed in front of his chest. While I was slowly opening my arms and adopting the previously discussed posture, I noticed the strong forces that were affecting my body. It was extremely loud and I could hardly breathe. I remembered what Anna had said to us in the briefing: «Don’t forget to breathe!»
Even the smallest body movement has an impact
The hardest thing for me was to hold the position. Even the slightest movement of a foot, a hand, or my head had an immediate effect on whether I was flying up, down, left, or right. After some time I found that when I raised my head, my body would move down. If I lowered it, I flew up. After the first run (a minute and a half that felt like two hours) my body was tingling and shaking, especially my legs.
Bodyflying: That’s what it’s like to fly in a wind tunnelPhoto: Hurricane Factory Berlin
The incredible feeling of floating
From the antechamber, I watched someone else fly 10 meters into the air with Anna. My fear of heights returned. Coming back into the chamber, I realized that the time was about to come when I would gain altitude. Anna lay over me and then it went up – a few meters were enough for me. Floating up and down was still an unbelievable feeling, which I only really appreciated once I had ground under my feet again. pure happiness.
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My conclusion
Without question – flying in the wind tunnel is an incredible experience and a great way for people with a fear of heights to face it or even overcome it. I can’t say whether the flight in the tunnel is actually comparable to a parachute jump. However, the price is already very high: for two flights of one and a half minutes each, you pay between 79 euros (during the week) and 99 euros (at the weekend). It is also possible to book six- and nine-minute flights. This is especially recommended for more experienced skydivers, as such a flight can be incredibly tiring. I think I would do it again.