Here we go !
Hey guys ! My name is Nina :)
I am Damijan's wife. You may remember me from some of our previous posts:
This time I'll be taking over the "controls" as I take you into the experience I've dreamt about ever since I was a small child.
I was 4 years old when we lived in an old building which dated back to the communist period, enveloped with a veil of heavy atmosphere around the apartments interior.
I was standing in a dark room, looking down at my bare fit that firmly stood on the creaky wooden floor.
Sharp ray of dusty light reaches from a door on my left side. My gaze remains bent towards the floor, but at the next moment my feet disappear from my sight.
Another image simultaneously opens next to the one I’m already looking at.
It was as if my consciousness had moved outside of the body to the other end of the room, standing opposite to the source of light.
Suddenly, I see my tiny body slowly losing contact with the surface and finally floating.
The image of a dusty summer beam pierced by a small hovering silhouette, seemed so real that it remained within me more as a memory rather than a dream.
Ever since, every major crossroad in my life has been followed by a heavy traffic of dreams that provide great spiritual excitement… dreams of flying.
Each one of my relevant conclusions were followed by a dream that would metaphorically present a stage in life which I was living at the moment.
Dreams come easily to a young and relaxed mind, whilst in the “days of thousand thoughts” our minds enter a rush hour, narrowing and and chaining our thoughts that end tied up within a traffic jam.
The present year seems to have introduced a perfect stage for some major transitions within my and Damijans life, both on the business and the spiritual domain - the one of much greater importance. So, here I am eagerly waiting for those subconscious messages to be mailed via “dream express” :)
But hey... instead of waiting for my subconscious to pay it’s honor by flying me into another dimension, with nothing but a “dreamy smell" left behind, I personally decide take off within the reality at which I’m consciously living at!
No more waiting!
In his work, the inventor of the Russian aerodynamics Nikolai Jegorovic Zhukovsky wrote:
"A man does not have wings, and according to the weight of his body and the weight of his muscles he is
72 times weaker than the bird. I think he will still fly, relying not on the strength of his
muscles, but rather in the might of his reason."
And indeed... a hundred years later, we find ourselves enjoying the fruits of human creativity.
Airplanes, helicopters... spacecrafts that attain distances previously attainable only by our imagination.
For us who are also a fans of more intimate ways of flying, paragliding and wind suit come as good options… However, at the beginning of April we had the opportunity to discover and experience out the so-called “body flying”.
Welcome to "Jochen Schweizer" !
Ladies and gentlemen, we present you the air tunnel.
Though this discipline is relatively young, it has quickly been gathering a vastly incresing number of new admirers.
The actual flight (a free fall simulation) takes place indoors / in a tunnel with a constant one-way air flow that speeds up from 140-220 km/h.
Ever tried entering a hurricane ?!
After we determined the exact date of our departure to Munich, we began our search for the “Air Tunnel”. Wonder why we did’t do this in Serbia? Hahaha... well, we wanted to, but then we discovered this:
Who needs glass walls when you have two half naked guys keeping you safe from flying off into the orbit...
After we read couple of online forums, we decided to take a shot at “Jochen Schweizer” sports center located in the southern suburb of Munich.
The total amount for a 2 min. flight (yes, two minute flight) per person is 54eur?!?!?!
So, basically, every second spent in the tunnel costs you almost 50 cents. 😜😵💸
In addition to flying, the price includes a short 15 minute lecture and equipment (glasses, helmet, suit and earplugs).
To book a flight you need to purchase a voucher at their branch office located at Karlsplatz (below the ground level).
You can also book a reservation vie the centers official web-site.
When purchasing a voucher, it is necessary to indicate the desired time of flight.
We were told to come at least half an hour before the randezvous to get dressed and listen to a short lecture .
So, exactly as told, we have arrived to the sport center half an hour earlier and were welcomed by a nice blond girl who turned out to be our flight instructor.
One way ticket to the Moon please !
Yes, you can also try indoor surfing here...
After the formal introduction was finished, the instructor lead us to a small classroom where we had a fifteen minute lecture about the forthcoming experience. Of course, everything was in German as there were two more flyers from Germany. She had then explained and demonstrated the technique and the proper body position upon entering the tunnel, and after the lecture in German was finished, she smiled and asked us in English “You got it, right ?!”
Hands and legs up, head pulled back...we get it. At least we thought we have...
The "Air" lobby.
We were instructed to put on the specially designed suits and to go into the the tunnels “lobby” where we were to wait for our turn in the actual tunnel. We remember the noise of the flowing air being so strong that it got our adrenaline way up even before we started flying. The first two flyers went into tho tunnel with a mixture of anticipation and fear...but came back from it smiling ear to ear.
At long last, it was my turn to make a step that will transform my childhood dream into reality.
3,2,1...
I stood at the tunnels main entrance, rose my hands up and gently bent my hips a bit forward. Shifting my body from a vertical into a horizontal position, the instructor firmly held me as she took me inside of the tunnel. After she ensured that my body was in a proper position she finally let me to float by myself.
Steady...
Just a bit more...
Wooohoooo !!!
My dreams have provided a certain impression of what flying would feel like, an impression completely different from the one I experienced in real life. In my dreams I felt as if there was a pillow of condensed air which put my body at incredible physical and emotional ease...but when the air hit 180+km/h, I felt as if someone had flipped me like a coin.
Even though I thought that I was doing exactly as Instructed, my body simply wasn’t reacting in the way it should have.
The upper and the lower part of my body was alternately going up and down as if it were a air seesaw.
I occasionally felt like a leaf that had entertained a hurricane.
When you watch the videos of the experienced body flyers everything seems so elegantly and effortlessly executed...I guess that just shows the admirable the level of skill and control of the flyer.
Each and every time that someone performs an action such as this that makes us think “pfff, eeeeeasy.” one should know that he is witnessing a mastery.
All in all, body flying is everything but “eeeeeasy”. My first attempt at was a 2 minute struggle for a proper balance as I battled the invisible forces of the ether, and the whole experience was over in the blink of an eye.
Oh yeah, just in case you wandered where did Damijan go :)
Just like any flying super hero out there.
The impressions about body flying ?
Our whole lives are spent under the influence of the gravitational force and we lack the opportunity to feel what it’s like when there is nothing below/around us (except when we jump or fall).
For the first time in life, there was no base upon which the body would transfer its weight. The sole indication that you can (with exercise and refinement) move freely and unobstructedly carries a higher purpose within.
At least those were the impressions I gained during the two short minutes of my flight. 😅
Happiness 100% !
And the feeling after ?
After having felt the narcotic properties of body flying you just want more.
It's thanks to such moments that you begin to appreciate your existence in this world.
You also begin to wish that you have just a little bit more time, just a little bit more money and just a little bit more opportunities...
May this desire be referred to all of us... and may the times that come make our lives fulfilled, pockets deep and our futures bright.
See you out there !
All presented content (photography, text, etc.) is my and Damijans original work.
I hope that you've enjoyed reading this article as much as I have making it.
We really try our best to provide our readers with high quality travel content.
We would more than appreciate all your comments, resteems and upvotes.
Follow us for more great adventures from around the world !
Love,
Nina
KEEP EXPLORING HERE
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Wow it must have been a great to experience body flying. I have never tried that, but I can reckon that flying in dreams is way better because you can fly anywhere, it takes more practice to master than body flying though if you don't have that kind of dreams naturally..
Yes, you’re right. But you wouldn’t regret trying body-flying as well 😉
See you out there!
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It's something I'd like to try one day.
I've watch videos of those people doing acrobatic moves and landing as if they were Superman :-D
You wouldn’t imagine just how much skill is involved when we watch the wind tunel acrobats. But we liked it so much that we are seriously considering to finish the basic course which includes about 30min. of flying. If we ever do, I’ll definitely be posting a thorough article about it 😁 See ya !
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