Oh yeah! thats for sure. In fact I’d go so far as to say that every one of my skydiving students who has decided to combine sessions in the windtunnel with their accelerated freefall course has performed far better than those who didn’t. I wish we'd had these things years ago...especially when I started skydiving (don't ask 
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"But it increases the costs" did you say? well, that's true at first sight. If you then consider that saving the cost of just one rejump on a level three skydive will pay for 10 minutes in the windtunnel with a tunnel instructor and also save you a whole lot of time and probably save you from a knock to your confidence. In the tunnel I've seen students being given a release in the tunnel after just one minute if they are flying well. Of course the tunnel instructor is standing right alongside you and so can re-grip you immediately if you 'wobble' too much.Take a look at these kids in the tunnel on their first taste of tunnel flying. Hey, thats another benefit too... if your kids want to be involved in your skydiving, they could come along and join you in the tunnel. The most dificult part - is getting them out
If you did 10 minutes in the tunnel at the start of your accelerated free fall course, ideally right before your level one, you would approach your following jumps with a confidence in your body position and control over your turns, which would allow you to move through theprogression jumps so much faster and with greater precision and consequently having less stress and more fun!
Many AFF Instructors nowadays are integrating tunnel training in their programme and they can usually get you a better deal on tunnel time than you can get by approaching the tunnel operator direct because they buy a few hours at a time, effectively buying wholesale. The accelerators advice on this one is 'ask your AFF Instructor for an option price to include a wind tunnel session in your Accelerated FreeFall course'.
Video/Camcorder; Its really useful to have a camcorder video to record your session. Apart from providing records about specific improvements you made in the tunnel, it also helps you to confirm to yourself that you did achieve a perfectly symmetrical body position which enabled you to free fall 'straight down the tube'. The tunnel is one place where you could well ask a selected family member or friend to come along and watch (although its best to ask just one or two but no-more, because then it starts to turn into a big laughing occasion and you get a little too distracted). They could bring their camcorder and help you by providing this service. Having said that, I tend to do this myself for my students although I know some instructors don't see it as an essential service. In my book, every possible 1% can make the difference.... Because I've done a lot of filming I know the best angles and when to keep the camera still and when to zoom and when to 'follow'.
Where are the wind tunnels?
There are new tunnels opening up on all continents now, and we recently went and played with the Abu Dhabi wind tunnel. There are a great team of tunnel instructors and reception staff there and I'd highly recommend a visit - they'll make you really welcome! Watch out for the Dubai tunnel which will open up soon in Dubai Sports City. Although thats planned to be two slightly smaller tunnels (10 foot) each still has plenty of room for your purposes. Here's a list of windtunnels in UK, Europe, the Gulf and Russia.
In UK you have the choice of airkix in Milton Keynes and bodyflight in bedford. Both of these have terrific staff and awesome facilities. I like them both for different reasons.I just wonder why there aren't more of these in UK?
Is size important?
A minimum size of 12 foot is needed for a four-person competition formation skydiving team to train in. Every serious competition team in the world today uses tunnel time (skydiving simulator) as an integral part of its training programme. If you're planning on using a VWT (vertical windtunnel) as part of your AFF course or static line (RAPS) training then you only need a ten foot, and anything larger is just plain bonus.
What can't I do in a wind tunnel?
When we're talking about accelerated freefall training, lets remember that the windtunnel is great for the middle piece of your skydive - the freefall part! It doesn't help you in aircraft exits (also known as the entry to your skydive) or with canopy handling or landings (these are pretty important). However, the free fall aspect is the one which needs the extra work because thats the place where most students manage to get something wrong and may consequently receive a 're-jump.
If you're thinking about incorporating some windtunnel training with your AFF course, why not discuss it with your instructor? Because they use the tunnels more than most, they get special rates.
