Airborne America

Sep 26, 2014

You've skidded down zip lines, soared over the bay on a parasail. Now Airborne America plans to build San Diego's next extreme-sport tourist attraction: Skydiving in a 30-foot-high glass tube. Buzz Fink, a longtime Coronado resident who operates the Skydive San Diego parachute jumping school near Otay Lakes, plans to build a $10 million, 21,368-square-foot facility with two wind tunnels in East Village. "Everybody wants to skydive but a lot of people don't want to jump out of a plane," Fink said Tuesday. Civic San Diego, the city's development arm, posted the project on its agenda for Wednesday's board meeting. Pending issuance of city building permits, construction could begin at 14th Street and Imperial Avenue near Petco Park with opening late next year. It would be the nation's only two-tube wind tunnel attraction. "Hopefully, we would like to do it in more than one location," Fink said. "We've spent a lot of money on the pre-design and taken time to make sure it's state-of-the-art. " For about $60, you'd don a jumpsuit, helmet and goggles, receive a few minutes of instruction and then step into a glass tube 14 feet in diameter. Novices, from toddlers to oldsters, would float 5 to 6 feet off the ground for two one-minute flying simulations, powered by a 30-foot-wide fan that generates 60 mph winds. An instructor would stand by -- and if the power fails, you'd simply float gently back to earth. Proficient fliers could rev up the wind to 180 mph and float 30 feet into the air with seven other buddies. "We picked East Village because it's an up and coming area," Fink said. "It's next to the trolley and bus lines, convention center and ballpark. We thought it would be a great location. " But going airborne isn't only for locals bored with the beach and tourists wanting to get off their feet. Brent Srock, Airborne America's operations director, said a special training area will be set aside for Navy SEALs and other military personnel where they can learn to free-fall before graduating to parachute jumps. "They're begging me to open this," Srock said, because the trainees currently have to travel to wind tunnels as far east as Colorado for similar training. Joe Terzi, president of the San Diego Tourism Authority, said he and his wife and two daughters tried out a similar ride in Las Vegas. "It's not as easy as it looks," Terzi said, since riders have to learn to spread their arms and legs to take advantage of the wind flow. But he pronounced the experience fun. Would it appeal to visitors? "If marketed appropriately and the experience is good, I think it would be another reason for tourists and convention visitors to spend time in San Diego," Terzi said. Fink, 53, spent 13 years as director of fleet recreation at North Island Naval Air Station and founded Skydive San Diego, which organizes thousands of parachute jumps annually. He was an owner of Sky Venture Orlando, now known as iFly Orlando, before selling out his interests. Page: