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The wingsuit wind tunnel will be the first one in the U.S. and second in the world. SUBMITTED PHOTO -
This is a rendering of the International Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame. -
Here's a rendering of the interactive exhibits you'll find in the museum.
A new attraction in Osceola County’s West U.S. Highway 192 tourist district is preparing to take flight.
The Skydiving Experience will be located on the south side of West U.S. 192, 3.9 miles west of World Drive. No address has yet been assigned to the site, but it is approximately 8526 West U.S. Highway 192 Kissimmee, near the Four Corners area.
It will encompass three entertainment features: a wingsuit wind tunnel, a vertical wind tunnel and the International Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame.
The wingsuit wind tunnel will be the first one in the U.S. and second in the world. The other location is in Sweden. People will put on the wingsuit, be hooked up to a harness and be briefed by an instructor about the experience before they take flight in the chamber.
In the vertical wind tunnel, participants will “experience conventional freefall and a sense of weightlessness and levitation,” said Jim McCormick, director of development for the museum.
In the museum, visitors can go on a virtual ride in an aircraft; do a virtual freefall in a 360-degree theater, and learn about the history of the sport. The museum has a collection of more than 1,500 artifacts, photos, film footage, digital media, books and documents. All items have been inventoried. Members of the skydiving community are continually donating more items to the collection.
“People can experience flight without having to jump out of a plane, but also in an interactive way learn about the history of our sport. It will be very interactive, immersive and engaging.” said McCormick, who had skydived nearly 5,000 times.
The museum will break ground in less than two years. The wingsuit wind tunnel will likely be operating before then, McCormick said. The vertical wind tunnel is several years out.
Neither of the wind tunnels will be owned by the museum nor does the museum have a financial interest in them. They will be operated by experienced and sophisticated organizations with a keen interest in their financial success and sustainability.
“It’s a superb location,” McCormick said on choosing the Osceola site. “We’re also finding Osceola County officials very supportive of what we’re doing.”
The Skydiving Experience is just one of several new tourist additions to the West 192 area. Also planned are new restaurants and hotels.
“We are very excited especially in times of COVID to see development still moving forward and being able to weather through all of this,” said Christina Morris, director of the W192 Development Authority.
