Embargoed until 31 March 2019, 23.59 p.m. CET Embargoed from 1 April 2019, 23.59 p.m. CET Release: only 1 April
The Mercedes-Benz Museum invites you to indoor skydiving in the largest artificially created tornado in the world: from today, Monday, 1 April 2019, the event offering of the museum will be expanded to include this popular trend sport. The experience is made possible thanks to the building’s fire protection equipment, which features a 34-metre-tall, artificial tornado. Persons weighing up to 120 kilograms can hover weightlessly in space. The weightless experience always takes place on Mondays between 9 am and 6 pm and can now be booked by individuals and groups: mercedes-benz.com/museum. The hire of the necessary protective equipment is included in the price of 104 euros per person.
Stuttgart. Simply take off in the middle of the museum: this is made possible by the new event offer of the Mercedes-Benz Museum for indoor skydiving in the 42-metre-tall atrium. A technology is used for the weightless experience that normally serves as a fire protection measure. The museum has the largest artificially created tornado in the world. The system was planned for the purpose of extracting smoke from the interior of the museum in an emergency. Now, it is also used for indoor skydiving. The effect of the jets is so strong that the tornado will allow persons weighing up to 120 kilograms to remain airborne.
Normally, indoor skydiving takes place in vertical wind tunnels, in the flight chamber of which people can fly weightlessly in the air flow. Such systems, however, have nothing on the dimensions of the largest artificial tornado in the world in the Mercedes-Benz Museum – recognised by the Guinness Book of Records in 2007: The vast vortex moves the air of the entire exhibition space of the museum, comprising around 210,000 cubic metres of enclosed space.
A total of 144 powerful air jets in the walls of the 42-metre-tall atrium are needed to create the tornado which extends up 34 metres. The tornado is at its most powerful close to the floor. And it is precisely this effect that the new indoor skydiving offer exploits. The hire of the necessary protective clothing (helmet, protectors and overalls) is included in the price of 104 euros per person. Due to the powerful air flow and the noise level, indoor skydiving can only be offered on Mondays from 9 am to 6 pm, outside of regular opening hours.
The new offer for individuals and groups makes the dream of flying come true in the middle of the spectacular architecture of the museum. Indoor skydiving is part of a comprehensive event programme of the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Each year, around 50 of our own events and around 125 customer events are held in the building that tells the history of mobility from 1886 right into the future.