Sponsorship and partnership proposal · For disability-sector sponsors
Inclusive indoor skydiving for people with disabilities
The School of Human Flight (SOHF) is an initiative led by Ruben Knoetze, National and International Springbok Skydiving Champion.
Executive summary
The School of Human Flight (SOHF) gives people with disabilities the opportunity to experience human flight in a purpose-built vertical wind tunnel. It is aimed in particular at people living with spinal cord injuries and paraplegia, amputations, cerebral palsy, autism and visual impairments.
A wind tunnel produces a controlled column of air that lets a person experience bodyflight indoors, under professional supervision, without jumping from an aircraft. For many participants this will be their first experience of an extreme sport considered off-limits to them. For others it will be the start of a path toward competitive Indoor Para Skydiving, an emerging discipline gaining international momentum.
SOHF is proposed to operate from the planned Cape Town vertical wind tunnel, built around a 6.5 m diameter TT65 PRO flight chamber. A wider, more spacious chamber makes assisted entry, transfer and supported flight materially easier and safer for wheelchair users than the smaller tunnels typical of most facilities.
SOHF is seeking sponsors and partners to build the programme, subsidise participation and support South African athletes toward international representation.
The programme
SOHF is not one-size-fits-all. Every participant's programme is shaped around their individual mobility, strength and goals, and is developed by European qualified professionals. Participants move through the programme at their own pace.
Experience flight
Build confidence
Learn bodyflight skills
Structured training
Competition
National and international representation
A participant may stop at any point along this path: a single unforgettable flight, a regular recreational activity or a serious sporting pursuit. SOHF's role is to open the door, not to prescribe the destination.
Indoor Para Skydiving
Indoor Para Skydiving is formally recognised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the world governing body for air sports. The FAI adopted it in 2025 as its first-ever para-sports discipline.
A World Cup debuted in France in April 2026, with the inaugural FAI World Championships following in March 2027, under the FAI's International Skydiving Commission (ISC).
Many disabilities are fully compatible with indoor skydiving. Wind tunnels around the world are proving beneficial for people with disabilities.
SOHF intends to work with the Aero Club of South Africa, the country's National Air Sport Control recognised by the FAI, alongside paraplegic associations and disability sporting organisations.
The aims are to identify candidates, provide introductory flights, build structured training pathways and prepare athletes for FAI-sanctioned competition, with the goal of South African representation at future World Championships.
Facility, safety and accessibility
For a programme focused on paraplegia and spinal cord injury, the physical detail matters as much as the vision. SOHF is committed to developing and publishing the following in partnership with disability organisations, adaptive-sport specialists and rehabilitation professionals:
- Medical clearance and individual risk assessment criteria for participation
- A transfer and entry procedure for wheelchair users, including harnessing and assisted-flight technique
- Instructor certification specific to adaptive and assisted bodyflight, not only standard indoor skydiving instruction
- Step-free access to the flight deck, changing facilities, bathrooms and spectator areas
- An on-site emergency and medical response protocol appropriate to the participant group
The 6.5 m TT65 PRO chamber's size and airflow control, compared with the smaller tunnels most facilities operate, is a safety and accessibility advantage for this programme. It will be a central point in SOHF's protocol development with its clinical and disability sector partners.
Impact: what participants gain
Beyond the flight itself, the programme is built to develop confidence, independence and connection, especially for young people with disabilities discovering a sport many assumed was inaccessible to them.
- Confidence, independence and personal achievement
- Discipline, goal-setting and concentration
- Teamwork, communication and social belonging
- A genuine sporting pathway, from first flight to competitive athlete
- For young participants: leadership, new friendships and long-term sporting opportunity
Building an inclusive sporting community
SOHF is being built with the disability community, not simply for it. Participants will train alongside able-bodied athletes, coaches and instructors where appropriate. They will be recognised first as athletes and members of the flying community, not simply as beneficiaries of a programme.
This requires a coordinated partnership model:
| Partner | Role |
|---|---|
| Disability organisations | Identify participants and advise on member needs |
| SOHF | Provide the facility, qualified instructors and programme design |
| Medical and rehabilitation | Professional advice on participant and individual safety considerations |
| Sponsors | Fund participation, equipment and athlete development |
| Sporting organisations | Support competitive pathways and national representation |
Why now: the market opportunity
Indoor skydiving is a rapidly expanding global industry.
- €1bn+a year, global industry value
- 300+facilities worldwide
- 20m+flights recorded to date
Market figures as stated in the project proposals.
The FAI adopted Indoor Para Skydiving in 2025, a World Cup debuted in April 2026 and the inaugural FAI World Championships follow in March 2027.
This positions early investment in South African talent, and in inclusive Para Skydiving specifically, as a high-visibility, high-growth opportunity for sponsors.
The partnership opportunity
SOHF's central objective is to ensure that financial circumstances never determine whether a person with a disability gets the chance to fly. SOHF is seeking sponsors and partners to support:
- Sponsored introductory flights and bursaries
- Training programmes, equipment and transport assistance
- Athlete development and competition funding
- School and community outreach programmes
- Support for international competition and representation
An indicative investment structure is set out below. Final figures will be confirmed once detailed costings are finalised.
Investment summary (indicative)
| Investment area | What it covers | Year 1 target | Investment sought |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored introductory flights | First-flight session, instructor time and equipment use per participant | TBC | R TBC |
| Training bursaries | Subsidised recurring sessions for committed participants | TBC | R TBC |
| Adaptive equipment | Harnesses and equipment suited to wheelchair users and assisted flight | TBC | R TBC |
| Transport assistance | Getting participants to and from the facility | TBC | R TBC |
| Instructor and coach training | Certification in adaptive and assisted bodyflight instruction | TBC | R TBC |
| Athlete and competition development | Structured training toward Aero Club of SA and FAI-sanctioned competitions | TBC | R TBC |
| School and community outreach | Introductory sessions with schools and disability organisations | TBC | R TBC |
| International competition support | Travel, entry fees and support toward future FAI World Championship events | TBC | R TBC |
| Total Year 1 investment sought | R TBC | ||
Figures above are placeholders pending the detailed costing model. They will be finalised and shared with prospective sponsors as part of due diligence.
In return, sponsors gain association with a pioneering, high-visibility inclusion initiative, with clear, measurable outcomes in athlete development and community impact.
Our commitment
SOHF is committed to safety, respect, dignity, inclusion, equal opportunity and sporting excellence, working with disability organisations and qualified professionals at every stage of programme design.
Our vision
We want to see people with disabilities entering the School of Human Flight not as spectators, but as flyers, athletes, competitors and members of the flying community and, ultimately, South African para-athletes representing their country on the international stage.