Mitchell McClellan experiences hurricane strength wind inside the Hurricane Simulator.

AirVenture attendees of all ages keep stepping foot into the popular Hurricane Simulator, located at the Federal Pavilion, and stepping out with smiles and messy hair.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Services Hurricane Simulator is new to AirVenture this year. The one-minute simulator, which generates a wind speed of 72 mph or that of a level one hurricane, is free to all attendees and open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“This (hurricane simulator) just reaches hurricane strength winds,” Carl Weiss, of NOAA, said.

It’s attracting many attendees, especially children. In fact, three to four children can experience the high winds of the simulator all at once. One child said, “Wow, that was fun. Can I go in it again?”

When inside the simulator, you can feel the wind speed change, starting from 0 mph all the way up to 72 mph. The strength of the simulated is just enough to make your eyes tear up and mess up your hair, but you walk away with a smile on your face.

The people setting up the simulator said they could set it at a higher strength, but it would be unsafe, Weiss said. Attendees would be knocked over if the wind was set at too high of speeds.

The hurricane simulator is located at the Federal Pavilion (Box #42 on the map), right along the flightline, north of the old control tower.