Sky-diving - the ultimate thrill for adrenaline junkies. But it takes a special person to pay through the nose to jump from a moving aircraft at 16,000 feet.

But these needn’t be concerns any more thanks to a new extreme sports centre, Airkix, based at Trafford Park where thrill seekers can experience the next best thing to the real deal in a 50 ft vertical wind tunnel, and at a fraction of the cost.

Located next to the Chill Factor e, participants get to hover, soar, turn, spin, ascend, descend - in fact everything you can do during a real skydive you can do at Airkix’s huge 12 ft wide, 50 ft tunnel, courtesy of wind speeds as fast as 170mph created by the huge turbines below.

It’s the first indoor skydiving centre to open in the north, and is currently the UK’s largest, fastest and most sophisticated piece of equipment.

On arrival I’m asked to fill in an indemnity form, which also asks a range of other questions pertinent to the experience. The weight limit’s 18 stone for instance, and anyone with back problems or those with a history of shoulder dislocations maybe need to think twice because this, make no mistake, is a physically demanding sport.

Upstairs there’s a large gallery area where visitors can see ‘divers’ in the tunnel battling the extreme wind speeds, and for those electing to have a turn there’s a 10 minute safety briefing on DVD, which includes some simple sign language.

Then it’s into the changing rooms, where anything and everything that is detachable from your body - such as watches, jewellery, wallets, etc - have to be removed. Then it’s into a special skydiving suit, provided by the centre, as are ear plugs, goggles and a helmut.

All ‘flights’ for novices are assisted by a fully qualified instructor who remains in the tunnel throughout the experience to assist if necessary, and for first timers that a definite.

Once the turbine’s cranked up you start to appreciate the need for earplugs and sign language as the din is incredible, wind speed hitting around 105mph for novice flights.

It’s not as easy as the professionals make it look, either. Movement is controlled by the position of your hands, arms, legs, and head, as well as the shape of the body, which is ideally held in an arched position. Once you’re ‘up’ and stable, even the slightest change of body shape or movement of your extremities in any direction, will change the way you fly.

It’s tougher than it sounds, but exhilarating at the same time, and certainly something I’d recommend to anyone who likes a thrill. It’s also open to anyone from ages four and up, although I suspect the complex movements required for a satisfying experience might prove too taxing for most at that age.

Flights last two minutes, and cost £35.

Airkix can be contacted on 0161 749 2200.