How can I find a good (safe) place to go skydiving?

Question

I live in Central Illinois and can travel to Champaign, Indianapolis or St. Louis. Is there an organization that regulates skydiving so I can be sure I'm going somewhere with a good record?

Answer 1

illinoisskydiving.net

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Answer 2

There are a few websites you need to check out to get good info on skydiving.

http://www.uspa.org is the website of the United States Parachute Association, the governing body for sport parachuting in the United States.  There is a list of member dropzones on the website along with all sorts of great info on the sport.

The official site for the British Parachute Association is: http://www.bpa.org.uk/links.htm

The official site for the Canadian Parachute Association is: http://www.cspa.ca/

The official site for the Australian Parachute Federation is: http://www.apf.asn.au/

http://www.dropzone.com is another great resource for everything about skydiving, including dropzones in the United States and the rest of the world, and some BASE too.

http://www.bigairsportz.com is the web site for Brian Germain, one of the best people on the planet to get information on canopy flight from.

http://www.skydiveradio.com is just fun and a good place to feel like you’re at the drop zone when you can’t physically be there.

http://www.azarsenal.com/ is the website for the top vertical relative work team right now.  Arizona Arsenal won the 2007 USA Nationals.

If you’re not sure about skydiving, or you are too young to jump right now, but want to fly you should look at the vertical wind tunnels.  http://www.skyventure.com/ is the website for skyventure which operates many tunnels in the United States, Europe and Asia.  I love flying in the tunnel.  I don’t do it very much, I’d rather spend my money on skydives, but it is a great place to learn, work on my flying skills and just have a lot of fun!

What type of skydive should you do?  Tandem or student training…?  While, if this jump is just a one time thing, a “check it off your life’s to do list,” then go for the tandem jump.  If you know you want to get into the sport then I would suggest that you start with the tandem just so you have been in the air once before you start student training.  But if you know that you will be jumping as a hobby, the going right into the student training would be a good idea too.

The different in first jump courses is quite a bit.  For a tandem you need very little training, five to 20 minutes depending on the dropzone and a few other factors.  Student training will start with about 8 to 10 hours of ground training before your jump.  Either way you will be jumping with professional, rated skydivers who have been trained to teach and fly with new jumpers.  You will not be able to jump solo until you’ve been cleared by going through a training program.

Make sure that you contact the drop zone you want to jump at directly.  There are a few scams out there, one of which is 1800skyride.  They will take your money and send you to any dropzone they want too but only about three dz’s in the country except skyride tickets.  So please, please, please contact the dropzone directly.

What does skydiving feel like?  -- Freedom. For 45 to 60 seconds there is nothing but me, the air and my friends. Flying your body in the sky is the greatest feeling I have ever experienced. Flying and landing a parachute is a lot of fun too. I'd say it is kinda like driving a race car and landing an airplane all at once.

For me I find relaxation in free fall. I know no better way to relax then jumping out of plane and back flying solo.

It is very easy to breath in free fall. There is a lot of air up there. Being relaxed and just flying and having fun.

By the way, if you are afraid of heights you have nothing to worry about for skydiving.  After about 2000 feet of climb it will all look the same.  When you are in free fall you do not have the feeling of falling because there is nothing to tell you how fast you are falling.  Think about as driving down the interstate and looking at an overpass two miles away.  You’re doing 100mph towards the overpass but it does not seem to be getting any closer until you’re right up on it.  Same thing in skydiving, the ground is far enough away that there is no ground rush.  It took me about 100 jumps before I could see the difference between 12000 feet, 7000 feet and 3000 feet.

The length of a skydive depends on the type of skydive. a low altitude jump I may have 5 to 20 seconds of free fall. Full altitude I can have 45 to 60 seconds of free fall. If I’m free flying then less free fall because the speeds are higher.  If I'm on my belly then more time because the speeds are lower. The canopy flight time depends on how you fly and the type of canopy.  It can be anywhere from less than 60 seconds under canopy to 5 or 6 minutes for a normal jump.

My first jump was a tandem and I don't remember being in the door, but I remember the rush and how i felt like i was floating during free fall. My first jump as a student I remember climbing out of the plane and getting the shake from my instructors telling me they are ready. I thought, "What the F am I doing?" then I just took a deep breath and gave the exit count. Letting go of the plane and starting the dive flow. What a rush! It was so much fun to fly my own body!

Now when I jump I think about the next point to turn. I think about flying faster in a track. I watch my friends’ body position and try to help them get in a better position with hand signals or I get coaching from someone else and work on my body position. Under canopy I think about my set up points and how and where to enter the landing pattern and where I want to land. But more than anything I think about how much fun and wonderful this sport is.

The tandem is a great jump.  I’d get video too.  I made one tandem in June of 2005.  If you are looking at skydiving as a one time thing, something to check off your life’s to do list then go right for a tandem.  If you know you want to be a skydiver right now then go for a tandem or start student training.  Either is great.  I started skydiving by going for a tandem, thinking it was a one time thing and loved it so much that I have made it a major part of my life.  In August of 2005 I started student training (good info about student training at uspa.org) and got my license.  I’ve been jumping as much as I can and have a few hundred jumps.  I have earned the USPA Coach Rating and plan to continue to jump for fun and help teach others how to fly and be safe in the air.  There is nothing better than flying your body through the sky with your friends.  The canopy is a lot of fun to fly too.  It only gets better and better.  Every weekend seems to be more fun than the one before.  You will get into the sport for the rush, but you stay because of the people.  I love this sport and I sincerely hope that you’ll become a full time skydiver and I’ll be able to make some jumps with you at a boogie!  

Blue Skies! Black Death! And EFS!!!!