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Dropzone Database: North America: United States: Alabama : Skydive Alabama : Reviews

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has contributed 19 reviews

Review Summary: Average Rating: Total Reviews: 19 Write a Review Show: All Ratings 5 Star Rated 4 Star Rated 3 Star Rated 2 Star Rated 1 Star Rated Sort by: Newest First Highest Rating First Most Useful First Display: 10 25 50 100

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(Review ID:5468)

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful: Best place in Alabama to learn to skydive! Rated by: Shibumi on 2009-11-08 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: Nice people, nice vibe, nice facility, great instructors and coaches Cons: need more jumpsuits for us big guys

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

Being a newbie I haven't much to compare other facilities. I may be biased but after reading the one negative comment here I cannot disagree more.

This is a very nice facility and the people are great. I intend to complete my certification here. The instruction was superb, clear, concise and what i am use to having spent 26 years in the Marine Corps.

Safety, safety, safety was stressed and applied in all phases of the training. The flight was quick, the jump well supervised and I felt safe during the entire experience. I would recommend Skydive Alabama as "The" place to learn to skydive in Alabama!


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(Review ID:5446)

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful: Steer Clear! Rated by: skyfox2007 on 2009-10-25 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: Aircraft and Location Cons: Professionalism, Vibe, and Services

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

I was in Huntsville visiting family and decided to give this dropzone a try. I found the location convenient, within 30 miles of the city, and was overjoyed by the fact that they operated a twin turbine aircraft; making for shorter rides to altitude.

But their complete lack of professionalism, poor customer service, and lack of services far outweigh the benefits of easy access and faster plane rides. When I first entered the front office I was greeted by a half hearted "hello" and a quizzical look. The folks in the front office were not thrilled to see me. It looked as though they were more interested in their lunch then they were my business. I then inquired about manifest and rig rental but their knowledge of DZ operations was limited and directed me to comb the DZ and "find the DZO myself." I found it strange that their office personnel were not familiar with the goings on. Aren't the office personnel there to answer those sorts of questions? But I tracked down the DZO in short order and asked a few simple questions about DZ familiarization, gear rental, etc. She seemed too busy for me and I was directed to another jumper for a quick walk around an explanation of the landing pattern. He quickly and annoyingly greeted me and gave me a brief explanation of the landing pattern before heading off to tend to something else. I then proceeded back to the front office to ask for a rig and was told that I would "have to fight it out" with two other gentlemen wanting to use the same rig. I asked if there were more, but all 3 of the DZs rigs were in use. I finally managed to hunt down a rig after 30 minutes of waiting, but was told by a staff member that it was "not airworthy." I brought this to the attention of the DZO who insisted it was. After I saw the DZO and the staff member in question debate the issue heatedly for a minute or two the DZO reassured me yet again that the rig was airworthy. But that was all I wanted or needed to see. I grabbed my belongings and made a bee-line for the car. 3 things:

1. Bad Vibe/no customer service! - the jumpers/instructors at this DZ are some of the most unfriendly and incompetent that I have seen. The staff and office personnel must have a working knowledge of the DZ and be friendly. Skydiving is about camaraderie and good times. These people need to get it together.

2. No organization/Lack of gear! - there should be a gear rental list on a first come, first served basis posted somewhere visible. No one should have to "fight" over equipment. Furthermore, 3 rigs is not enough to meet the demand for gear rentals at this DZ. This is bad for business and is unfair to fun jumpers.

3. Lack of operational awareness! - the DZO and staff must know which equipment is flyable and which is not. The disagreement between the staff members as to the airworthiness of a particular rig that I wanted to use was scary to say the very least! If staff members can't even account for their gear it calls into question the safety of their entire operation; what else do they cut corners on or fail to account for? Skydiving is a dangerous sport - we owe our lives to our equipment and any gear kept at a dropzone must be accounted for and properly maintained.

I found this DZ scary and unfriendly - I recommend you steer clear of this one.




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(Review ID:5143)

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful: Super, amazing, fun! Rated by: jumpingjunkie09 on 2009-05-31 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: Super friendly knowledgeable staff Cons: None, unless you want to count the weather

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

Jumping at Skydive Alabama was an entirely positive experience for me. The staff were all very friendly and fun, and the AFF training I received from Jason was top notch! (although I love everyone else there too!) I am confident I wouldn't have had a better experience anywhere else! The king air is nice because it gets you up to altitude very quickly. The packing area is large and can accommodate several canopies simultaneously. The landing area is larger than it looks at first, with a separate area for swoopers. The vibe at Skydive Alabama is amazing! We were grounded for a while due to bad weather, but had a lot of fun during that time! They have everything you could possibly need for rental and sale. Lots of fun times after sunset too! It sucks that they are in a dry county and you have to travel to buy beer, but other than that I have no complaints whatsoever! I look forward to returning to Skydive Alabama in the future! Easily one of my favorite DZ's!

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(Review ID:5089)

4 of 13 people found the following review helpful: Check them out... these guys are great. Rated by: Baretta on 2009-05-06 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: Friendly, knowledgable, safety conscious Cons: None

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

A couple of weeks ago I went in for my first skydiving experience ever. Needless to say I was a little anxious. That quickly dissipated once I met the staff and the other jumpers there. They make you feel comfortable and feel like you fit right in. I went with 2 other guys. I jumped on the first load of the day, my budz went on the second load. After my jump, the instructors and other jumpers would approach me just to have conversation and hang out.

Since my visit, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I can't wait to get back there and start my AFF training.

Oh... and these guys are a bunch of idiots!!!... I love 'em!!! :)

Definately, check out Skydive Alabama if you ever get the chance!!!

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(Review ID:5070)

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5 Star Rating for this place!!!!! Rated by: jturner35173 on 2009-04-17 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: Great Team and Great Location Cons: Cannot Control the with :)

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

I would like to thank the Staff for a wonderful First Jump. Rusty and Jason did a great job coaching me. I am very interested in getting into the sport because of them. We will be back.

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(Review ID:4902)

0 of 8 people found the following review helpful: great staff, fast planes, not to far from home Rated by: 47plymouth on 2008-11-29 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: The minute you arive you feel like family Cons: none! can't blame them for me living 1 hour away

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

I've had may first 11 jumps and have a wonderful time everytime. Going through my aff level 1-7 and my first solo everyone was extremly helpful showing me the ropes. If one instructor was busy another one would pull you to the side and run the next jump with you. Love the no ADDITUDE feel of the place. you don't get that most places.

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(Review ID:4820)

0 of 9 people found the following review helpful: Best DZ in the area Rated by: silverbullet on 2008-10-09 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: Safety, Friendly Service, Quick Loads, Low Prices Cons: Only jump Fri, Sat, Sun

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

Staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable, the King Air goes up and down very quickly so you're always getting at least 13,000 ft (and more), they are SUPER safety conscious, have lots of room for many people to pack their chutes, great prices, fun evening/night atmosphere after all the jumping has finished. If you're ever in AL and want to jump, THIS is the place to do it.

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(Review ID:4512)

1 of 9 people found the following review helpful: Small airport between Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama Rated by: davjohns on 2008-05-14 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: Professional and proficient staff. Very sociable group. Cons: Location isn't convenient to much, but that means less air traffic.

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

I looked at other DZs before selecting Skydive Alabama. Nobody had anything bad to say about them and there is a reason. They are good people who love the sport and want to help others in the sport. The coaching has always been top notch. There is no doubt they know their stuff and can communicate it well to others. The jumpers there are friendly and helpful as well. I am very happy with my choice of places to train.

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(Review ID:3907)

2 of 11 people found the following review helpful: Friendly, Well Run, Nice Size Rated by: Gawain on 2007-06-02 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: The King Air is fast, and they give great altitude Cons: None, other than they're in a "dry" county - so BYOB

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

Skydive Alabama is a great dropzone! It feels smaller than it is -- they have a fast King Air, a C-182, plenty of facilities, the Airport and surrounding community likes the operation...it's a "smalltown" feeling. Not that Cullman is a metropolis mind you. It's just that it is fairly easy to get comfortable and acquainted with everything but they have some of the same things that "larger" DZs have. The landing areas are large -- plenty of space for high-performance and regular landings.
Boy do they like to fly their King Air...and fly it high they do!! My last trip there, I had to re-check my altimeter because it felt like we'd been flying for a while in freefall...well lifts to 13.5+ aren't out of the norm at all. You'll notice it! ;-)

Now, I don't drink, but when I owe beer, I pay beer. If you expect to owe beer for anything while traveling there, you should consider bringing it from home, several of the counties surrounding this area are dry.

Everything else is just plain neat. At the end of the day of jumping, the vibe is nice, there's no attitude.

Head on down there and enjoy!

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(Review ID:3562)

4 of 12 people found the following review helpful: Great place to start.....or finish Rated by: flyguy1172 on 2006-12-02 (user profile) (user reviews) Review of: Skydive Alabama   Pros: The people, packing area, atmosphere, party Cons: not enough time in the day

Professionalism   Vibe   Aircraft   Facilities   Services   Location

I went to Skydive Alabama to do the AFF course. From the start they were helpful, friendly, upbeat, and just plain good people. Going from nothing to a clas A liscence in about 4 weeks i was there every weekend and i can tell you that this is the norm. Always plenty of coaches around for the new guys like me. The King air and teh 182 are both great aircraft. They jump 'till they cant jump no more....and then the fun begins. I'd heard of other places to jump but figured there was no reason to go anywhere alse. I could not have asked for a better experience. Now im in Korea and there are no DZ's. Thanks to Curly and his team for the welcoming atmosphere and good times. I'm not an experienced jumper but I would definately recomend this DZ to anyone.

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