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Dropzone Database: North America: United States: Illinois : Skydive Chicago : Reviews

has contributed 31 reviews

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Total Reviews: 31

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(Review ID:5153)

2 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

Great Place, needs few improvements

Rated by: waterboy3412 on 2009-06-03 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Skydive Chicago
Pros: Professional Employees, HUGE landing Area, AFP in A Week
Cons: Unorganized AFP program

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Okay I have made all 25 of my jumps at SDC and I love the place to death. They have a huge plot of land so if you don't make it to the holding area there aren't any power lines to hit, you'll just end up in the corn fields (but they'll send someone to get you). Their Tandems are great and they actually teach you to skydive. They give you an altimeter and actually want to you to pull the pilot chute.

I really want to review the AFP Program, so here it goes:

I recently completed AFP In A Week. It is a great program, it costs around 2600 bucks but if you can afford it you'll be better off. The Transistion course (what you take after your 2 tandems) is okay. As soon as I got there I felt as though I had no idea what the instructor was talking about. They would use terminology and not explain it in detail. However you do get hands on experience in the classroom, which is nice. You will need to take a test, but if you get questions wrong, it doesn't really matter because they go over it as a group and explain the answer. All in all the class is good but if they would explain parts of a parachute in more detail it would be easier for a beginner to understand.

I loved making my AFP jumps at SDC, the instructors are great, funny, knowledgeable, you name it. My problem with the jumps was the videos. They give them to you on tapes. I don't know how many of you have VCR's still but I don't. Plus if you want to post them on facebook or YouTube you will have to pay them 10 dollars to copy your videos to DVD. I heard they are switching over to flash drives but I don't know when thats going to happen. Another problem was that you don't jump with the same instructor everyday. So one instructor might have your videos on a flash drive, or there computer, or on your tape. They always seemed like it was never high on their priority list to get you your videos. Even when you did get them, getting them in order is next to impossible. My last problem with the videos was on my graduation jump (the most memorable and fun jump) my video was taken by a "pro" photographer on an HD camera. After I landed I saw the video on the big screen but when I asked for a copy he was unable to give me a working one. The file was corrupted. So I have no footage from my grad jump, but I'm over it. Also After you make your 20 instructor jumps and you are on your own, be prepared to buy your own goggles and altimeter. They stop providing you with those. So there went another 200 bucks. Anyway on to the positive stuff.

The staff is amazing, although new to the sport, the first night we were there we were invited to a BBQ with the staff and other jumpers. It is an amazing atmosphere. The DZO Rook is sweet, we talked for a good amount of time which I thought was cool. Also the jumpers there are always willing to give advice which is awesome. After I got my license the Manifest made an announcement over the loud speaker and everyone applauded, which made me feel good. I also learned a ton! Like i said before, I didn't know the difference between the risers and toggles but I feel like I have a great base of information to build on.

Final Thoughts:

I couldn't think of anywhere better to skydive, the view is better than you think it would be, the staff is great, the super otter is SWEEEEEEEET, and they have competitive prices. If they could organize their AFP a little more it would be perfect. If you have never been to SDC, I recommend it.

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(Review ID:4932)

5 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

Best DZ around!

Rated by: Kenny1134 on 2009-01-07 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Skydive Chicago
Pros: Great people + Great planes + Great Facility + Great location = Perfect DZ
Cons: Closes during the winter

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If you want to learn skydiving SDC is the place to go! The staff is excellent and really knows how to help you progress. The manifest office works like a machine, and friendly jumpers are always organizing loads to keep everyone jumping. The dz has a ginormous landing area, and the grounds crew keeps everything very clean. Definitely jump it up at SDC!

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(Review ID:4921)

4 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

Awesome place,with big fast airplanes what else do you need?

Rated by: 2shay on 2008-12-20 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Skydive Chicago
Pros: fast planes and very knowledgable, and helpful staff
Cons: none

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I was hired by Rook the owner last season, and he did not even know me if I may add (thought that was pretty sweet). I went there without knowing anyone and was welcomed with open arms. I worked groundscrew to start. While there I got my coach and tandem rating, and did over 100 tandems in my first month working as an instructor. Everyone there is very knowledgeable and will help absolutely anyone. The otters and the pilots are world class, doing 15 min turns. They also just got a caravan, that should be nice on slower days. Rook and everyone there try to give the biggest and best playground for all skydivers to come and have a blast. I have been to a few dz's and this is a very smooth operating dz with world class planes, facilities, instructors, etc. So thank you to everyone there: Rook Nelson, David Elliot, Steve Verner, Groundscrew, and everybody I missed sorry but I could go on for a long time (and my hands are tired from typing). I really feel at home here and love the fact that Rook and all of team mandrin, and any other of the most knowledgable people in the game are there to answer any question I or anyone else has. You simply will not find that at many dz's if any. These guys are good to go in my book and I will not forget any of them.

Joel Touchatt D-29482

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(Review ID:4688)

4 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

Amazing DZ, Beautiful grounds... definitly sets the standards for other DZ's

Rated by: mamajumps on 2008-08-05 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Skydive Chicago
Pros: Everything about this DZ is a pro
Cons: At big boogies, the showers ran out of hot water fast

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Skydive Chicago is the premier DZ. Definitely sets a standard that other DZ's should follow. The staff take professionalism and friendliness to an all new level. Everything is top of the line to facilities, planes, equipment, and housing at the DZ. Beautiful DZ, great vibe. Definitely a DZ to visit if you haven't yet. Tons of places to land, very well marked LZ. 2 Thumbs up!!!!!!

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(Review ID:4680)

11 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

Interesting changes to "Chicago's best DZ"

Rated by: sunsetrose on 2008-08-02 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Skydive Chicago
Pros: great facilities
Cons: weather, cliques

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I should have wrote this review after my first visit there 2 years ago. I found it interesting how different I felt this time around. SDC has some of the greatest facilities that I've seen at a DZ-Tiki Hut, Sky Lounge, swimming pond, canoeing, camping, horseback riding. They even have Genie's cafe on site which is great if you're hungry, but the prices are really expensive!
Despite these wonderful facilities, I found the the vibe amoung people was different.For starters, I stayed in a tent in the camping ground. There were many loud parties on the weekends-loud techno music pumping that lasted until 3 am! If you're into the party scene, then this is great for you, but for someone like me who's not into the college party scene it was downright annoying. I wanted to be able to jump in the am and not feel tired. With the parties, it was nearly impossible and I too found myself going to a hotel. I also noticed how much drug use was going on. At the tiki, you could see people were high on some sort of drug (that definetly didn't look like a pot high). Although I expect to see drug use at a DZ I found this to be out of control and unprofessional. Especially when I saw the DZO and instructor involved in these activities. Would you feel safe jumping tandem with an instructor who you knew was out partyiing and doing drugs the night before??? To add although some people are very friendly and willing to take you in and jump with you, others do not. There are obvious "sky gods" and cliques. It's apparent that if you are not part of this clique, you are no one important to them. Again, I expect to find cliques at DZ's, but this one was very noticeable.
All in all, it is a nice place to jump and visit, just make sure you fit into the scene before heading there.

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(Review ID:4490)

15 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

Skydive Chicago - Home away from home

Rated by: MudMan on 2008-05-04 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Skydive Chicago
Pros: Super Otter! Best staff around, Excellent restaurant, Huge Facility, Super Otter!
Cons: Campground gets noisy on weekends

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I was lured to SDC by the great and mighty Super Otter. Many years ago I had done a good number of static line jumps in my home state, but had decided that if I was to jump again, I wanted to get it done with in one fell swoop(no pun intended). Around the time that I was doing my S/L, I visited SDC with my friend while he did a tandem, and was convinced that the Otter was the coolest thing since sliced bread. It blows the C-182 out of the sky!
Skydive Chicago's AFP is a great instrument to teach people how to skydive. I highly recommend it, especially if you're able to do the A-in-a-week program. It is really great to be able to do the jumps in close succession. Weather had it's way with us, so it took a little longer than expected, but the staff was always prepared to get us airborne when it was safe to do so, and made good use of our ground time. Every jump was videotaped which really helped them to teach, and me to learn. I also have some cool footage of me going from sucky to good. The difference is impressive!
I felt lucky to be able to be taught by so many excellent teachers, they all have a unique style and are able to point out what you need to correct without being derisive. I think they know that students will beat themselves up enough, and that positive reinforcement is an important element in making the learning process less stressful, and ultimately more effective. Every coach I jumped with and met was way cool!
Manifest is as smooth as silk and as cool as a cucumber.
The staff has a very familial vibe to it, you can tell that they all really love to be there. Everyone I met made me feel welcome, as if it was MY home too, and that makes me love being there!
The facilities are ridiculous. In a good way. There is a huge hanger, with plenty of padded area for packing and many TV's for watching your vid's. Genies Cafe inside serves up some excellent food. I am vegetarian and traveling is hard on my tummy, but there were several really good options for me. Jumping really works up the appetite! There is a goovy lounge upstairs with some really nice leather furniture. A great place to have a drink and relax after a long day of jumping. Para-concepts can answer all of your rigging questions. They were more than willing answer all my silly newbie equipment questions, and to explain the differences in the many options available. They do seem to be understocked on some things, but overall a great place to look for what you need. If they don't have it, they can point you in the right direction. There are two, count'em TWO!, Otters, for your jumping pleasure. The token C-182 looks so cute next to them.
The landing area is HUGE! They seperate the technical swoopers and such from the newbies, for safeties sake, leaving the vast majority of a huge airfield for student and beginner jumpers. Land Safe Not Close! There are some really good landmarks for planning your descent, including a decorative DC-3. SAFETY is SDC's primary concern, and the landing area shows this well. Everyone I jumped with was respectful of the established landing pattern and of other jumpers. Communication before boarding was always top-notch, everyone wanted to know what others were doing and to let them know what they were doing.
The campground is nice, it overlooks the scenic Fox River, and has many fire rings, and tons of space to set up your tent. The pavilion is nearby where you can find showers and toilets that are kept cleaner than you keep yours! The nearby pond is suitable for swimming, fishing, and has some nice decks for chilling. On the weekends, bands can be found rocking out the pavilion, and the general atmosphere turns into 'party down'. If you can stand absurdly loud techno beats starting at 9:30pm and ending at 2:30am, then go for it, I had to get a hotel room. They actually lost a star from me for this, as I am not in college anymore and like to go to sleep and get up early, but if you like to 'party all night, jump all day', please add two or three stars to my rating! The band was awesome. The techno not so much.
Ottawa Illinios is only a few minutes drive down the road, where you can find pretty much anything you need. There are a couple grocery stores and many restaurants, from the basic fast food to authentic mexican. There are several hotels in Ottawa, but they are all very expensive. The cheapest bet is 15 minutes down the road in Peru.
Overall, Skydive Chicago is a top notch operation. I recommend it to anyone, whether you are looking for a way cool tandem experience, looking to get your A license, or have thousands of jumps. If you're looking to learn, SDC is the place!

P.S.: I live 5 hours away, and I call this DZ home.

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(Review ID:4392)

6 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

Be a skydiver not a weekend warrior

Rated by: skychild24 on 2008-03-10 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Skydive Chicago
Pros: best facilities in skydiving
Cons: Can't think of any

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Without question the best drop zone in the state, maybe the whole country. I have been to others in the area that claim to be but they don't have a clue. If you want to make real skydives that move you to the next level SDC is the place to jump. Big and small R-W and certainly the the best FreeFlyin' going on in Illinios. Lets face it, skydiving costs a lot of money, make it worth while and learn to do it right at SDC, and then get to enjoy the best facilities and people in skydiving during your stay.

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(Review ID:4266)

2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

Wolds Finest Dropzone

Rated by: diverds on 2007-12-13 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: Skydive Chicago
Pros: Best facilities, whuffo friendly, super vibe
Cons: Midwest weather forces winter closure

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Skydive Chicago's facilities are the best in the world bar none. I have traveled to almost all the big dropzones in the United States and SDC is truly in a class of it's own.

Driving onto the property feels more like entering a state park than an airport. Activities like swimming, canoing, kayaking, hiking, biking, sand volleyball, and horseback riding will keep the non-skydiving members of your family as entertained as the jumpers.

The laid back friendly vibe on the dropzone is fantastic. My first experience at SDC in 1998 was very welcoming. My wife and I didn't know anyone there, but as soon as we walked in the door we were given the grand tour by the owner and 20 minutes later were on organized multi-point 20-ways that built and invited to dinner that night. Skydive Chicago somehow manages to pull off a small family dropzone feel in a big shiny package. The Nelson family has built a true skydiving paradise.

Go to the rest, then come to the best. Skydive Chicago rocks!

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