RAFSPA - Weston on the Green

After moving to the South of England, i tried jumping at Weston and have done pretty much ever since. The crowd there are all pretty welcoming and up for a laugh. The FS coaching there is second to none, and are really approachable.They also have a skyvan as an occassional second aircraft.

The downsides are that there can sometimes be a bit of a shortage with kit hire, so you have to get yourself there early to guarantee kit. The one G92 can sometimes struggle with the volume of jumpers.

Went to Weston 28th July- amazed. Great customer service from Stece Scott CCI, and a real good safety briefing - this DZ is very heads up no safety which si great.

17 loads in 6 hours - never seen that before, can do easily 7 or mroe jumps a day here. Manifest is really efficient, the crowds and the vibe regardless of age is awesome. The facilities are huge ,although apparently the packing area can get quite congested when a billion members turn up.

The G92 is f*ing quick, and real comfy aswell.

10/10 - great DZ - great staff great people huge landing area etc etc.

Real worth a visit!

Cheers.

I started my RAPS training there two years ago and found the instructers friendly and encouraging. Due to the good old weather I ended up doing AFF in spain. Since then I have spread my jump weekends either at Langar or Weston.

I drive for two hours to get to Weston but I have personaly found that every mile is worth it. The faciities have vastly improved over the last two years with the new bar / cafe. OK it doesnt have a bunkhouse but whats wrong with pitching a tent???

I have read reviews saying that this is a tandem factory. All I can say is thats a load of crap. I have never been bumped off a lift and dont know anyone that has, in favour of a tandem or student.

The only thing that does let this DZ down is the fact that it realy does need another aircraft to cope with busy weekends. But dont let this put you off this DZ ROCKS!!!!

The last two times I have been to Weston it has been overloaded with tandems. I only managed 2 lifts despite arriving before Midday on the first occasion. On the second occasion I was faced with a 10 lift wait. It is otherwise a perfectly good DZ.

Weston has proved to be an amazing inspiration. My wife did her first Tandem there... it was amazing for her, they are so welcoming and friendly. We stayed on after and were invited to the bar in the evening, how great is that...
This all led to me being involved in the sport and running a website for RAFSPA cameraman Malc Knox. Located at www.malcknox.co.uk the site has loads of pics from Weston that may be of interest.

All in all . . . Weston delivers, no doubt... fab!

Markie

i think this DZ has got the most practical location in the UK
easist to get to and from london

you can do more or less as many lift as you can expect to in the UK(5-7 is my upper limit there)

the altitude isnt great
wherever i go abroad the jumpers from weston are always friendly and energetic

it would just take i bit more freefly LO etc.. to make it an awesome DZ and maybe some accomodation and better altitude

nice cheap bar

Unfortunately I wasn't too impressed with this DZ. For me, the enjoyment of skydiving is not just about jumping, its just as much about the vibe and how welcoming the place feels. Having visited around 5 DZs in the UK now, I found Weston to be the most unfriendly welcome by far. I arrived and was greated by someone who seemed 'put out' by the fact that I'd like to jump there. I was then directed to find someone who was tall, stocky and with short hair to check in with which on a RAF based setup didn't really narrow down who I was looking for. Cutting a short story even shorter, we had a cup of tea and left 15 minutes later for Hinton where we had a fantastic day. The best thing about this drop zone was that my Nephew (2yrs old) enjoyed watching the gliders and we had a good cup of tea. We'll be going to Hinton from now on should we be in the area.

If it wasn't for the RAF running the whole show and being very strict about operating hours and procedures, there wouldn't be a DZ in the country that could match Weston. If you want expert coaching in every discipline, great planes, great facilities, great atmosphere and plenty of space to pitch up, Weston's for you.
If you want to jump during the week, it's not.

I've been jumping at Weston since I did a RAPS course in March 1997.
There have been a few changes over the year but things are great in 2005!
The bar is open Friday to Sunday with the cheapest drinks I've ever seen,
Jumps are now £18 to 12k, occasionally going that bit higher,
the G92 in a fantastic aircraft, it is in one of the flattest parts of the country so the weather is usually pretty good, and its located minutes from junc 9 of the M40.
Andy Ford is the rigger,
We also several BPA members, we have Paul 'Apples' Applegate who's the Chairman of the riggers, Andy Scott who's the FS rep, and me, I'm the Artistics Rep,
Also we have team members from medal winning teams offering coaching in Freefly, Formation, Skysurf, wingsuit etc.

Come along and try us out!
The compulsory AAD rule is untrue and you do not have to be military to jump there

RAFSPA Weston on the Green (Weston) is an awesome DZ. I've been jumping there for just over a year now and I recommend it to anyone who can get there. Its normally easy to get on a load as they run two turbines simultaneously. The landing area is HUGE as is the indoor packing hangar. There is a bar and a kit store, as well as all the usual creeper areas etc. They allow camping. The only downside is that is is a military base so some rules are slightly stricter and mid week jumping is sometimes difficult but you can phone ahead to check.

Highly recommended. *****