Skydive Arizona

First off Adventures In Skydiving is an amazing place to learn. From your first tandem freefall to graduating your AFF course. I don't think anywhere could have made me feel more welcome and safe. Everyone is extremely helpful and always willing to help you with what ever question or concern you may have. Also being such a large DZ there is always other students training at the same time as you. Which gave me such a sense of camaraderie among fellow students. When in such a big place it's important that you don't feel like your the only one learning to fly. I also have met some great friends at the school and are still learning and jumping with them after graduation. And amazingly people travel from all over the world to come here, which includes the best pros who also call this great place home. It seems like everyone wants to offer their bit of knowledge which is always helpful, you never stop learning . What also is really important is that you never find yourself the only jumper among a bunch of tandems. Meaning there is always more jumps and more fun with friends new and old at SDAZ.

I started skydiving there in October 2014, it is an amazing place and facilities, Professional Instructors, and amazing well maintained Air-crafts, Special Thx to all my Instructors and amazing Friends that i made there. Awesome place to get Drunk as well Fuckin Eloy !!!

This is no doubt a great drop zone for EXPERIENCED skydivers. Great aircraft and great facilities. Scenery is just plain ugly however.

If you are an individual looking to get in to skydiving, this is not the place. I did 3 AFF jumps before moving on to another school. My instructors could not have been more disinterested in my development. It was clearly a job they were completely burnt out on. After each jump the instructor needed to immediately get on to the next tandem jump as this is a tandem factory. No time to spend debriefing students. Also, they mysteriously will not let you have access to your logbook. I found out later this is because they don't actually fill it out until later when they get time. If you ever request access to it be prepared for a huge run around.

Come here to jump after you have your A license. Go somewhere else if you want personalized instruction from instructors who actually still enjoy the sport.

I received my A-license from SDAZ and I never had to repeat a level. The reason I say this is because someone else said that your jumps have to be perfect and I don’t believe that to be true. I saw a few people having to repeat jumps, but they would just freak out or freeze up after leaving the plane. The instructors are some of the best…when you can get their attention. I did my A in 2 weeks and during the week it wasn’t so bad, but around the weekends, the tandems (SDAZ is a tandem factory) took priority. Debriefs were a joke when competing for attention with the tandems. The ladies at the counter (professional and friendly) said that I would get a video debrief of every jump, I just wouldn’t get the video as I hadn’t paid for it. Fair enough. Out of 25 jumps, I got a video debrief maybe 40% of those jumps. Also, when comparing the prices to Skydive the Farm and other well-known but smaller dropzones, SDAZ is expensive. For the price I paid for my A (with no repeat jumps), I could have bought a plane ticket to Georgia or Florida, got my A, and still had $500-$1000 left over. I guess I am just a bit lazy. My advice, go somewhere else for your A. I received my B at SDAZ as well and that went off without a hitch.

The facilities of SDAZ have all you need to make your jumping dreams come true and provide you with the basic necessities of life. Just bring clothes and toilet stuff and you’re set if you want to do nothing other than skydive. The packing area is pretty good. The rigging loft, I cannot really comment on as I only ever had a closing loop changed there. The food at the Bent Prop is decent and will do you just fine for a week or two, beyond that and it can get old. The bar is decent when you are not competing for the bartender’s attention when the local skygods come in. The bunkhouse is as bad as a Motel 6 near the red light district. If you get hammered at the bar, it will do; beyond that, kick up the cash and stay somewhere where the beds don’t reek of sweat. The gear shop is pretty sweet. The staff there when I jumped were cool. Some people that have worked there though forget who the customer is. The tunnel is awesome, but make sure you have a reservation. Time slots can fill up quick and if the military is there training, they can take up huge blocks of time. The good news is, they are open before the sun rises and open well after it sets. The instructors are excellent at tunnel flying and very good when instructing. There are numerous instructors around the DZ. Nick and Brianne are the best in my opinion. They are competent, professional, and flexible on scheduling. SDAZ has decent load organizers and more of them if you are a freeflier; bellyfliers can get neglected at times.

Ahh, onto my major grievance about SDAZ…if you are a badass flier, you’re good; if you’re not, you better start shelling out a lot of money or a lot of ass (for females) for training or you will find yourself on the fringe very quickly. I jumped at SDAZ for 2 years and never felt as welcome as I did over 1 week at Lake Elsinore. Freefliers, and very good ones at that, run rampant and if you are one, you will be at home. If you are starting out or just into bellyflying or fun jumping in general, SDAZ can be a bore. That’s not to say there are none of the latter, but your options are limited. I know some will say that SDAZ is a training DZ and Elsinore is a beginner’s DZ, but that doesn’t make it any less of what it is when it comes to the vibe. I understand that a guy or gal with 1000s of jumps may not be that intrigued by a 4-way with people that only have a few hundred jumps, but it is what it is. Also, wingsuiting and canopy work are underrepresented and that can be a drag when you want to try something new. Some of the ground crew can really restrict you to just falling in a column from altitude; take it or leave it. They claims it’s due to all of the air traffic, but it is just inflexible when you want to do something other than turn points.

Overall, it is a good DZ; just in small doses. You have to decide why you want to go and how long you can tolerate being all about SDAZ’s business. Also, the cliques don’t stop at jumping, it carries over into afterhours shenanigans as well. If you’re not in on the jumps, you’re also not likely to be in on the party either.

I' have spent 2 weeks there, I' had the opportunity of work with really great coaches,(if properly pre-planned) both in tunnel and sky,(freefly)and the weather during the falls are excellent, with the biggest aircraft fleet in world, it makes the biggest dz in world.
Excellent service from Desertsky Rigging, the packers, and the local store.
The manifets staff is very friendly as well.
To mention also the quality of food, considering is a dz restaurant, at bent-prop, a good bar and free wifi.
All positive? Like everything in life, nothing is perfect, in first place the dz is located in middle of desert, and nowhere to go, unless you want to drive for one hour to Phoenix or Tucson, if you are going by plane, a rent-a-car is a must, and I' have been quite disappointed by load organizing during a regular weeked, on contrary, during the Thanksgiving Boogie was really good and I' had good time.

FACILITIES: Eloy is big and they have everything, a very well stocked gear store, nice packing area, office. The landing area is well groomed grass. The Saloon/ resturant is tasty and clean, and the tunnel on sight is amazing.

Aircraft: Otter in nice shape.

STAFF: Nice and friendly, willing to help.

CROWD: Cant say to well only a few people there when I was but they were cool.Seem to show up early and jump then leave.

OVERALL: Deffinatly a cool DZ, worth checking out maybe hopping in the tunnel and seeing the sights.

I went with some friends this past weekend to celebrate their birthdays. I did not know anything about skydiving beyond jumping and falling. Oh yeah, and I was scared to do it! :O

When we arrived we saw a couple dozen people coming in for landing. It looks amazing and it got our adrenaline running. A person would land about every 30 seconds to a minute. There would be a break for about 20 minutes and it would happen again....all day long! Despite the place being quite busy, everything felt like it moved pretty smooth.

We checked in and waited about 20 minutes, then watched the video, and signed the papers (about 20 minutes). We weighed in and paid our fees. About 20 minutes later our instructors came out to greet us. They were very professional and polite (always smiling). They answered any questions you had and offered info on things you may not have thought to ask. My friends and I felt pretty confident with these people.

We geared up and I was even fitted with an altimeter, which I really appreciated having! My instructor recognized my feelings about being strapped to another guy...lets say...was not on my bucket list of things to do. He was very cool and did not make me feel uncomfortable at all. As a matter of fact, his professionalism completely put me at ease and I forgot about it entirely.

We made our ascent aboard a DC-3 (I believe) to 14,000 ft. The plane was quite fast and it felt like it was standing on it tail getting us up there. During the flight my instructor went over my responsibilities a second time and instructed me on the procedures on getting ready to exit the plane. It made things smooth and I did not feel apprehensive or clumsy about anything going on.
When we exited the plane I did exactly as he instructed. During the free fall I checked my altimeter every couple 1000 ft. or so. He even gave me the thumbs up for doing things right....which made me feel more at ease...and I even started to enjoy the trip. He didn't do anything stupid during the dive or while parachuting to freak me out. I could tell he knew I was scared. My friends all thought I was the coolest one of the bunch(BUT I DON'T LIKE HEIGHTS OR AIRPLANES), and I could tell he did everything by the book procedurally. (as it was very fluid and smooth)

My landing was a textbook "butt slide" on the lawn. I was actually "shocked" at how smooth it was. No jolt or bumps....just a 10 foot slide on some grass.

I could not believe how safe the whole experience had been. I was still scared....but not by the plane or the personel. It was because of them I was able to get through it and ENJOY the whole experience. As a matter of fact....I got the bug from it all and I'm going again in 3 weeks with half a dozen other people. (thx alot you skydiving junkies!) :P

As a side note....the video/camera crews did an excellent job. The vids and pictures came out beautiful and the people where very charismatic and energetic.

The facility was very clean and the place seemed very organized. There is a swimming pool, school/training facility, wind tunnel for fun or more training, resturaunt/bar, equipment store, lodging, showers, etc. It is located about 25 minutes from Casa Grande and about an hour from Downtown Phoenix.

I understand that I am a newbie, and some people who might read this are experienced or professional divers. I wrote this review for people who are thinking about making a jump. I don't personally know anyone who works for Skydive Arizona and I don't even live in the same county. I'm sure there are some other good places to go out there....but this happened to be my first. It basically turned out to be everything I and my friends (also 1st time jumpers) had ever hoped it would be. I hope other first timers might read this and find my experience helpful.

I just got back from a week at Skydive Arizona. I was apprehensive at the idea of heading there because I'm such a new and low jump idiot who has only been to a few smaller dropzones and they are such a huge dropzone with so much going on.

It took about fifteen minutes with manifest to get everything figured out, and once you get on board with the exit separation and landing pattern system they have things couldn't be easier. Two full Otters running and I don't think I was ever in the air with more than three other canopies at my altitude and never had a problem with crowding in the pattern. Two huge landing areas and more outs than anyone should need are right below you.

Even more important to me was the total lack of skygod type mentality there. People of all experience levels were happy to jump with and help out anyone who was willing to participate. I jumped loads with 10000 jump freeflyers and 30 jump A licensees and the really experienced folks did what they needed to do to make it all work. The instructors at Axis helped me out tremendously with exits (these were my first Otter jumps) and helped me find folks to jump with. I can't say enough nice things about Nik and Brianne, they are very talented and equally humble which is a rare and pleasant combination.

I got to make a couple balloon jumps while I was there also. If you are there between November and May I highly recommend jumping in with Burner. The ride up is qucker than I thought it would be. I ended up making several jumps, it's better than eating breakfast if you're up at that hour.

The bunkhouse is, well, a bunkhouse. They have air conditioning which keeps the place about ten degrees cooler than outside but it's a lot like camping. If you do use the bunkhouse bring your own key for the lockers as they have none at manifest. Someone is always at the dropzone with a car and happy to run to Casa Grande for supplies.

I also met some of the coolest people I have ever had the pleasure of jumping with in that week.

If you're a newer jumper looking to get a lot of jumps in but nervous about the size of the dropzone, take the plunge. It's really not scary as long as you follow the recommendations and keep your head on a swivel.

The only gripes I have from the trip is that it's sometimes difficult to locate the organizer. They put a picture up next to manifest of the organizer(s) for the day in a t-shirt but rarely can you recognize them in a full jumpsuit and helmet. Often you are left using hand signals next to the Otter to indicate the number of people you are jumping with and whether you are a belly or free flyer. The first few jumps get you thinking, but after a bit it's almost automatic lining up to get on.

Bigways hog the Skyvans, so if that's on your list you might be disappointed.

This review is based solely on the AFF/coach school.

DO NOT transfer as an AFF student!! You may as well just start from the beginning and save yourself the $$. They seemed to have unatainable expectations. It seemed as though you needed to have a perfect jump every time or they would start you right back from the beginning again. Although they passed me on my AFF levels and I had 14 coach jumps with them (which cost the same as AFF jumps btw) plus several tunnel sessions (they required at least one) they still wouldn't allow me to do my solos or hop & pops. Did I need some work? Yes, was I so bad that I needed many more expensive coach dives? No. $2900 later and no A license plus frustration at the lack of consistency in teaching, as well as barely any canopy training, I decided to finish my A license elsewhere.

As for the facilities, the place is fantastic! Great gear store, good eats, plenty of room, lots of loads going up and plenty of opportunity for other camps/training (I did training with Axis which was awesome!). The weather was perfect nearly the entire time I was there, couldn't really ask for more.

Now that I am licensed I will definitely return to SDAZ for jumping but do feel the need to warn students not to transfer in.

Came here in 2010 so I don't know how accurate this still is. I went in the fall and there were plenty of Europeans getting in on the warm weather and a few teams from Asia training. As fast as you can pack you can jump. While I was there it was a bit free fly heavy, but there is something for everyone.

There was some load organizing as well and I did 3-ways up to 10 ways belly flying no pressure fun jumps. The load organizing was phenomenal with the jumps organized for all skill levels to challenge everyone on the jump yet making sure no one was under pressure and everyone was having fun.

The only downside is there are two perpendicular landing areas where potentially two patterns could converge at the "corner of death". The wind arrow and tetrahedron are a bit difficult to see and by the time you can see them, the final landing direction is set. They should set up a wind arrow where everyone lands "this way ----->" and instead of two perpendicular landing areas (they also have a military landing area close by) they could have one very large area. However, they do have wide open desert that you are welcome to land in.

As most DZs, this one is out in the middle of nowhere, but Casa Grande, AZ is close enough with enough chain restaraunts and decent hotels to take care of non-picky skydivers to stay for weeks.

Skydive Arizona is awesome, great DZ. Multiple planes, and balloon jumps available. Wind Tunnel on site with great coaches. Friendly DZ but so big you can get lost in the wash. Sometimes hard to get into the mix of fun jumpers because there are so many teams but nevertheless people are friendly.

Many times I have gotten extra altitude best DZ ever.

I love Eloy and SDA skydive Arizona.

I recently spent a weekend at skydive AZ and had a blast. The office folks there are very friendly and got me set up right away.

I rent my gear, and the ladies of square 2 were helpful and professional.

I was able to find a number of people to jump with, some with much more experience than I, and they were all cool and friendly, giving me some helpful tips as well.

Tons of aircraft, so when one had mechanical issues they just cranked up the next one.
The bunkhouse is adequate and very reasonable, I just wish they had an attached bathroom as it gets a bit chilly at night!

The packers are cool and quick, and got me on the next load a number of times.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and will be back as soon as possible.

Going to AZ to escape the freezing winters of Philadelphia was a great idea!!! I was there for 9 days in Jan 2011 to complete my AFF program and eventually it paid off...The instructors would get assigned to you depending on their availability, since this place is a tandem factory..literally!!! But once your start knowing the instructors and what they want out of you there's no looking back...The wind tunnel on the dropzone itself is a big boon for novice jumpers as you can correct yourself a lot quicker without having to go mile high...They had a friendly staff too...Watching the experts do freefly stuff was mind blowing...The bunkhouses were good, clean and tidy. I didn't mind spending 9 days there. The restaurant and bar on the DZ is decent. Jumping off the skyvan was a thrilling experience and I would definitely wanna go again...Making friends here is not that difficult and you meet people from all over the world who share the same passion :)

I am definitely going back to this place again in April 2011!!!

I went to Eloy for Spring Break of 2010 and was expecting a giant drop zone with a lot of planes where I would get little attention. Well I was wrong we were welcomed better than at our home DZ and got a lot of help from the locals. People to jump with were abundant and we made a lot of friends. You dont have to wait long for a load. Skydive Arizona was just awesome. We are planning to go every year from now on, just a great DZ with great people and great weather!

Came to Eloy in the dead of winter time to find blue skies, warm temps, and laid-back skilful skydivers.

I was expecting more than 2 super otters, but it was still more aircraft than most places will see all year.

Packing areas are huge, landing areas are well-kept grass fields, manifest chicks are very friendly, and theres even a couple of TV screens that show when the next load is scheduled to leave (which I didn't realize until the last day I was there).

Overall, if you want to jump when the weathers bad by you, go to skydive AZ and you will not be let down.

I came to Skydive Arizona from colder lands up north to finish my coaching jumps for my A-license. The staff and the locals, although I wasn't from around there, were very friendly and were willing to help me improve my skills, even after I got licensed. Also, with a wind tunnel being only seconds from the DZ, it makes for an awesome learning experience regardless of skill level. The overall atmosphere was everything you'd want out of a drop zone and more. Scenery was absolutely beautiful, and although there was one cloudy day, jumping was not put on hold because the only clouds that were in the sky were over our jumping altitude. There is just something for everyone, regardless of experience or orientation.

I visited AZ not too long ago and made a special trip to go to Eloy. I had heard so much about it, I just had to go. I even brought a friend of mine to do a tandem, which got me a coupon for discount jump (awesome!!). The facilities were great and the plane was nice, especially coming from a Cessna (and sometimes Pak) DZ. The staff at registration was incredibly nice, other skydivers and the organizer, not so much! I may as well have been wearing an alien mask, that is how everyone looked at me. I made a solo jump, made a jump with a tyrranical and not very good organizer, and then decided to go back to jumping solos! The view can't be beat... it is amazing. Mountains and desert and just beautiful blue sky. I loved it. The gift shop was well stocked and had great stuff! The restaurant was also nice and served huge portions. I would love to go back, but maybe next time I will bring someone to jump with me so that I don't have to go alone.

I just took my first tandem jump on 11/06/09. However, I’m not from Arizona. After three years of trying, and failing, to get a group of newbie’s together I finally ran into a friend who is an experienced fun jumper. He raved about Skydive Arizona and their facilities and I can see why.
Not only can you do anything and everything at the DZ, every person is lovely as well. I had a great jump, and the video and pictures are hilarious. More due to the fact that I’m a goofball – the quality is still great.
Over and over again as I look for a home DZ I see debates about staff, and friendliness, and he said – she said. Complaints about long lines – anything and everything that stops me from being fully confident in getting my ‘A’ certification complete.
THAT IS NOT THE CASE HERE!!
I love it so much it is nearly worth the time, vacation, and extreme expense to fly to Arizona and stay at the DZ for 2 weeks to get fully certified.
If you read this – know wither you are an experienced jumper – or going for your first time you should choose Skydive Arizona. It’s worth it all the way around.
(As an aside – I repeat I don’t even live here so my happily raving about my experience is about as unbiased as you can get.) :-)

Visited Eloy last month, gave it 2 days but left due to the general vibe of the place.

Manifest girls and the gear store staff were great but I didn't care for the school policies, lack of organising (no set exit order, landing patterns etc) and general feel of the place. Advertised planes weren't flying either so one of the main reasons we went was a non starter from the beginning.

Packers were fine but the rest of the teams and other 'fun' jumpers didn't seem to be interested in much fun at all. Got our lift tickets refunded after 2 days and went to Buckeye instead.

This is clearly an excellent DZ so there's not a lot to add. The packers are quick, the rental gear was good, the weather is (usually) perfect, the food and bar are superb for a DZ. The coaches were helpful and keen to teach - I didn't feel like I was annoying them when I was asking for advice/tuition.

There was no visible manifest other than a whiteboard, but they had plenty of take-offs so you'd never wait long.

They have a tunnel nearby too. Overall - a good vibe and first class DZ.

I think I was unfortunate in that when I was there - Eloy had the 2 days of rain it gets per year! So didn't get as many jumps in as I would have liked in 3 days. However - this is the exception rather than the norm.

Also - good onsite accomodation in team rooms or bunks.

I took two tandem jumps at a local DZ and decided I wanted to go ahead with AFF. The local DZ essentially closes for the winter, so I went with my wife to Skydive Arizona in January to begin AFF. I had planned 5 days of jumping, but the weather only permitted two. However, I did have enough time to experience jumping with three different instructors as well as take the first jump course and 10 minutes of tunnel time.

Even though I'm older (61)and had little, if anything, in common with the staff, they treated me as if I was one of them. They were patient, friendly, informative, and above all, seemed to place safety first ( which is my priority ). My wife was so impressed, she took a tandem jump. I highly recommend Skydive Arizona.

I made my first tandem jump at SDAZ in November 2007 and enjoyed the experience so much that I immediately made reservations for my second. Having always wanting to try this sport, I was excited to learn that one of the best dropzones in the world is right in my backyard. I live in Tucson, so the 45 minute drive means that I can go as often as I can afford. To date, I have made four tandem jumps and plan on getting my license this year. For my first jump, I took the trip to Eloy alone, but once I was there, I felt anything but. The staff was the first to make me feel welcome. The woman working in manifest was eager to add another woman to the list, and everyone I spoke with was excited to share my first jump experience. With so many strangers cheering me on, I felt like part of the family. The experienced jumpers were very friendly and quick to offer advice or a good ole high five. For my first jump I was put with an instructor named Justin. It didn't take long for me to feel comfortable putting my life in his hands. He was able to answer any question I had and knowing that he has been jumping for more than 13 years put me at ease. I have been able to request him for every jump I have made and he will also be the instructor I get my license with. This is extremely helpful, since he is getting to know me and my experience, he is able to teach me something new every time, and I feel that we work well together. I was also happy to learn that, although I am not in the program yet, the jumps I have made will count towards my license. I have been very fortunate to experience SDAZ. Knowing that people travel from all over the world to jump here, I feel spoiled.
For anyone making their first jump or their hundredth, this is the place to be. The weather can be a little hot in the summer, but the endless views and wide open space more than makes up for it. Overall, I give SDAZ two thumbs up!

Huge DZ with lots of amenities, great team bunkhouses, and lifts up leaving just about every hour. The main landing area is a bit scary with all the swoopers, but the student area is much calmer, just as well maintained, and not so heavy on the rules. A member of our team had a bad experience with a DZ Napolean who gave him a real hassle, and we ran into more than a few Sky Gods. One of our team got ripped off - someone stole money and stuff from his wallet. Not Cool!! The wind tunnel was AMAZING and took my jumping to a whole new level. Bartender in the DZ bar is a total WITCH. Oh, and SKYVAN. SKYVAN WAS AWESOME!!!

I wish I could live there. I started jumping there. What to say. The people, the jumpers, the experience...

Just awesome.

After reading all the "Cons" from folks who visit my home DZ; here are some tips I hope will make your stay even more enjoyable with us.

If your from out of town, don't be shy; speak up! Make your needs known and we'll help!

"Middle of nowhere, nothing around, inadequate ammenities, stranded with no car, food sucks, drink machines are expensive"

* Take a look inside the brand new Skyrider Inn on the DZ! Humble on the outside, VERY NICE on the inside. My extended family from Phoenix had our family reunion there. With three single beds per room ( split the bill with your buddies) , TV's, nice bathrooms, and a full kitchen with utensils; its perfect!

* If you fly in to Phoenix or Tucson; rent a car! Everything you might need or forgot is 2 exits up in Casa Grande and now a HUGE mall is being built one exit up from the DZ. This way if you camp or stay at the bunkhouse you are not "stranded." Plan ahead! Get a cooler to throw in some drinks, sandwiches, and snacks in to keep you jumping. The Bent Prop is for partying and not fine dining; however I highly recommend the "Bent Burger"

* If you get drunk; don't ever drive, don't even entertain the thought! - STAY ON THE DZ! The small town Eloy police will be waiting outside the DZ for you like vultures on Tumbleweed Road!

" No internet access or it costs too much, other DZ's have it for free"

* The wireless signal at the Red Roof Inn on the Toltec Rd exit off the I-10 is loose. Cruise into the parking lot with your laptop to tap in for emails.

"Heated air, varying wind or no wind,off landings, scary/crazy canopy traffic, landing patterns, off DZ landings."

* During the summer we start early and finish mostly by noon; for good reasons! The heat coming off the desert floor makes the air thin, unstable,and the dust devils come out....this affects ALL desert aviators! This is our "off season" for good reason! Fall, winter, and spring air is more cold, dense, and thus landings predictable and consistent.

* To the up jumper from a small DZ the canopy traffic from just one Otter or Skyvan with proper group exit order will seem heavy in relation to a Cessna load. Don't be afraid just be aware! Hang in HALF BRAKES letting everbody else land before you, watch the pattern develop, and enter the pattern. Always fly your canopy with your head on a swivel, look before you turn, and keep aware of other canopies around you.

* SDAZ put an end to the 360, 540, 720 diving spirals into the main landing area. No turns over 180 into the main area and nothing more than 90 into the alternate student area. High performance canopy pilots now do hop & pops on a seperate 4500 ft pass.

* If you are going to land "off" those farm fields have deep trenches from the harvesting machinery but the earth is usually soft; prepare to PLF!

* In addition to the office inbrief check in with the local S&TA Bryan Burke for your landing area concerns and questions; he'll steer you in the right direction and keep you safe.

" Military Loads "

* For the most part military jumpers are doing special training for a short period of time. They usually manifest their own plane, open away from the DZ, fly big chutes, and land to pack in the student area.

" Nobody to jump with, skygods, big intimidating operation"

* I started on a small east coast DZ and returned to SDAZ after a 13 year lay off; I'll admit when I arrived at Eloy I was intimidated by the operaton at first but in time it now feels like my first South Carolina DZ back east. If you are moving here it just takes a little time for everyone to put a new name and face together....don't be shy!

* If you are from out of town and visiting go to manifest and speak up! SDAZ has load organizers who are getting PAID to jump with YOU!

* In season SDAZ is a BIG, BUSY operation! Don't be shy! Extend a hand, introduce yourself, and ask questions. What I originally thought were "cliques" were just big grown up kids like me VERY BUSY having FUN on a huge playground. Just think back to being a little kid on huge playground.....just go out and get in the mix!

* I have yet to meet a skygod at SDAZ but have met plenty at little dropzones.
SDAZ is more than a dropzone; its a community of skydivers for skydivers - The only way professional teams can survive is through the coaching and teaching of others.

* Yes our DZ has big reputation as a destination dropzone and advertises world class talent in all disciplines; but MOST of us hold down weekday jobs in Phoenix or Tucson. The majority of SDAZ jumpers are not on professional teams; we are just like anybody else who lives to jump every weekend. When it comes to DZ's we just happened to win the location lottery; we count our blessings every weekend.