Skydive Arizona

I just returned home from 5 1/2 weeks at skydive arizona.I went there without knowing anyone ahead of time. When youre there for that long, you're hoping for a good enviroment.
The good things:
an excellent manifest staff. They do things right and they do things quickly. Beware though, the manifest window is for manifesting only, and that allows for accurate calls. THey say your name with each call, so questions about which load youre on are not needed. The office staff is polite and very helpful. The service is quick.
The planes just kept turning, turning, turning. So many teams train there that a shortage of loads isnt an issue. The rides to altitude are fast, and most of the jumpers are safetly conscious and will provide pin checks and secure helmets for take off, help each other close the door, help with spotting, seperation on exits, everything. I felt completely safe with 22 other people on the airplane with me.
They have a restaurant, bar and cafe with internet access and a laundry room. Bathrooms are located all over the dz and the showers are actually hot. Lets not forget the pool.
A canopy control school, skydive U,skysurf training with kibi (i spelled that wrong), freefly coaching balloon jumps available twice a day, 5 seperate packing consessions,load organizing, a full service rigging loft, Rigging Innovations, square 2, its all right there. The do their student training in a seperate area, so if youre like me and opting NOT to work on a dz like you did before, you've got a break from dealing with all that. I noticed a few repeat students. So they must be doing something right if their retaining them.
The staff is great. The people that work their work full time, so you start to recognize faces very quickly.
Seperate landing areas. The grass is soft and I found it easy even with a still healing ankle inujury. The walk back from the secondary landing area isnt a bad one.
There are lots of outs. I landed in the desert on purpose a few times, whether due to traffic or just to test my abilities in different landing conditions.
The other jumpers there for the most part look out for each other. I had a malfunction and while i was landing out under my reserve another jumper was landing with my freebag and reserve pilot chute. They brought the golf cart out and picked me up and he actually got back before me! Also, knowing my anxiety over my landings, people were volunteering to video them for me. In fact, for my first jump after my injury a few of my friends came to the secondary landing area just too see it. The people there are awesome, great friends, totally cool. I cant say enough about them. Only a few minutes after i arrived People were giving me hammers and telling me where manifest was, explain ing stuff to me, helping me out.
The staff at square 2 are awesome.
THe camping area is just a few seconds away from the bar, good for when youre stumbling to bed drunk..
Those that live there are family oriented. Thanksgiving dinner wasnt takeout, but instead a big BBQ with a few friends. You wont get lonely out there.
This isnt all, i just cant think of anything else. Ill post another review if i remember something.
The not so good things:
IT RAINED!! its not supposed to rain in arizona. and yeah, the desert does flood when it rains.
I HAD TO LEAVE THERE!!!

Hey, My names Todd and i just wanted to write in and say how great the people are out at skydive Arizona. I currentley only have about 70 jumps and everyone there was ready and willing to give me some great tips on canopy control and freefall manuvers. I come from a small cesna dropzpne so the turbine jumps were a real treat and the planes get you up to altitide in no time. i even got some great video to show off. (thanks again for the video Tim great job!) Anyway if you are ever in the area of Eloy Arizona i would defenetley recommend gettin out there to log some jumps its defenetley worth the detour


Blue skies

Todd A-37786

I've been at Skydive Arizona in Aug/Sep98, Apr/May00 and Jan01, always being coached by Airspeed (4-way FS Team Training, Basic and Advanced FS Skills Camps). The DZ site is everything you would like to have in a DZ: nice and pleasant facilities, wonderfull Arizona weather and a brilliant staff (both at the Manifest and the Airspeed Team/Project). No matter where you are from, what your experience or skills level is, Skydive AZ is the place to be. 50 jumps there, being coached by any of the Airspeed Team members, is far better than 200 or 300 jumps, somewhere else without guidance. Their experience in FS, both as competitors and coaches, and their philosofy about the sport, is something that requires your presence there to understand why they are the best in the World and why the way they coach is so efficient. The combination achieved by this DZ, regarding the site, facilities, staff and, specially, Airspeed, is awesome!

Skydive Arizona is AMAZING. There isn't a thing that you could want that isn't already there. I spent a week there and I have NEVER felt more comfortable, safer, or welcome anywhere... not even my home dropzone.

The facilities are great, the staff is the BEST (much love to the manifest ladies!), and the jumpers are willing to jump with anyone, regardless of experience.

Skydive AZ is truly what skydiving is all about.