SkyDance SkyDiving

I completed my AFF all the way through my A-license and i have nothing but great things to say about skydance. If you're thinking of pursuing your A-license you won't regret doing it here. All of the instructors and coaches really put in the effort to help you progress. The owners Mike, Ben, and Chris and all the employees work really hard to make that place operate.

Planes: They have 3 planes. 2 caravans and a pac750. One of the caravans is a 900hp beast that gets up to altitude really quickly. The views from 13,000 feet are amazing! Over a patchwork of crops and orchards. Because of the rain this year was so green! On a clear day you can see the golden gate bridge in the distance and the other way you can see sacramento and davis.


people: No bad vibes from anyone. The fun jumpers that frequent skydance have the best attitudes towards skydiving because its all about having a good time. They were as welcoming as i could ask for always giving me advice and guidance. The owners Chris Ben and Mike are all skydivers so they know what skydivers need. Mike would let me ride his motorized skateboard around which was awesome and let me borrow his iphone charger when i was camping and forgot mine. Ben and Chris were always stoked to see me jumping and wanted to get me in the air as mush as possible to get my A license. The instructors, coaches, and employees made my introduction to the sport of skydiving so great. If you jump here you will make good friends and not want to leave.

Facilities:
remodeled hangar with flatscreen to watch gopro vids of jumps and a stereo to bump music.New bathrooms and showers that feel amazing after a cold night of camping. They have a snack bar that sells microwavable goods, coffee, candy, and beer. They have disc golf, slack line, and new dog park. They also have a gear shop that rents rigs as well. Bring your own food and skydance will have everything else you need.

Just since I arrived until now I'm felling at my home drope zone in Brazil. They are very welcoming and all staff and jumpers are very kind, respectful and comprehensive. I'm from Brazil and my English is not so good, but them always can explain again and again if necessary.

I have been talking with a lot of people who did tandem jumps and they loved! Here you can jump since 9,000 feet than 18.000 feet. This is the first dropezone that I saw it.

One very important thing is that here all drope zone follow the USPA statement and this make ours jumps safer. So, if you are looking for a safe place to jump, you just find the one.

Here you have the option to camping, sleep in the car, go to a hotel and so on. Here you can find some facilities like showers and toilets.

I'm moving to San Francisco and for sure here will be my dropezone!

Thanks everyone for all! I hope be here for a long time!

Blue skies!

Skydance Skydiving
Went to skydance skydiving having not heard much about it after being severely disappointed by Hollister and ended up camping out there on the DZ the last 2 of my 3 month skydiving vacation to USA. I’ve decided to put together this review based on my experiences there so that others can have a good idea of what happens there on an average week.

Aircraft/ALT:
In the time that i was there skydance was running a Cessna Caravan that was configured to fit 20 people, all be it tight it was not too uncomfortable and it was not often that it was so full. I would say the average on the load is about 16-18. Aircraft had seatbelts for everyone which is something i was not used too coming from a small club in EU where we had no seatbelts. With 18 people and with the temperature around 37c/100f it took about 13-15 min to get to altitude which was regularly 4.2km/13,700ft. And of course the sunset load gained some extra altitude. With 10 people it was near 10 min to altitude.

Jumping:
Assigning exit order is something that I felt could use some improvement; it is determined by the jumpers when the taxi way call goes up and everyone should be getting on the plane. This works ok with experienced jumpers but there are often newer jumpers who are not sure where to go in the order and as they generally pull higher this can mix up the order as people are getting into the plane. Jump run is either North or South along the East side of the runway and is spotted by the pilot and GPS. Plane uses the Red light/Green light system but spotting yourself after green is very much supported and people will wait should you give them a good reason. Toys are allowed here if you get out last, talk to Morgan if you get the chance, he is one of the most creative people I have ever met and it shows in his skydiving. Go arounds are also an option if some how you are far off the spot, this only happened to me once during a boogie and it was because a 2 way took too long trying to hang from the Skyvan. They were scared of falling off or something 
Jump days are Wednesday through Sunday and I was able to get at least 4 jumps each day, often times I we were able to get 6-7 jumps each day if desired. I totaled about 150 jumps in the 2 months I was there and I took it pretty easy, could have been a lot more.

DZ Safety:
I was really impressed in this area. Staff at the DZ are not afraid to address an issue if they see it, such as bad patterns or people trying to get in the plane without their gear tightened. They don’t go yelling at the person but try to offer suggestions on how they can do better or be more polite in the air. I didn’t get on his bad side but there is one person there who will let everyone know in a loud voice if you do something wrong but always for things you know you screwed up on and he just calls you out on it. Again advice is offered on what to do better.
There is reliance on everyone in the plane to know what the exit separation should be. At most DZs ive been to they either tell you what the separation should be for the time/winds or its written in the plane near the door. You can find out the uppers yourself from manifest. This has led to some people opening closer to me then I would have liked but nothing too dangerous, and you can always discuss the separation in the plane or ask one of the staff.

Manifest:
Manifest here uses either a ticket based system or a punch card for jumps if you buy the packages. The manifest workers are pretty quick to get you on a load and the announcements come in the form of a 10 min gear call and then a taxi way call so don’t manifest unless you are packed and able to have everything on and tight in 10 min. The loads are read out by number and by the names on the list both at the gear call and taxi way.

Facilities:
Having lived at the DZ I made great use of all the facilities they have on site, these include clean toilets, sinks and 2 showers for each genders room. The showers are very large and have as much hot water as you can want. These area are also open for use on mon and tues when the DZ is ‘’closed’’ so don’t worry about staying there for extended periods. Manifest is also open during certain times aswell as the gear shop. There are a few vending machines on site for drinks and snacks however there is no real on site food as the café is open only on certain hours during the weekend and so you must have a car or be willing to walk/bike/hitchhike the 10km/6.5 miles to town for real food. There are a lot of people who will give you are ride but you cant bet your ability to eat on it. You have access to the skydiver fridge which is usually full of beer as it should be but there is enough room for some lunch meats and cheese if needed, but I would recommend a cooler and put it in the shade. The tent area is dried grass and uneven in a lot of places but its manageable if you are there a few nights or longer term with an air mattress. We were there without a car and managed but it would have been a lot easier with one. Currently camping is free but I heard rumors of there being a charge soon as there was a problem getting the permit for camping and the owner having to pay a lot of money for it.

Conclusion:
I will be going to Skydance again, I feel it is one of the better dropzones I have visited and the overall feeling of the place is very similar to a club in the sense that people seem to care for eachother and not only turning loads. I didn’t once sense a skygod complex or anything like that there. If you get the chance meet Charlie one of the pilots, the man is like a real life Chuck Norris.

I jumped here a couple of times while visiting N/C California on vacation and never had a bad experience. I'm an experienced up-jumper.

What I was quite impressed by was the way the staff and folks there handled an out-of-towner like me along with the tandems and other up-jumpers alike.

Just recently, I went to do a jump there, but unfortunately it was too windy to jump / not enough to make a load. The staff there tried as hard as they could to get me in the air.

Even renting gear (my rig was having its reserve repacked at the time) from their pro shop was very helpful. They even "waived" their lower wind limit just for me (I have over 500 jumps)!

Ultimately, and totally out of the hands of the drop zone, strong winds grounded everyone. Knowing I was from out of town, they still gave me a full refund on everything - Even though they said no refunds.

The DZO was a great guy and again I was very impressed on their attitude and striving to get a visitor like me up. I will definitely be back on a calmer day!

As for jumping there, the expert landing area is a bit small - Watch out for that canopy eating hawk in the tree! Plenty of out-landing and you have the student field as well.

Great planes (Grand Caravan and Cessna). Awesome view of the central valley, and they have events throughout the year, even 30k HALO.

Disclaimer: this review is primarily for new/aspiring jumpers.

I just got my class a license this summer at SkyDance, and I can't imagine a place would have been much better to do it. The staff are great, and I met great jumpers that I was lucky enough to jump with! The vibe is very relaxed, professional, and safe. Experienced jumpers were always happy to help out, do gear checks, and discuss things with you. Some jumpers even *volunteered* to review safety and gear check with me on the way up for my first solo jumps - they were all very positive and encouraging! The location is beautiful and the weather is great most of the year. It's an awesome place to spend your weekends, and you can even camp out!

I did three tandem dives here over the years before I had the money to go for a license, and my instructors were JP (now at Spaceland), Charlie Brown, and Tom - all of them were different, but each experience was great! I felt like everyone had a handle on everything, and the thorough level of safety information had me feeling confident from the ground, to the sky, and back again.

My student experience was solid - I had instructors and coaches Kim, Brett, Karl, Jackson, Neil, Charlie Brown, Noah, Eyal, and Douminique. I felt like all of my instructors and coaches were looking out for my best interest. I started with Kim on my FJC and it couldn't have been better! He was extremely thorough with everything from basic safety to malfunctions, dive flow, practice PLF's, radio, and even things like how a three-ring system works so you understand what's going on if you need to cut away. We did a lot of physical practice and rehearsal to make sure the dive went smoothly.

Regarding the comments on hostily and mistakes in AFF (dman415, Rickgarner2000) - my experience was completely different. I'd like to know more about what dman415 faced. I didn't make it through AFF without messing anything up, but the only time I was berated in public and/or gossiped about was when I botched up a landing pattern, putting other jumpers at additional risk. As for my other memorable mistakes in AFF and beyond - my instructors wanted me to go to a wind tunnel between jumps B and C because they were uncomfortable letting go of me in free fall. They made an excellent decision! I got the pull signal on cat C because my altimeter was wonky, so we discussed what happened in the air, and my instructors saw what was going on. I didn't pass my Category F coach jump (tracking), so my coach showed me video from his helmet cam, explained to me how to improve, and discussed with me the dangers of poor tracking in group jumps. I went out, did a few practice dives, improved tremendously, and passed the jump later. Never did I feel that any instructor was being rude, out of line, hostile, or looking out for anything other than my safety as an aspiring jumper.

If you're nearby and looking for a place to start jumping, SkyDance is where it's at. You even get a free jump ticket when you bring in a tandem, so when your friends stop chickening out you can ride up in the plane with them for free!

I have jumped at 7 dz's since I started jumping in Feb, and of those, Skydance is my favorite. The staff and fun jumpers are generally very friendly, happy people and have a great attitude. Coaches are top notch and very professional, and as a beginner jumper I have had the privilege of jumping with and learning from very skilled/talented people who are regulars here. Anytime I have had questions/ concerns, or needed help with my gear, there were always experienced jumpers or staff available to help and check things out for me, even on very busy days. I bought a friend out for a tandem and she had an awesome time; felt very confident in the staff and gear after the class instruction. Overall,awesome dz.

I have been to 4 other DZs in the San Francisco extended area, and I am really proud that Skydance is my home DZ. The instructors are amazing, the fun jumpers are experienced and friendly, the rigger is a legend, and the welcoming mentality is never-ending. I highly recommend this DZ for anyone looking to start skydiving or just wants to fly with top-notch flyers (belly, free, or wing).

Hope this helps.

I've meant to do this for a while, just haven't gotten around to it until now. I wanted to wait to meet every one and form an opinion based on a whole. I have been jumping here for the last couple of months, I have yet to meet a single person who was negative in any way, shape, or form. The staff from the DZO, the GM, and the instructors alike have all been there for me answering every question I've had and are all eager to teach someone something new. Their number one priority is keeping the jumpers safe, enabling them to make the best jump ever... Which is the next jump =)

Their amenities are great too. Bathrooms are kept up daily and they have showers for the RV'ers and campers. The pro shop has an excellent and very knowledgeable rigger along with most anything any skydiver would need.

The food Karen cooks is GREAT! She keeps her prices reasonable and is always seeking feedback on her meals. Also, after a good day of skydiving, she sells a great assortment of beer to end your day.

All in all, it's the best damn DZ in Northern California!

I have to agree with rickgarner2000 and most especially thestalkmore. I made the mistake of pursuing my AFF at Skydance, and I've regretted the introduction I've had to skydiving since. I also encountered a great deal of hostility and arrogance from most of the staff there, and learned that if I made even the smallest mistake during a level I was (1.) publically yelled at and chastised as though I were a ten-year-old; and (2.) the incident immediately circulated throughout the entire staff at the dropzone like old ladies gossiping (including to the clerk at the manifest!). I don't know what Skydance's history is, - most of these reviews are at least 2 years old - but despite being a well-equipped dropzone, somewhere along the line no one seems to have taught most of their staff how to deal professionally with the public, at least on an AFF level. They came across as a negative, exclusive group of people with very little patience. (It was, however, fascinating to watch them put on "carnival faces" for the groups of tandem jumpers, and then see the real personalities come out later.) The final straw for me was when one staff member started ranting that he hadn't made enough money that weekend when we had to abort a jump due to low clouds and return to the dropzone. There were two women visiting from Boston who had gone up to do tandems, and I'll never forget the looks on their faces as they listened to his string of four-letter words. After completing jumps/levels at NorCal and Perris and seeing the differences in staff attitudes, I encourage anyone who is contemplating jumping at Davis to take their business elsewhere. There are positive and professional ways to teach an individual a sport; berating, ostracizing and discouraging a customer who's put down close to a thousand dollars, signed his life away and and is determined to learn isn't one of them.

An addendum: Everyone on this board is entitled to their opinion. When a user like DHolland makes the comment about another member "The guy below is asserting that Skydance is a bad DZ but who is this guy anyway. He has only posted this review and is clearly not in the skydiving community," this is a perfect example of the attitude I'm referring to in my review. Despite what you may think of yourself, DHolland, skydiving is a sport... it's not Hollywood.

Pay as you go here if you are visiting from out of state. it has the tourist trap feel. paid for a jump got on wind hold ran out of time had to leave. sorry no refund just keep the ticket and here is an free jump ticket... Really I live half way across the country. like I will get the chance to get back there any time soon. and hope to not lose the tickets..really??? and then to watch some of the instructors swoop in on the tourist and take advantage of them as well. at that point I was embarassed to say I was a sky diver and was there. granted the one jump we got in was great, that was the only positive side if it. I guess the reviews I read on here was wrong. that's why I chose this place to take my cousin. I will pay to fly her out here if she wants to jump again at least I know they will not steal from her here.

I normally jump at Snohomish and I would rate this place above. Don't get me wrong the view in free fall from Snohomish, WA is amazing and the other jumpers are friendly but I have had a blast here. Weather is amazing for October and its not so busy that you have to wait for a ride up. I will be flying down in February to jump for a 3 or 4 day stretch!!

I came all the way from Holland to this dropzone. I had already 70jumps made in Holland. So I started jumping and in one weekend I had my A-license, my first 3way, my first 5way and a 9way tracking.

Soon I'll travel back to the club to do my 100th jump.

They helped me out with buying my first rig.

Free Wifi-internet without a code.

Camp and shower and funny people to go out with for dinner. Everybody goes with everybody just like a skydivefamily should be isn't it?

Don't put your tent where the springs are.

I got my [A] license there how ever I did notice from the corner of my eye J.P & Keith are solid professionals on all levels of the spectrum, which is why nothing is ever a problem or hard to accomplish over at Skydance.

There is never any tension or skygod rockstar power trips. If you want real services from the establishment.

You don't have to call because they are there ready to go Wednesday to Sunday, from 8 to whenever they run out of light. Completely reliable and everything there is fun cause things into rhythm, there is no waiting or waste of time... It's all about results at Skydance.

From the DZO to the packers everything there is serious business and friendly. Fun, stress free way for me cause I knew I was in good hands right from the start.

Action Air Parachutes and Skydance are a wealth of knowledge with a reliable staff. They are a respectful business on the all around level, run by true professionals.

No wonder other dropzones don't want you to know about this place.

Good luck!

I did my first tandem jump in August of 08' and have been hooked ever since. A lot of that has to do with the environment and how welcome the whole crew at Skydance makes you feel. I have met so many cool people out there and have had several different instructors. They each have a unique style of teaching and are all very talented and full of information. I feel comfortable with every jump. The plane is well kept and roomy. The DZ is clean and not overly crowded. It is a relaxing place to just hang out. Everyone from the little store, snack shack, manifest and local jumpers are super cool and friendly. I've invited everyone I know to come jump at Skydance! I feel safe and know I'm in capable hands. If you want to jump, do it there!!!!

Today, myself and 4 friends did tandems jumps. . .this was my 3rd and this staff was the first to take the time to discuss and explain everything to all of us, they even gave us the option of pulling the cord ourselves. 2 of us were doing this for the first time and knowing the fear that does with the first time. . .the staff did a GREAT job with the new jumpers. I highly recommend this dropzone to ANYONE!

I was in the area for a week so i decided to jump at Skydance. A few buddies of mine were doing tandems later that afternoon as well. From the instant i arrived at skydance, I felt a really good vibe. The staff was very professional and courteous. The local fun jumpers/ staff members were also very cool. Most of the time, they came up to me and introduced themselves before I could. I didn't ven know that they give jump tickets for tandem referrals. someone from manifest came and found me and gave me the tickets herself because i had left before she had the chance to give them to me. Everyone there is just really nice. The Pac-750 is fast and not too loud. Great organizing and talent out there as well. Seems like it doesn't matter how skilled you are, organizers try to incorporate everyone. The only thing I didn't like about skydance was that the snack bar takes cash only and there is no ATM for miles. Both days I went out, my retarded self forgot to bring some. Anyway, I'm looking forward to making it back out there soon. Thanks again Skydance

I had completed my AFF at my home DZ and was looking for a place to jump while away from home when I ventured out to skydance. Having only 10 jumps or so on my log and no USPA membership, the staff nearly turned me away after my $60 cab ride (I didn't know how far away from Davis it really was). My briefing was curt, I had to ask at least 5 times to get pointed in the right direction of the gear shack, and was censured by the staffers @ manifest because I didn't know the protocol at the time. To be fair, there was an incredibly friendly cameraman on my load who asked me a lot of questions and answered all of mine.

Long story short: If you're a veteran, Skydance is well equipped in every way. If you aren't, however, prepare to feel excluded. I am VERY glad I didn't pursue my AFF here.

Skydance offers a fun place to hang out & a great place to learn from experienced and motivated coaches/AFF instructors. It has an amazing vibe with a comeraderie that rivals military units. The staff and fun jumpers put safety first and will always help a newbie. Everyone will teach, offer advice, and jump with you.
An absolute must is to try Doc's awesome cooking at the little cafe. It doesn't look like much, but the food and conversation are excellent!

A nice friendly DZ with everything you need to have a great day skydiving.
Pricing is more expensive than Lodi (parachute center) but only because it is regulated by the USPA in my opinion(I like Lodi as well but feel a tad safer out at Skydance however my instructor at Lodi was Excellent!) . Tandems seem a little pricey but Skydance has great tandem equipment (Sigma). As Rickgarner2000 had implied, I have not experienced any arrogance or bad vibes at this DZ, everyone I have met has been friendly and helpful. The guy below is asserting that Skydance is a bad DZ but who is this guy anyway. He has only posted this review and is clearly not in the skydiving community (online anyway). Read the other reviews on the DZ before you take Rickgarner2000's review seriously.

I jumped there several years ago and had fun. Recently, I went with a friend who was learning to skydive, and with their new management, I found the atmosphere arrogant and and inhospitable. I'm glad I learned at a friendly and helpful place or I wouldn't have pursued the sport. If you're an aspiring jumper give this place a pass.

Went there for their (annual?) american boogie. this dz has a small dz feel to it, but it has big dz things like the pro-shop, showers, places to camp and crash, dedicated swooping lanes, etc.

if there was a middle ground between your regular-old home-grown dz and a perris or eloy dz, this would be it.

the only thing that kinda sucked was the landing area. its pretty much an old crop field of some sort; so its dry, dusty and hard. but apparently, the alternate landing area is a lot softer. (but who wants to land in the alternate anyways. that just aint gangsta pimp fo shizzle)

overall, very good dz. must see if within the region.

Skydance has a great vibe, the people are so friendly and really make it an enjoyable experience. The staff is very knowlegable and professional. They have a full service facility and plenty of space for spectators. Everyone should experience Skydance Skydiving.

Davis has been my home dz since January of '05. I've found it to be a nice place to call home.

It has all the facilities of a bigger dz (turbine aircraft, gear store, rigging loft, coaching for freefly and RW, load organizers for freefly and RW, a big landing area, covered packing, clean showers, snack bar, camping area, etc) with the advantage of a small dz vibe.

Manifest is efficient and friendly. Calls are generally 30 minutes or less and I've never been bumped from a load for any reason.

The PAC 750XL has become my favorite jump ship. Even with a recent change in the minimum jumpers required to fly (as of January '06 it takes 8 to start, 6 to turn), it's fast to altitude and comfortable. A Cessna 182 is also available for those days when there aren't enough people to get the PAC going. Both aircraft are well maintained and flown by good, safe pilots.

Freefly coaching and organizing are available from Guano and Groovalicious. RW organizing and coaching for newer jumpers is available with Team Kaliedoscope. It's rare that there isn't at least one freefly and one RW LO on the dz. Sunset loads, either tracking, RW or both, are organized pretty much every weekend day and all comers are welcome.

The view is very nice from altitude; from the coast to the Sierras on a clear day.

There's a beer fridge that stays pretty well stocked (good beer too), and you won't find cheaper Cokes anyplace ($1 for 20 oz bottles from the vending machine!).

My only gripe would be the snack bar. While the food is excellent - far better than the average snack bar - the prices are a bit high for the average jumper's wallet and the operating hours can be a bit spotty.

If you're in the Bay area and need an altitude adjustment, you won't regret putting Skydance on your list of dz's to visit.

My Dad and I went skydiving on Father's Day and it was a great experience! Everyone was really friendly, and they made us feel safe & comfortable. Also, they allow the tandem jumpers to trigger the shute! That just made the jump so much more fun! The view was really nice too, I was able to see all of Sacramento, and Lake Berryessa too! Skydance is a really cool dropzone and I highly reccommend going there! I know I'll be going again!

People were very friendly. Lots of outs. They were very safety conscious when doing the night jumps and had an exceptionally well lit landing area (if you didn't have an off DZ landing - LOL). Only thing that was a bit freaky was having the gun club next to the landing area - you definitely made sure where you were landing.