Start Skydiving

Start Skydiving was a life changing experience! I highly recommend it! My tandem instructor Lonnie was incredible. He made me feel comfortable and helped me relax, even though I was Very Nervous. He was very personable and made the experience incredible. He was very entertaining and accommodating to my jumpiness (pun intended)! The facilities were also amazing and had plenty of space to get psyched up for your jump. They had some beanbag toss to keep you occupied as you counted down the time to your jump on the screen, along with lockers to store your stuff. The planes were also great and seemed brand spanking new. I highly recommend start skydiving to anyone interested in doing their first jump. They have great instructors, great facilities, and great camera men/women who get some amazing shots for a little extra money. (I also used the discount on amazon to save a little money!) Now get out there and do it!! A big shout out and thanks to Lonnie for making this experience one to remember for the rest of my life!

My daughter and I planned a "trip of a lifetime" which included our first skydiving. My instructor, GiLa (Scott Stilwell) was so good I'd fly back to Ohio just to jump with him again. I highly recommend requesting him if you're at the least bit unsure or nervous, he does an amazing job of making you feel comfortable.
That first experience could have gone either way for me, because of my instructor it's something I want to do again, perhaps even get certified and make it a new hobby!
Everyone one of my family and friends that watched the skydiving video of me jumping commented on how wonderful the instructor was and how professional startskydiving appeared to be.
They called us in an ample amount of time to notify us the first scheduled dive we made was delayed due to weather, we chose another day as opposed to sitting there hoping it would clear up. There was maybe an hour wait from the time we walked in until the time we were ready to go which, to me, was perfect. It takes time to gear up and compose your thoughts for a safe and fun experience.
I'd say this was a perfect day and I not only HIGHLY recommend it for the experience of a lifetime but I'm looking forward to doing it again! ~Darcel

I had an absolutely amazing first experience. My instructor Matt explained everything clearly, and was as nice as could be. If I had any questions he answered them right away. I at no point was nervous that he would get us safely to the ground. If I'm lucky enough to do it again I will be going to start skydiving in Middletown again.

Start Skydiving gave me one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I got there, signed the waiver, watched a video, and got suited up which all ran very smoothly! My instructor Matt was awesome! (Thank you again Matt, you gave me such an amazing jumping experience! Still smiling from ear to ear, and I am forever grateful!) He made me feel comfortable and safe, all while getting me prepared to jump.. off of a plane! Everything about skydiving is amazing; Meeting the people, seeing the excitement on their faces, as well as feeling excited yourself, boarding the plane, lifting off and watching the ground shrink smaller and smaller, feeling the cold air and wind hit your face when they open the door, watching people jump out of the plane, sitting on the edge looking at the earth below you as you are about to jump, and finally jumping out into the beautiful open sky. You cannot fathom what it is like. It is the most surreal, heart pounding, terrifying, liberating experience you will ever have. You jump off of this solid metal plane out into nothingness! And that is all that there is for the next couple of minutes until you touch the ground, nothing.. nothing but the feeling of being absolutely free. Liberated from your mind, fears, expectations, worries, everything! Have this experience at least one time in your life! You will not regret it! I definitely recommend doing it at Start Skydiving.. Their prices are awesome, staff rocks, the place itself is pretty large and feels safe, and the overall atmosphere is phenomenal, just like your skydiving experience will be. Cheers to falling through the sky!

I went tandem jumping with Larry and he was amazing. He made my experience at start skydiving so much fun. The jump was so thrilling. I purchased the handcam video and Larry did an awesome job videoing my skydiving experience. I would recommend to anyone to buy the handcam video and to also use start skydiving as their location to jump. The facility was beautiful and everyone was very friendly. I have no negative comments about this experience!

I visited Start Skydiving with Ohio State as part of the Intro to Skydiving class. First, I have to give a lot of thanks to Bud, who taught the class and hit home all of the important information; I could not have asked for a better instructor. At the drop zone, I worked with John and Gila [I hear his real name is Scott...]

They took us through training in the morning and accompanied me on my jump. Both guys were extremely helpful and incredibly funny; if I was ever nervous they kept me at ease through the entire ordeal. The facilities at Start Skydiving are top notch both in relation to the dive and just while you wait: nice planes, great equipment, and FANTASTIC staff, plus plenty to do while you wait, wifi available, and lots of places to hang out. I will say that we waited a really long time to jump (I personally waited six hours and a lot of people in our group waited longer) but I am more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on that; being Memorial Day weekend half the staff was gone, and the half left behind worked their ASSES off to get to everyone. All around a great trip and well worth the wait; I WILL be back! My first skydive was more incredible than I ever could have imagined, and I have to give some major thanks to all of the staff at Start Skydiving who made the experience so great!

Everything is top notch here, nothing left to be desired except I wish I lived a lot closer. Even if there are closer dropzones, you won't find a better one than StartSkydiving.

Cliff Rubenstein

My friends convinced me to buy a Groupon for a tandem jump at the Middletown, Ohio location. I was so incredibly nervous the entire drive there, but my mind was put to ease once we arrived. I was SO impressed with the facilities - the buildings are modern, they effectively use technology to keep you posted on your jump time, and they have cornhole to play and ample seating for when you wait. However, I was most impressed by the staff. They all were professional and friendly. My instructor, Dan P., was simply phenomenal. (He has a stunning handlebar mustache, you can't miss him.) He introduced himself to me way before our jump and helped answer all my questions. He had the perfect balance of joking to calm my nerves and seriousness to make sure that I felt confident about the process. If you are a first-time-jumper, request him!! The experience was indescribable, even though the Ohio landscape isn't anything too "exotic". I have already insisted that anyone considering skydiving in Ohio go to this location!

I had my first ever tandem sky-dive with Brian and Mel today. Brian was my tandem instructor and Mel took all the video and photos for my jump. They were kind, courteous, and full of energy. They were as elated as I was about the entire experience, and that added to my desire to go sky-diving again.

I've been waiting a long time for the opportunity and it was great! Lonnie Kirk was excellent and very helpful and supportive. Emily was also very friendly and upbeat. I would recommend them to anyone and the experience was much more than I expected. I'm looking forward already to my next jump! Thanks to everyone for a great thrill!

Lonnie Kirk was wonderful. He talked me off the ledge then flung me out the plane. He made our whole group feel more at ease and relaxed about the whole situation. I can't wait to go again and couldn't have asked for a better experience!!

I've always wanted to go skydiving and finally decided that it was time. It was a long day of waiting around due to weather, but everyone was friendly, fun to talk to and joke around with throughout the day. I jumped with Alex Hart. He was awesome! I can't wait to go back again!!

My instructor was Brian and he was the most amazing! He made me feel super comfortable and made sure my experience was a blast! Two thumbs up and five stars to him! All of the instructors were really nice, friendly and fun and even gave us info after on how to get started on getting certified. This place is amazing!

It was my first team jumping and had no idea what to expect. Long wait first day due to weather. I would suggest offering things for people to do while waiting. Scott was my instructor and he was awesome! Shared his experience jumping, explained process well and made me feel very comfortable. The jump was awesome and I can't wait to jump again! Very professional. Thanks for a great experience!

4 other friends and I went on our first skydiving (tandem) experience with Start Skydiving and we had the time of our life! TIs (My TI was Lonnie Kirk) were very professional and fun. The video and photos (props to Mia) also turned out great! Would definitely recommend.

I went for my 18th birthday and it was amazing. Everyone there was so helpful and friendly. My instructor, Matt was amazing and so helpful. The jump was amazing, there is nothing like it. Recommend this place to EVERYONE!!

A group of 7 of us came to celebrate my brothers bday. It was the first time for all of us. Although we had a weather delay, it turned out amazing. My instructor John Garrido was great. He answered all my questions and was fun. My cameraman Scott did an awesome job with my pictures and videos. He captured both the fear and excitement on my face perfectly. Couldn't have asked for a better experience!

This was my first time jumping and it was absolutely incredible! Coolest thing I have ever done in my entire life and can't believe I didn't go sooner! Lonnie Kirk was my instructor and he was very informative and calming and confident. He did a good job at taking the edge off and telling jokes. After the jump he was able to talk with my group and I and was an all around awesome guy! The video and photos are amazing and we got the DVD within minutes. The staff was all awesome and made us feel right at home. They encouraged us to come back, even if it was just to hang out in the facility. This experience was too notch! Nothing could have been done any better!

If you don't already have a "bucket list" of things to experience over your lifetime, sit down and write one now. Put skydiving somewhere in the top five of your list, and do it as soon as possible!

What a great experience! Lonnie- you rock!

Grateful for Lonnie's "nudge" out of the aircraft, since my legs froze somewhat! This was my first jump ever- and Kyle captured it brilliantly. I LOVE that I have a great video to remember this experience by!

Thank you thank you THANK YOU! Will likely see you guys again soon!

This is a 1st class operation all the way around! My instructor, Gila, was awesome! He is clearly experienced with over 6000 jumps and it was obvious he truly enjoys what he does! Had a blast! Definitely would recommend Start Skydiving and instructor Gila!

I am very happy to have taken a decision to do this adventure with Start Skydiving. I felt I was taken care very well and gave me confidence. I will always fly with them and recommend them to other adventurous spirits.

Fantastic! I would highly recommend them. My first experience with skydiving and hopefully not my last. I would definitely go here again. Lonnie was my instructor and he was AWESOME and very patient with me and my millions of questions. When I go again I will request to have him again. AWESOME experience!!

I had never been skydiving before, but the instructors were phenomenal and helped put me at ease. I jumped with Brian, and he was incredible. Skydiving is one of the top five greatest physical sensations I've ever experienced, and I would highly encourage people to go! Thank you for a wonderful time!!

I always wanted to skydive and hoped to have a great one and I did. My instructor was amazing and really friendly. Thank you Lonnie Kirk for this great experience and for letting me navigate for some time :p it was AWESOME!