Skydive Smoky Mountains

I just done my first Tandem jump this Saturday 3-19 at skydive smoky mountains and I couldn't have picked a better place. The people were absolutely amazing. I was terrified and they really helped me feel a lot more at ease. My tandem instructor Justin was amazing at explaining exactly what was going to happen and how things were going to work. I will for sure be going back to this dz for my next tandem jump. Theresa and Kip are awesome as are the pilots and all the other wonderful people. After my Tandem jump I hung around the rest of the day at the drop zone just watching the other tandem jumps and was made to feel very welcome. It's such a wonderful friendly atmosphere I really enjoyed spending the day there and can't wait to go back again.


Johnita

I stopped by Skydive Smoky Mountains on a road trip and was immediately welcomed and made to feel at home. I was only able to get one jump in but the views of the mountains were absolutely amazing. All of the instructors were very professional and helpful in making me feel comfortable away from my home DZ. I would highly recommend Skydive Smoky Mountains to anyone considering making a tandem jump or going through an AFF course as the instructors will be able to provide personalized and dedicated instruction throughout the program. Also, the accessibility of the DZ (just a mile away from the interstate) makes it a must stop for any experienced jumper. Great place w/ great people!

no big fast planes and no crappy attitudes. the people and the views are both amazing. the best pilots. packing in a clean and dry place. cool how they mix the loads to make sure the tandems and the upjumpers get jumps. i drive 4 plus hrs regularly to make it out there. and i have a place 1 hr away. need i say more? makes me wish i three hands so i could give it three thumbs up.

I did my first jump at this DZ and was a little concerned when I got there. There are no facilities anywhere, just a big open field. We had our jumps scheduled months in advance but we seemed to take them by surprise when we showed up. I felt better after the training and the jump was incredible but I probably will not go back there. After visiting other DZs since then, I realize they have a long way to go.

This is my first "home" DZ. Great staff, great pilots, great owners, great view of the Smoky Mountains, and great times!!!

There is a new building going up right now, pic-nic tables in the shade, packing in the shade, (indoor packing coming soon!)

Having not been to too many other DZ's I’m not sure sometimes what to expect. I must admit I was a little taken aback at first with the rustic appearance of the Skydive Smokey Mountains. A small grass strip not too far off the beaten path with a 182 and a 206. But after the warm welcome that I received and then spending just a short period of time with people around the DZ, I found that these people were friendly, and serious about skydiving. There were many tandems going off that day, but they managed equal time for the sport jumpers as well (second load of the day). We even launched a 5-way from the 206. All in all I found Skydive Smokey Mountains a good place to jump. I'd go back again.

Yes I'm biased, jumped at SSM for two years. Consider it home away from home DZ wise. Beautiful view of the Smokey mountains, just spectacular. Great vibe day or night with the gang there. Safety conscious group with people around to help or answer any questions for newbies.

Kip & Theresa run a fabulous, fun, and safety-concious DZ. Yeah, yeah... this DZ's dominated by freaky fliers, and RW practitioners can & will be teased, but all in good fun. Local jumpers will organize RW & hybrid dives with visitors - no one gets left out of the fun here. The view at altitude is like no other! Wow! Spoiled rotten by jumping out of twin turboprops? Rediscover just how many ways you can launch from a wingstrut with truly exceptional Cessna pilots and an imaginative group of experienced skydivers. Gain experience in formation loads with groups of ten instead of forty-plus. Canopy skills can be tested by tight primary landing areas, but there are lots of good outs. Don't wait til you are passing through. With its natural beauty, story-book seasons, and variety of diversions, this area's a worthy destination. Jump all day with the denizens of Skydive Smoky Mountains, then after dark, practice your freefly skills at the vertical wind tunnel nearby, or take in the nightlife in the neighboring communities. Go! After checking in with Kip or Theresa, ask for Donna, Nash, or Gary. Tell them that the Tin Man sent you.

A day of skydiving at Skydive Smoky Mountains always reminds me how many good friends I have. Wheather you're a new jumper, just passing through, or one of the regular crew, they make everyone feel like a friend.

Skydive Smoky Mountains offers safe, quality student training. And for us up jumpers, this dropzone has a well diverse group of jumpers. What ever your choice of discipline, you can get on the next load.

And yes, the sunset loads can't get any better!

Great people, great views and fun skydives could be the motto for this drop zone. It is my home DZ so understand where I'm coming from in this review.
The DZ has a very active tandem program that graduates a lot of students into the AFF program. I don't knkow the percentages, but we have a high retention rate of students to up jumper status. A lot of this success is due to the welcome newbies receive from all the DZ crowd.
The instruction staff is small but the interaction between students and up jumpers lets them know they are welcome.
The up jumper crowd is probably dominated by a lot of very talented freeflyers. The belly flyers are second but there is a lot of intermingling with sit fly loads being the common meeting area.
Our pilots are very good and formation loads for ten-ways are always fun.
Come to the Smokies with the family and enjoy some skydives with us. Here's my e-mail. Thanks Gary GSFlyaway@aol.com

The Yankee from Michigan is right. Skydive Smoky Mountains is a fun, friendly DZ with great scenery. I'll change my rating to 10 when they get a turbine!

This is my home DZ. I moved down here from (flat) Michigan about 6 years ago, and this DZ amazed me with its senic beauty and it family environment.
This drop zone is located in the Mountains of East Tennessee and every sunset I love to open high, leave my breaks stowed and watch the sunset over the Smoky Mountains. It really is incredible.
The owners of the DZ are very friendly and realize that the life blood of a business is the customer, and that the product they are selling is 'to have fun'. They have done a great job in making everyone understand this.
Its a great place to skydive year round, for both the locals like me and the many visitng skydivers we get passing through the mountians and running from winter.
If you are driving up/down I75 or across I40 make sure you stop in Knoxville and come make a sunset skydive!