Texas Skydiving

The owner/operator is a control freak who is hypercritical of her trainees. The flight manifests are disorganized, the training short and unsufficient, and the general vibe of the place is poor.

The employees all seem glum and cynical.
It is a long drive from any major city, and not worth it. Go to Salado!

In my self defense (in response to the above contribution), I have to direct other readers to the jumper that had the same problem locating the DZ at TSC. I encountered a similar problem at Salado, but this time it was mutually agreed that most of the last jumpers exited far beyond the DZ. I was never "chewed out" for this at Salado, nor was I asked not to return. On the contrary, I receive regular emails inviting me to jump. I also was not banned from TSC, I merely listened to my recorded conversation with the owner several times, and decided that it was not the sort of training environment I needed or wanted.
I would also like to point out that were I dangerous I would have at least fractured a major bone , or hurt another jumper. I have done neither, but know many experienced jumpers (instructors) who have. Apparently the "zero defect" only applies to trainees at TSC.

I have to respond to Joshua's review, since I was there both times when he jumped and completely missed the DZ by more almost a mile while everyone else on the load had no trouble landing in. The DZO's concern as well as the whole staff was Joshua had absolutely no recall of what he did under canopy or what he saw or which direction he faced at any time... and his story changed every time he told it. Scary! I would not want to be under canopy at the same time as someone so disoriented. I have not experienced the DZO treating students badly even when they make a mistake. The focus is on trying to do corrective training.

As a military instructor pilot, I can identify with Joshuas concerns for finding an unmarked drop zone from 2000 feet. Aerial observation is a skill that is trained for years to be of any use to a helicopter pilot attempting to find an unfamiliar target location. If the ground location is new to the skydiver, I sure it would take several jumps to properly i.d. and then land at the correct location. Josh is a friend of mine, and one of the most level headed and safety conscious persons I know. Perhaps the fault lies with the instruction at TSC. I've learned from years of instructing, that it's often not what the motivated student does wrong that must be corrected, but rather the direction and technique that the instructor uses to address the issue. I submit that the instruction is inflexible and flawed. I know that airplane fuel is expensive (as is the time for a commerical pilot to be hired), but maybe more aerial familiarization with the landing zone is in order. Aerial photos will be bst utilized to properly verifying the LZ from the aircraft. I am curious as to why the TSC doesn't use panel markers or some other highly visible means to identify the landing area. Looking into similar shaped fields from the air can make each square look the same from higher altitudes. I would look for a place with more professional instruction for my sky diving.

I did a Tandem is San Marcos and then I found ASC by doing a Google search. I found the people there to not only be nice and encourage learning, but also very tight knit and always more hospitable than most larger DZs. The DZ owner is always courteous and the workers just plain and simple want everyone to succeed.

The guy that wrote that post below, Joshua, had consistently not listened to directions when going through his AFF course. The first time he did a 270 degree turn below 300 feet to turn in to the wind and he was politely corrected not to do that again. This was his 10th jump. The very next weekend he failed to locate the DZ on the very same load I jumped on and flew his canopy downwind several miles. The DZ owner had a sit down discussion with him and asked him why he couldn't locate the DZ and his answer was "I don't know." She asked him what signs to look for to help locate the DZ like other jumpers, land marks, etc and he couldn't think of anything to help him locate it. She then started quizing him on items in the ISP and SIM and he could not seem to remember any of those either and then later admitted that he hadn't read them. She asked him not to return to Austin Skydiving Center. I then also learned that he was also asked to leave Saledo for the same reasons.

-Paul Trowe
USPA Coach, Austin Skydiving Center

The Good: Nice people and very laid back relaxed enviorment. Large landing area.

The Bad: The facilities could use some improvement, it was kind of like jumping in someones back yard, that was the impression I got. The bathroom was as close to an out-house as I've ever seen. It has indoor packing but it's small and pretty tight, not a big deal because there's not much of a crowd. A little bit of a wait for a plane. When I went it was called Skydive Austin but not really anywhere near Austin so I'm glad they changed the name.

The Ugly: This dropzone is pretty remote, while going there you get the impression that your lost. The Cessna took a long time to get to altitude and we were dropped pretty far off course (I pulled high and barely made it back). But if the biggest con is the fact that the landing area and the whole DZ really blend in with surroundings. Even under canopy it wasn't easy to spot. A really big marker would go a long way here.

Overall the place was worth visiting, if your from a large DZ you might be disappointed but if not you will most likely enjoy the laid back atmosphere, I did.

Texas Skydiving was a great experience. Instructors focus on relaxing and enjoying the experience. I definitely plan on completing my AFF at this site.

I just recently finnished my AFF course at Texas Skydiving Center (also known as Austin Skydiving Center). After talking to many people in the sport who jump at many different places, I am happy I learned here. Great staff, excellent location for jumping. They have a nice large field, very few power lines, plenty of room to land. Give it a shot!