Restrictions


USPA membership Required
AADs Required
Hook turns Not Allowed

What it costs


Jump tickets at 26 USDto 13500ft

One of the last remaining Club DZ's with a safety oriented, serious learning environment. Operating Wednesdays through Sundays in the Spring/Summer/Fall and weekends through the winter. Check out everything at www.skydiveorange.com!

Aircraft


Super-27 Otter

Facilities


Where we jump


Orange County Airport
LAT: 38.2479179450558
LNG: -78.050442177741

Contact Us


11339 Bloomsbury Road, Orange, Virginia, 22960, United States
703-759-3483
Website
E-mail

Latest photos from this dropzone











Latest videos from this dropzone


No videos available for this listing, be the first to submit a video.

SIGN UP OR LOGIN

Create a free account or login to review this dropzone.

Sign Up Login

User Feedback

Guest

What did you think, Guest? Leave a review and let other users know.


Write a review
  • Add a review...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



Mikey Ro

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:


Services:


Location:


Facilities:


Vibe:


Aircraft:

 

July 2023 

 

When you willingly get pushed out of a perfectly good airplane! 

I added Skydiving to my bucket list about 4 years ago and I finally got to check it off. 

I scheduled a tandem jump for July 28, 2023, at 0930 with Skydive Orange. An incredible adventure with great staff that made me feel extremely comfortable and prepared. A+, 100 on a scale of 1 to 10. 

We arrived at Skydive Orange around 0910 and checked out the aircraft and facilities. They had both a single engine and dual engine aircraft on the tarmac, which looked in good order, well maintained and even fairly new. 

While I was the only jumper, my wife was with me the entire time, right up to me boarding the aircraft. Everyone was very friendly and interacted with us both. 

We checked in with the office and after watching the “this is dangerous,” “you could die,” “You can’t sue anyone” videos, filling out and signing the same waivers, getting weighed and making the final payment, we were told we could wait in the hanger for my trip. 

Within minutes of finishing, I was called by my tandem instructor, John Smith. John greeted me and treated me like he had known me forever. Super friendly, super energetic, super informative and super professional. 

As John harnessed me up, he was explaining everything that I would be experiencing. After gearing up, I was also introduced to my videographer, Mikey. Mikey interviewed me for the pre-jump and post jump phase and was smooth at making me relaxed and not sounding like a babbling idiot. 

Within minutes, John, Mikey and I were directed to the plane along with 11 other jumpers. As the plane taxied to the runway, John continually explained to me what was all happening and why. Also, multiple times during the flight to altitude, John performed safety checks of our gear and asked if I was ready to go. This was to make sure I had the opportunity to back out, if I so chose. 

John and another instructor on the aircraft were very good at answering the multitude of questions I had during the flight. John can definitely read his audience and made me feel very comfortable and prepared. 

At altitude and completely secured to John, the time came for the jump. The 11 other jumpers exited the plane first and it was my turn. Mikey was on the outside of the plane capturing all of the action of us getting to the door.  

Sitting on the floor, with my feet and legs out of the aircraft, I saw my first glimpse of the ground, 13,500 feet below. And just like John had prepped me, “Ready, steady, spaghetti” we were out the door and in freefall.  

This is an incredible feeling of flying. No sensation of falling, just the rush of wind pelting your body and right in front of us was Mikey, filming it all. Waves, thumbs up, yells of excitement were the course of action. I am afraid of heights. Standing at the edge of a 10-foot-high roof makes me nervous. There was no nervousness at all during the freefall and no sense of falling. John assisted me, into, and helped maintain the arch position for free fall. 

The next thing was the opening of the parachute. I saw john wave to Mikey, so I waived to Mikey as well. What I did not see was John’s signal that he was deploying the chute. The force of the chute opening against the wind was pretty strong and we were whisked upwards and away from Mikey and the camera. 

Once under canopy, John did safety checks and asked if I wanted to fly the chute, which I of course did. At this point, it was a beautiful view, a nice slow meandering ride across the sky. The silence was incredible, and John and I were carrying on a conversation in a normal voice. Again, John answered all of my questions about why things were done and what made stuff work. We could see the other jumpers floating below us, following their flight patterns and down to the landing zone. 

The only time I felt any “roller coaster” sensations was when John asked if I wanted to do a hard turn. We did and during the 10 second, 360-degree turn, it felt like we dropped several feet, which put my stomach in my throat until we flared out the parachute and returned to straight and level flight. 

The landing was interesting, as I watched the individual skydivers land on their feet and walk forward to stop. Being a tandem, we landed in a butt slide, and it was smooth as butter. 

Even though the website said to be prepared to spend 4 to 6 hours, I was scheduled at 0930 and was on the ground by 1058. 

Overall, a great adventure, with a very professional, friendly and informative staff and a top-notch facility. 

DSC00569_1.JPG

DSC00624.JPG

Share this review


Link to review
mrsb0506

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I visited Skydive Orange, INC (SOI) as part of my 30th birthday celebration... words can't begin to describe the feelings I had then and those memories that remain vivid in my mind.

My husband purchased the Tandem package which included video and photographs of my experience. I am nothing but pleased with my overall experience and evidence thereof.

The staff of SOI are nothing but professionals. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. It takes the ease off if you are reconsidering the jump. Their professionalism with a side of hospitality was greatly appreciated.

Kevin did an excellent job with ground training. I felt like a true professional. He was clear, funny and honest. I appreciate honesty. Every feeling he described would happen during the jump...did! Which made the jump that much easier because I knew what to expect.

Lambert, SOI, videographer/photographer did an outstanding job capturing the moments. He caught all the best moments despite my warm gear prohibiting anyone from really knowing it was me skydiving in -2 degree weather.

My Tandem instructor, Denzil was remarkable. I felt comfortable as he walked me through everything I learned in ground training. He made the experience enjoyable and one to remember. He took exceptional care of me.

I highly recommend to anyone interested in skydiving to take it up at Skydive Orange, INC.... it is well worth it!

Share this review


Link to review
Runnergirl1121

1 of 1 member found this review helpful 1 / 1 member
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
If you are looking for an awesome place to skydive with a great atmosphere and truly wonderful fun (but super safe and ultra qualified) people, look no further. Everything about Skydive Orange is top notch.
I have spent a great deal of time at the Skydive Orange drop zone and it's a great place to dive. The community of folks there is great, they make you feel like part of the family. The area is very green and full of farm land so it's beautiful to see from up in the sky. The tandem divers are all awesome, especially Kevin! It also is a great place to do your AFF courses to get your USPA license, as the instructors are all very skilled and knowledgable. And last but of course not least, the staff is full of great people who want to make sure you have an awesome time.
I LOVE this dropzone and all the folks there! :)

Share this review


Link to review
jc1513

1 of 1 member found this review helpful 1 / 1 member
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 4


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I started jumping at orange full time this summer and have come to realize that this is one of the premier east coast dropzone. All the staff here are at the top of their game and go way out their way to keep every thing safe. I have been working at dropzones all over the country for years, but have not ever been any where that makes it so professional. They start at the student level and keep it going even with skydivers with 2000+ jumps like myself. It's hard to find a dropzone where you can keep learning with lots of jumps under your belt, but orange is the exception to that rule.

Share this review


Link to review
shward

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 4


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I went down to Skydive Orange for a weekend and these guys treated me great. Granted the winds were so high that we only got one load up for the day and then on that one load I had a mal and had to cut away. As soon as I got down, there were people handing out radios and jumping into cars going to find my parachute. These were people that I'd never met before and had no expectation of their help. It was just freely offered. It got dark and we called off the search, but I spend the night there and had a few beers with them around the fire. First thing in the morning we found my chute. These guys are awesome and I'd recommend SkyDive Orange to anyone that is going to be in the area. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

Share this review


Link to review
diveskyer

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
Went for my first jump (tandem).

Everyone was friendly, relaxed, good vibe. Focused on safety and professional, no one was ever hassled or rushed.

Had a superb time, and if you've never done it before do spend the cash and get the pics and video! Worth it 100%. Will definitely come back.

Share this review


Link to review
flyingmontana

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 4
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 4


Facilities:
  • 4


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 4
As a newbie with 47 jumps, I made Skydive Orange my first trip to a dropzone other than my home DZ. The drive from Washington DC (where I was visiting relatives) was really long with traffic--try to avoid commuting hours. The area is really beautiful--great view from 13,500.
The best thing about the place was the helpful, friendly attitude everyone had. I felt welcomed and since I'm pretty inexperienced I really needed a lot of help, which they gave generously. I rented gear from them and they helped me find someone a bit more experienced than me to jump with. Various regulars helped me with gear checks, with understanding the landing pattern, with spotting the airport, etc. I didn't feel alone at all and I would have loved to stay and skydive all day (or the whole weekend!) with these great people and get to know them better.
The only real problem I had was that the landing area for students/A licenses was very hilly and I wasn't used to that at all, so I had a hard landing on my first jump. That hurt my foot enough that I had to stop for the day. (They kindly gave me some ice for it.) There are also quite a lot of cow pies in this landing area. Next time I'll know to flare just a touch higher!
The hangar is decorated very distinctively and while I didn't have much chance to hang out, I could tell the atmosphere here is really cool. It's HOT though--no AC, just a couple of fans.
This is a dropzone I hope to return to many times in the years to come as I continue in the sport. Wish I could have gotten to know everyone better--they seemed like great people. Excellent emphasis on safety; I would only suggest that they mention to newcomers that the hills in the landing area can come up on you FAST.

Share this review


Link to review
lost_n_confuzd

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 4


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 4


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 4
My only visit to SO was during their '09 Orange Boogie. I had an awesome time, everyone was welcoming and fun to be around and jump with. I found the place to be VERY safe, everyone was safety oriented and no afraid to point out a mistake or bad move. Unfortunately I've been busy with work and travel the past few months and could not jump. Anyways, now that I'm back in D.C. I plan on jumping again and will definately be at SO this weekend.

Share this review


Link to review
JWOTE

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 4


Services:
  • 4


Location:
  • 4


Facilities:
  • 4


Vibe:
  • 4


Aircraft:
  • 4
I was visiting the area on business, so I figured that I would jump on the "company dime".... Prior to leaving my home D.Z., I asked around about S.D.O. and several jumpers had been there and gave it a favorable review.

Immediately upon arrival, I was met by a very professional staff, who provided me with a great tour and lay out of the landing areas and such. The jumps were great, the plane was very nice and the atmosphere was great as well.

I have jumped at other D.Z.'s while away from my home D.Z. and this was a very pleasurable experience. My only regrets are that I was unable to make many more jumps, or stay for the night time festivities due to a lengthy road trip home.

Which here once again, the up jumpers and staff all encouraged me to stay and make my treck home on the following day.

The location of the D.Z. is in a good location. It is set in a more rural area with several "outs" for the occasional long spot.

I would recommend this D.Z. to anyone visiting the D.C. area. I will be back....

Share this review


Link to review
mickey1982va

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 1
Professional:
  • 1


Services:
  • 1


Location:
  • 1


Facilities:
  • 1


Vibe:
  • 1


Aircraft:
  • 4
Hardly any communication. Too many rules. Could never get even a two way together. The Landing area was horrible.

Share this review


Link to review
lasharp

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 4


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
Skydive Orange is a goofy, club-run dropzone with lots of special events and parties going on. There's RW, Freefly and a comprehensive and up-to-date student program. The dz is run by members, so sometimes the garbage doesn't get taken out, but otherwise the place is great. Yahoo.

Share this review


Link to review
skyflychris

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 4


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I came up on business in October and drove out for a jump. From the minute I walked in the hangar everyone was friendly and helpful. Although they were jumping alot of tandems I had no trouble getting on a load. And they actually seemed to really care about the regular fun jumpers. The manifest staff was well organized and courteous which we all know can be tough when things are busy. The calls for loads were prompt and accurate too. Had a great jump, bought a T-shirt and hung out and chatted with some cool folks. Next time I'm in the area on business I will definitely be back. It's in the middle of nowhere and runs the way a DZ should be, introducing new people to tandem, but taking care of the skydivers too. Worth the trip.

Share this review


Link to review
ParaNinja

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 4


Facilities:
  • 4


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I'm new to the D.C. area and when I asked around for the best place to jump, every single person said Orange was the place to go. It's about an 1hr 30min drive for me but that's actually an easy drive compared to where other people come from just to jump at Orange. I was nervous about going there my first time because I've been treated like an outcast once when I visited DZ in NY before. But I was quickly welcomed into the community. I had been out of currency for 3 months with the move jumping a 168' canopy, and when I got there, the instructor staff was concerned that it was a rather small canopy given my limited experience. So they had me jump with coach and a 190' just to assess me. I took no offense to this, in fact I rather appreciated their honesty and their dedication to safety. The next day I stuck around and enrolled in a Canopy Control Course and learned some great things on my 168'.

The people there are fantastic, everyone is always willing to help and there is no discomfort in walking around there as a newbie. I look forward to making Orange my DZ and aim to learn something everytime I go there, because that's how its been. I recommend Orange to anyone moving to the region (even if it's a bit of a drive), or visitors. It's worth it for a safe, fun and awesome jump environment. I have yet to party there but hopefully that will be rectified.

Share this review


Link to review
icheban

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I'm a pretty new jumper, but I can say that I'm so thrilled I chose Skydive Orange. On Mondays I start counting down to the weekend, and leaving on Sundays is the hardest thing in the world.

Share this review


Link to review
Satman

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
Awesome place to learn skydiving

Share this review


Link to review
tucoxn

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I got my a license at Skydive Orange and I now jump there on a rather regular basis. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly and the regulars there know how to welcome safe folks into their family. There is room to camp out (in trailers or tents) and loft space available in the winter cold. The Orange family loves to have fun and does it safely -- from the student program to RW organizing to the sunset load (plenty of freefliers, too). This is the closest dropzone to Washington, DC -- lots of jumpers who go to Orange are from the DC area. There are other DZs near by, but people seem to travel to Orange from all over VA and MD. Also, the Super Otter is a GREAT jump plane and Orange also gets other planes for some of its boogies. Orange is lots of fun!

Share this review


Link to review
blackfrankwhite

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 4


Location:
  • 3


Facilities:
  • 4


Vibe:
  • 4


Aircraft:
  • 5
Besides the fact that Sky Dive orange is abount 1 1/2 hours south of DC and MAYBE an hour from Richmond, this DZ is perfect for the beginning student

The instructors are great - they make you learn

The plane is great as is the DZ

No A/C :(
Gets hot and there isn't any sort of gas station, food store, anything around.
Get a full tank of gas and pack a lunch before heading here

Share this review


Link to review
Sled14

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 4


Facilities:
  • 4


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I did my first 7 jumps at Orange before I had to switch to a drop zone closer to my school. The staff there is very friendly and take safety seriously. Their gear they use is great. I haven't heard any complaints from anyone I've talked to who has skydived there

Share this review


Link to review
Bart13

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
I live 2hrs., 15 mins. from Orange but it's a beautiful ride and I'm so excited on the way down, and ecstatic on the way home, it goes by fast. I had an accident there a few months ago (my own dumb mistake) and when it happened there was help in a flash. I'm still grounded until my recovery is complete but I enjoy going down there just to hang out and soak up the energy! The Otter is great and all the instructors are top-notch.

Share this review


Link to review
thesaint

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
Skydive Orange is were I had my first jump and where I jump on a regular basis. I have never been to the DZ and not had a good time. The instructors are top notch and folks treat you really nice. I live 90 minutes from the DZ and will jump in my car and drive there like Im going down the street, I like it that much. The rental gear is first rate, our Super Otter is KING, and just hanging out watching skydive videos is cool too.

Share this review


Link to review
OrangeJumper

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:
  • 5


Services:
  • 5


Location:
  • 5


Facilities:
  • 5


Vibe:
  • 5


Aircraft:
  • 5
What can I say, Orange rocks. Despite the fact that Skydive Orange has very talented instructors, nice aircraft, take safety above and beyond, ect, the people are what make it such a success. There aren't cliques and anyone will jump with you as long as you are safe. All of the experienced jumpers will take the time to answer any of your questions or provide coaching. This is my first drop zone, so I have nothing to compare it to but I can't imagine to many other drop zones that have this type of atmosphere.

After hours....all I can say is damn! These people know how to party. I did my first AFF jump Aug 2004, during the Fabulous Annual Booie Over Orange. I don't know if it was the skydive or the parties that had me hooked. I have been to the drop zone every weekend since. No matter how hot or cold it is, or no matter if it rains or snows all day, you can always count on people being at the drop zone waiting for the beer light to turn green. Oh yeah, there happens to be a lot of hot naked chicks there to! It is safe to say that I have found my one and only drop zone!

Share this review


Link to review
BabyBoy

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:


Services:


Location:


Facilities:


Vibe:


Aircraft:
Other then the drive out to this DZ, the facilities were clean and well kept. The Staff was amazing, willing to go the extra step to help you and the Locals we friendly and fun loving Jumpers, No one had the "Sky God" attitude. They had plenty of equipement to rent, including a wide selection of mains to choose from.

Share this review


Link to review
dbattman

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 4
Professional:


Services:


Location:


Facilities:


Vibe:


Aircraft:
Well, I hadn't been through Orange for about a year and a half. I wasn't expecting much since I experienced quite a bit of clique attitude last time from a good portion of the communitity.

Well, I'm happy to say that both people and places change. I'm certain that I'm not the same jumper I was last time, and Orange isn't the same place. The attitude is more friendly, people are easier to talk to, politics and belligerence have disappeared, and you can actually get on a jump with someone without having to beg. They're even good about being civil to the people they don't like all that much instead of running them off.

They get a point for the facility, a point for the cool jump plane, a point for the renewed communitity attitude, and a point for having a tiki bar, and actual 'beer light,' and lots of comfy places to crash. There are some various things I could dock a half point for, but I'll stick with an 'above average' rating. There's nothing really bad here that you won't find anywhere else, and it's worth a trip.

Share this review


Link to review
David12597

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:


Services:


Location:


Facilities:


Vibe:


Aircraft:
This place rocks, this is my first dropzone and only dropzone right now while I am living in DC, I know I should check out the other places but this place really rocks, staff is friendly and the instructors are great. Their Super Otter is fast and has a awesome pilot. I can't wait to get back to get on with my AFF courses. I would hope that my future dropzones have this type of atmosphere.

Share this review


Link to review
danwayland

0 of 0 members found this review helpful 0 / 0 members
  • 5
Professional:


Services:


Location:


Facilities:


Vibe:


Aircraft:
Orange is a fun jumper friendly DZ.

As of right now (01-2003), there are alot of friendly, moderately talented freefliers to jump with as well as a couple of really good ones. Same with RW, and there's a small group of bird men forming, plus a new high performance canopy school.

The regular night life is the best I've ever experienced at any DZ, period, bar none. There's not always a bunch of naked people dancing around a bonfire drinking beer with their pants on their heads, but sometimes there are. What's more important to me, though, is that every single Friday and/or Saturday night that I've ever felt like having a couple of beers, playing foosball, watching skydiving videos, and having a few laughs with some friends, I have always found this at Skydive Orange. That's what's remarkable to me. Not how wild and crazy the big parties are, they're par for the course plus nudity really, instead, I'm more pleased by the fact that it's never completely dead, so I can always find a party, even if it's just a little one.

Share this review


Link to review