best beginner school/instructor/dropzone in usa/world?

[motoxbudd 0]

new to skydiving. fell a couple times just for fun in hawaii and norcal a few yrs back. it was great, but my true passion is flying, not falling.

i took up the sport of hang gliding awhile back. got my h1 cert and bought a kite. still love the sport and will continue. but i have made the decision to pursue my real dream of eventually leaping off the cliffs on kauai with a wingsuit.

ive extensively researched and contemplated the sport of skydiving/base jumping/wingsuit flying. i know it will involve up to 10yrs of training and over $10k to accomplish my dream. great thing about it is im quite sure ill love every minute of the "hard work".

ive had my share of injuries from xtreem sportz. used to race motocross. i fear injury and death asmuch as the next guy, but it never has or will prevent me from enjoying life to the fullest.

this seems to be a great and flourishing international online community. im a fun and fairly crazy guy. im sure ill have a great time here. would be nice to make net buddies all over, as i like to travel and meet new peep to do fun stuff with.

what i would like to get out of this discussion is pros/cons of all the greatest places to learn the sport of skydiving and get my beginner rating. i plan to do the same i did for hang gliding. i wanna take a week or two off work to camp out at the best school and dropzone available. continantal usa would be preferable but if there is a really spectacular school/lz geared to noobs somewhere else, i welcome the suggestions.

thanks for the help. i cant wait! :)

-moto

[skymama 35]

Since you want to camp at a dz, what time of year do you want to do this? It makes a difference.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[CloudyHead 0]

try not to mention at a DZ that you eventually want to BASE jump.. I have found out quickly that a lot of skydivers really despise base jumping because of the added risk and that it gives the sport a bad name, etc. I'd keep it a secret ;) to each their own, i say

[thrillstalker 0]

www.skydivethefarm.com is about 45 minutes outside atlanta. it is where i did my training. our dzo offers an A-license package for 1899. it is 25 jumps including aff, coach jumps, gear rental, pack jobs, etc. all you have to do is show up.

the dz is a 55 acre farm with plenty of shade to camp under. we also have two ponds. the farm has a really great vibe too, ask around!

good luck and blue skies

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."

[DSE 3]

Skydive Elsinore is next to a world-class dirt track, 2 miles from an airpark for hang gliders and paragliders, and has a well-known AFF school. Camping on DZ or very nearby, either one.
School is year-around.

[motoxbudd 0]

i know choices are limited in winter. this venture might be pushed out till november to save up. it would suck to have to wait to nextspring/summer.

[virgin-burner 1]

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i know choices are limited in winter. this venture might be pushed out till november to save up. it would suck to have to wait to nextspring/summer.

the first thing in skydiving you will learn is.. - wait for it - PATIENCE!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[popsjumper 2]

I'll put in another plug for Skydive The Farm.

With the A-license package deal, included is a Canopy Control Course taught by a highly respected canopy pilot who is a member of the PD Factory Team.

http://www.pdfactoryteam.com/index.php

Camping is free or you may elect to stay in the free bunkhouse.

We have a contingent of base jumpers here that will help you with that, too. Although, yes you are right...it will take some time and training to get proficient with canopy and equipment before getting into B.A.S.E.

November would be good.

Where are you now? Europe somewhere? We have out-of-country people coming here for training fairly regularly.

Where ever you decide to go, I wish you well in your endeavors. It just may happen and it has before, that you will give up all other sports for skydiving. Just be forewarned that it has happened.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[motoxbudd 0]

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www.skydivethefarm.com is about 45 minutes outside atlanta. it is where i did my training. our dzo offers an A-license package for 1899. it is 25 jumps including aff, coach jumps, gear rental, pack jobs, etc. all you have to do is show up.

the dz is a 55 acre farm with plenty of shade to camp under. we also have two ponds. the farm has a really great vibe too, ask around!

good luck and blue skies

do u work there? i saw ratings and reviews for this dz. funny such a highly rated place is so close. only prob is, im an experienced business man. i know how a well planned, organized and operated marketing op when i see it.

dont get mw wrong. im not suggesting its not a great place. just sayin id put lots more cred in the honest real-time feedback from an active net community over a bunch of stats and logged testimonials.

considering the fact this company openly brags about their ratings on their webpage, id bet money that students there are asked/pressured to rate them good. they probably say things like "would you give your experience a five star rating? if not, what could we do to improve your experience to earn five stars".

im sure they are nice people. it would seem most flying peep are nice. and if my new friend made it clear that rating his company good on net was important to him, i would not hesitate to do it.

theres nothing srong with this. its good biz practice. but im not looking for the dz with the best marketing op. im looking for the m
best experience for me.

heres a list of things id consider important (mind ya im noob so some missing)

safety (covers many things)
equipment (quality, age, upkeep, etc)
staff (experience, knowledge, attitude)
program (organized, efficient, effective)
personal (one on one time with instructor)
flexable (choice of primary instructor)
enjoyment (many factors)
scenic (dropping on a flat sandy desert is lame)
personal (feel like a friend more than customer)
value (im not rich, but dont give a shit bout cost long as its sorta in line with avg. just dont wanna deal with vultures who obviously care more bout makin a buck than teaching people to skydive and making sure they have a great time)
passion (most imporant. dont want to come accross a single employee who dont honestly love the sport and their job)


if i can get some first hand feedband from real people on these topics, id be very greatful. thanks!!!!!

-moto

[missbrz 0]

do a search on the forums for the farm. you'll see that it consistantly comes up as the DZ of choice in the Georgia area. It's not just marketing hype. It's one of the top dz's around, with great staff, and its the home of Chuting Star. It's definitely one of my favorite DZ's with some of my favorite people. It even has me thinking about moving to the hell hole that is Atlanta in a year or two just to be able to call the Farm home. and no I don't work there.

[motoxbudd 0]

thanks for your feedback. from the sounds of it, the farm will soon become my second home, primarily due to proximity. however, i am not at all conserned with location of dz i go to get A cert from.

i plan on living on/near site for up to 15 days. plane tickets are cheap compared to lessons. if booked ahead, i can fly nearly anywhere in country for well under $500 rt. about double for international. thats still less than half cost of lessons food and camping. so location does not matter. just want my first plung into the sport to be the absolute best experience possible.

-moto

[nigel99 143]

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do u work there? i saw ratings and reviews for this dz. funny such a highly rated place is so close. only prob is, im an experienced business man. i know how a well planned, organized and operated marketing op when i see it.

If it is close to you go and take a look. I fly 4000 miles each way to jump there.
I am sure that most if not all AFF through to A license programs are similar if not identical though. One thing I can vouch for is that after AFF and while you are a "new" jumper at the Farm you will get lots of experienced jumpers willing to jump with you. Since this is a continual complaint at most dz's I think this is pretty unique.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[stayhigh 2]

Perris, CA.
The least experienced instructor has 2000 jumps.

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[motoxbudd 0]

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Perris, CA.
The least experienced instructor has 2000 jumps.

looks very nice. double the. cost of "the farm" tho. if i dont go there for A cert training, it would still be a great place to go for indoor flying and to rack up jump count next spring. thanks for the suggestion.

-moto

[NWFlyer 2]

This isn't a statement on The Farm one way or another (I like the place. I've jumped there as an experienced jumper but have no real knowledge of their student program other than what's been stated here, and in that I know some of their instructors). But, since you indicate The Farm is local to you, this next point becomes relevant.

IMHO, your "best" DZ for instruction is one in your region that you're most likely to make your home DZ. Getting your A license is but a tiny, tiny part of becoming a good skydiver and but a tiny tiny part of getting to your stated goal of BASE jumping - it's just a license to really start learning. Learning involves jumping with other people, hanging out with them during the down times during the day and after hours and absorbing their knowledge and experience, and improving your skills as you gain more experience and advanced licenses.

Although the Farm folks are pretty friendly either way, you'll still be better off if you're the guy that's been around the dropzone for a while as a student, getting to know not only the instructional staff but also the other licensed skydivers (and maybe some BASE jumpers, too), because those are the people you're going to jump with once you're licensed. Those are the folks you're going to hang out with after hours. Those are the folks who are going to be around when you show up on a random Friday afternoon trying to get in a couple jumps after work and before the sun sets. Trust me when I say that you'd rather be the guy they already know (assuming, of course, you're not a total jackass) rather than "that guy who got his A license across the country and is a total stranger to us."

Since you're close, check out The Farm. Ask the folks there a bunch of questions. Hang out for a day. So that you have a basis of comparison, check out the other dropzones in your area, too. Ask them the same questions, Hang out for a day. See what feels right to you.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[motoxbudd 0]

great advice! i was thinking about that too. i just booked a tandem jump for me and a buddy at the farm a wk from friday. ill spend the day checkin the place out and talkin to folks.

there is one other nearby place called skydive georgia that im gonna ckeck out and possibly do a tandem jump at. one of these two places will be my home for as long as i hold my current job.

tho u make v good point bout meeting the local crew and doing initial training with them, there r other things to consider. most importantly i want to get through first 25 jumps without injury and strong desire to continue with sport. i feel both these will be best served by selecting dz for a cert based on the things i posted above moreso than location.


but since u brought up the very thing i was thinking lots about, and put it pretty strongly, i will strongly consider local zone to start training. the last thing id want is to be sorta shunned by locals for not supporting local zone for ffa/a training.

thanks again for nice post.

-moto

[motoxbudd 0]

Quote

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i know choices are limited in winter. this venture might be pushed out till november to save up. it would suck to have to wait to nextspring/summer.

the first thing in skydiving you will learn is.. - wait for it - dary

*fixed ;)

[NWFlyer 2]

Might I suggest you check out Skydive Atlanta or Skydive Monroe as other alternatives to The Farm instead of Skydive Georgia. I'm sure there will be plenty of people along soon to tell you why to not bother with Skydive Georgia . Or you could do a forum search on the term "Skyride" or "Atlanta Skydiving Center" (another name for Skydive Georgia).

http://www.uspa.org/FindaDZ/GroupMemberListbyState/Georgia/tabid/366/Default.aspx

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[motoxbudd 0]

thanks for info! ive already heard some negative things bout skydive atlanta. ill check out the other one u mentioned tho.

chances r ill prob end up at the farm, but dont wanna miss out on a diamond in the rough. whichever one i choose for local dz ill stick with. i dont fancy being hasseled by punks from local competors when they find i spend most o my time n money elsewhere. i know thqt aint cool. i just figured peep wud understand reasons for considering remote zone for initial plunge into the sport. if i confirm your opinion with a few other vets, ill put the idea outta mind.

-moto

[Blamey 0]

'(USPA) requires in the Skydivers Information Manual that any jumper flying a wingsuit for the first time have a minimum of 200 freefall skydives, made within the past 18 months, and receive one-on-one instruction from an experienced wing suit jumper, or 500 jumps experience to go without an instructor.'

Ultimately to get to start wing suit jumps you need to be doing on average 12 jumps a month (that 2-3 days or jumping). If you are working and only really jumping on weekends you will need a DZ close by that you can get to almost every weekend there is good weather. Your goals are long term so your choice of dz should be based on long term goals not short term ones

[popsjumper 2]

You'd be welcomed here at the Farm.
However, if you choose to go elsewhere in the Atlanta area, I would suggest Skydive Atlanta in Thomaston, GA (just south of Atlanta) or Skydive Monroe (between east Atlanta and Athens).

I don't know what negatives you heard about skydive Atlanta, but I'm sure if they were known down there, they would be working towards correcting it.

If you come here, introduce yourself to me and I'll show you around and answer any questions you may have.
I'm easy to recognize


We're proud of our training program.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[popsjumper 2]

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im an experienced business man. i know how a well planned, organized and operated marketing op when i see it.

If you go look at the ratings on dropzone.com and see the latest review submissions, you'll get an eyeful on "marketing ops".

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considering the fact this company openly brags about their ratings on their webpage, id bet money that students there are asked/pressured to rate them good.

No, we don't solicit reviews. We do tell customers about the rating system and the reviews and invite them to see it for themselves If someone here pressures you for a review of any sort, I want to know about it immediately.

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they probably say things like "would you give your experience a five star rating? if not, what could we do to improve your experience to earn five stars".

We don't do that here but your example represents a valid marketing technique geared towards improving services, in my opinion.

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im looking for the best experience for me.

And that's what we strive to provide.

Quote

heres a list of things id consider important:

safety (covers many things)
YOUR safety comes first in all cases

equipment (quality, age, upkeep, etc)
Top notch equipment maintained by Chutingstar Rigging Loft - one of the premier rigging lofts in the world and well known throughout the world

staff (experience, knowledge, attitude)
You get all that here...I might add good attitude. We focus on you and your needs

program (organized, efficient, effective)
Yep

personal (one on one time with instructor)
Again, we focus on your needs and you will have one-one instruction on your jumps. Your first jump ground school may or may not include other first-time students. Personally, I prefer one-one. There are some DZs that won't start a class without a certain number of students.

flexable (choice of primary instructor)
If you are not clicking with one, by all means ask for a different one. Usually, students don't have to ask. We do recognize signals that tell us when students are not comfortable...it's part of being a good instructor.

enjoyment (many factors)
We do what we can. You will want to hang around after-hours, too, I'm sure.

scenic (dropping on a flat sandy desert is lame)
Well, There are no DZs in the state more scenic than the 55 acres of private property we work, live and play on.

personal (feel like a friend more than customer)
I hope you become my friend. There are no "numbers" here. If you can't make friends here, it's because you are turning away those who are trying to make friends with you.

value (im not rich, but dont give a shit bout cost long as its sorta in line with avg. just dont wanna deal with vultures who obviously care more bout makin a buck than teaching people to skydive and making sure they have a great time)
Well, we do have vultures in the area but they help keep the dead animals from attacking us.

passion (most imporant. dont want to come accross a single employee who dont honestly love the sport and their job)
We like to think that we fit that description of "passionate". The reality is that skydiving is a microcosm of life. There are no DZs that reside in Never-Never land. Wherever you go, you will find the good, the bad, and the ugly in people. We like to think that we have fewer bad and ugly here.

if i can get some first hand feedband from real people on these topics, id be very greatful. thanks!!!!!
Well, I do work and live at The Farm so you may be thinking that I'm blowing smoke just to get your almighty dollar. You don't know me so I can understand that. I personally invite you visit ALL the DZs in Georgia before you decide...see for yourself. It's impressive that you would want to do that. Too many people fall victim to web pages (numerous web pages for non-existent DZs).

And one last thing:
You mentioned gear concerns.

You'll also want to ask about aircraft maintenance concerns. We do NOT skimp on aircraft maintenance at this DZ. We fly the only Otter in the state and it is the best maintained aircraft in many states.

You can mess with my wife and my money....do NOT talk trash about our airplane!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[motoxbudd 0]

wow. very nice.


ill be out there on the 9th. booked a tandem for me and a friend on your discount weekend. buddy is just coming for a one time tbing tho.

the more i think about it, the more it makes sense to do training at local dz. from everything i read on net, your place sounds great. i dont knock you guys for working hard to keep a clean slate on net. one grumpy apple can really do damage to rep.

neway, i look forward to meeting u and the rest of the farmers. im a nutt, but easy to get along with. my buddy on the other hand...

one thing im not good at is keeping secrets. how big of a deal is it to tell people my desire to do the whole squirrel suit cliff thing someday? i know hang glider peep make fun of sky divers and vice versa, but its all jokingly. didnt know there was a beef with cliff divers. is that really something to keep to myself, or is it just a goofy thing peep will raz me about in good fun?

thanks for great responce to conserns!

-moto

oh. almost forgot...

BLUE SKYS!

[jimjumper 25]

Try Jim Wallace Skydiving at Perris. Owned and run by Jim Wallace (23,000 jumps) and his wife Gail (12,000 jumps), they offer individual instruction for any persons needs. They have taught AFF to some of the most famous around, including one of the founders of Google, Patrick Swayze, and Petra Nemcova (sp?). All-around good, professional people. I work for them so I may be biased but I thought I'd suggest them.

[thrillstalker 0]

as you can see from all the post above, anyone who has any experience with the farm recommends it.

the rental and student gear is well maintained and trustworthy. i would let anyone in my family use their stuff. my uncle and cousin are actually coming out this weekend to do tandems.

the instructor staff is top notch and on top of their game (and yours)!

as popsjumper said, we have an awesome airplane that is well maintained, and in this sport that goes a long way.

the lz is 55 acres so there is plenty of room to land away from traffic.

and i do work there editing videos, but that isn't why i recommended it. i work that job because i love the farm and had to figure out a way to spend more time there and make some jump money

i started jumping at the farm when i was 21 and just out of college.so i was really broke. hans, the dzo, makes it as affordable as he can because he cares about making safe and competent skydivers. that is evident with the amount of fun jumpers we have.

when you get to the farm find me. im the guy with long hair and a really long goatee.

looking forward to meeting you.

good luck and blue skies

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."