justintime88

I stayed at the Parachute center for 3 weeks and I'll definitely be back,hopefully for longer next time.I didn't know what to expect of the place after hearing a lot of negative things about the safety and that the owner was crazy.The owner Bill Dause is crazy but in the best sense of the word.He was nothing but welcoming and nice to me but I did see him kick out or "fire" as they call it there a few people off the dz but it was because they either did something really stupid or they were trying to argue with Bill.He's a busy man and doesn't have time for skygods so he'll just tell you to leave if you don't like the way he's running things.Fair enough I suppose,his dz-his rules.I was satisfied with the level of safety but it definitely had some rules I'm not used to like you don't have to wear helmets or seat belts and I'm not convinced by the one instructor for every level of the AFF course including level 1!I think that's a bit sketchy and I wouldn't recommend this place for students but for an experienced jumper who wants to bang out a load of jumps in a short amount of time,it's a perfect dz. The facilities are pretty good.There's 2 packing hangars,one of which is massive with a big screen tv and comfy couches,the others a bit smaller but you can stay in one of the many permanent tents pitched inside and if that's full you can pitch one in the field outside.There's also a bunkhouse with 10 private rooms,a kitchen and common area with wifi access.It's is a bit dark and dirty but cheap with good discounts if you're staying long term like a lot of the people do.The dz seems to draw in an international crowd and there's always a few beers to be had after the last load.There's also a cafe on the airport with decent feed.If you get bored of the dz you have so many options to escape to like San Francisco,Yosemite or Lake Tahoe but if you're lazy like me there's a few half decent bars in Lodi town too. Bill has 3 twin otters,a c-182 and even a king air which wasn't operational while I was there but he'll always have the otter running during the week and usually 2 or even 3 of them running at the weekend.The dz officially is closed at 3 on weekdays and 6 on weekends but he'll keep it going on later as long as it's busy.I was able to do 8 jumps a day when I tried and that was finishing at 3. I've been to a lot of stateside dropzones like Eloy and z-hills which are amazing but I think I've found a new favorite.It's half the price to jump here than the usual rates and it has some quality jumpers and planes.For only 13 dollars to 13,000ft and 5 dollars to 3,000ft you'd be mad not to give this place a chance on your next skydiving binge!!

Hey i'm a travelling skydiver and i'm in the states for the next month.I'm in sebastian at the moment and plan to go to Z-hills for a week then Eloy,Elsinore for wingsuit training and possibly Perris. Are these dz's busy on weekdays at this time of year or am i in for a nasty surprise when i arrive there??Also any other recommendations on dz's would be greatly appreciated!