Disclaimer: this review is primarily for new/aspiring jumpers.
I just got my class a license this summer at SkyDance, and I can't imagine a place would have been much better to do it. The staff are great, and I met great jumpers that I was lucky enough to jump with! The vibe is very relaxed, professional, and safe. Experienced jumpers were always happy to help out, do gear checks, and discuss things with you. Some jumpers even *volunteered* to review safety and gear check with me on the way up for my first solo jumps - they were all very positive and encouraging! The location is beautiful and the weather is great most of the year. It's an awesome place to spend your weekends, and you can even camp out!
I did three tandem dives here over the years before I had the money to go for a license, and my instructors were JP (now at Spaceland), Charlie Brown, and Tom - all of them were different, but each experience was great! I felt like everyone had a handle on everything, and the thorough level of safety information had me feeling confident from the ground, to the sky, and back again.
My student experience was solid - I had instructors and coaches Kim, Brett, Karl, Jackson, Neil, Charlie Brown, Noah, Eyal, and Douminique. I felt like all of my instructors and coaches were looking out for my best interest. I started with Kim on my FJC and it couldn't have been better! He was extremely thorough with everything from basic safety to malfunctions, dive flow, practice PLF's, radio, and even things like how a three-ring system works so you understand what's going on if you need to cut away. We did a lot of physical practice and rehearsal to make sure the dive went smoothly.
Regarding the comments on hostily and mistakes in AFF (dman415, Rickgarner2000) - my experience was completely different. I'd like to know more about what dman415 faced. I didn't make it through AFF without messing anything up, but the only time I was berated in public and/or gossiped about was when I botched up a landing pattern, putting other jumpers at additional risk. As for my other memorable mistakes in AFF and beyond - my instructors wanted me to go to a wind tunnel between jumps B and C because they were uncomfortable letting go of me in free fall. They made an excellent decision! I got the pull signal on cat C because my altimeter was wonky, so we discussed what happened in the air, and my instructors saw what was going on. I didn't pass my Category F coach jump (tracking), so my coach showed me video from his helmet cam, explained to me how to improve, and discussed with me the dangers of poor tracking in group jumps. I went out, did a few practice dives, improved tremendously, and passed the jump later. Never did I feel that any instructor was being rude, out of line, hostile, or looking out for anything other than my safety as an aspiring jumper.
If you're nearby and looking for a place to start jumping, SkyDance is where it's at. You even get a free jump ticket when you bring in a tandem, so when your friends stop chickening out you can ride up in the plane with them for free!
SkyDance SkyDiving
in California
I just got my class a license this summer at SkyDance, and I can't imagine a place would have been much better to do it. The staff are great, and I met great jumpers that I was lucky enough to jump with! The vibe is very relaxed, professional, and safe. Experienced jumpers were always happy to help out, do gear checks, and discuss things with you. Some jumpers even *volunteered* to review safety and gear check with me on the way up for my first solo jumps - they were all very positive and encouraging! The location is beautiful and the weather is great most of the year. It's an awesome place to spend your weekends, and you can even camp out!
I did three tandem dives here over the years before I had the money to go for a license, and my instructors were JP (now at Spaceland), Charlie Brown, and Tom - all of them were different, but each experience was great! I felt like everyone had a handle on everything, and the thorough level of safety information had me feeling confident from the ground, to the sky, and back again.
My student experience was solid - I had instructors and coaches Kim, Brett, Karl, Jackson, Neil, Charlie Brown, Noah, Eyal, and Douminique. I felt like all of my instructors and coaches were looking out for my best interest. I started with Kim on my FJC and it couldn't have been better! He was extremely thorough with everything from basic safety to malfunctions, dive flow, practice PLF's, radio, and even things like how a three-ring system works so you understand what's going on if you need to cut away. We did a lot of physical practice and rehearsal to make sure the dive went smoothly.
Regarding the comments on hostily and mistakes in AFF (dman415, Rickgarner2000) - my experience was completely different. I'd like to know more about what dman415 faced. I didn't make it through AFF without messing anything up, but the only time I was berated in public and/or gossiped about was when I botched up a landing pattern, putting other jumpers at additional risk. As for my other memorable mistakes in AFF and beyond - my instructors wanted me to go to a wind tunnel between jumps B and C because they were uncomfortable letting go of me in free fall. They made an excellent decision! I got the pull signal on cat C because my altimeter was wonky, so we discussed what happened in the air, and my instructors saw what was going on. I didn't pass my Category F coach jump (tracking), so my coach showed me video from his helmet cam, explained to me how to improve, and discussed with me the dangers of poor tracking in group jumps. I went out, did a few practice dives, improved tremendously, and passed the jump later. Never did I feel that any instructor was being rude, out of line, hostile, or looking out for anything other than my safety as an aspiring jumper.
If you're nearby and looking for a place to start jumping, SkyDance is where it's at. You even get a free jump ticket when you bring in a tandem, so when your friends stop chickening out you can ride up in the plane with them for free!