Davis has been my home dz since January of '05. I've found it to be a nice place to call home.
It has all the facilities of a bigger dz (turbine aircraft, gear store, rigging loft, coaching for freefly and RW, load organizers for freefly and RW, a big landing area, covered packing, clean showers, snack bar, camping area, etc) with the advantage of a small dz vibe.
Manifest is efficient and friendly. Calls are generally 30 minutes or less and I've never been bumped from a load for any reason.
The PAC 750XL has become my favorite jump ship. Even with a recent change in the minimum jumpers required to fly (as of January '06 it takes 8 to start, 6 to turn), it's fast to altitude and comfortable. A Cessna 182 is also available for those days when there aren't enough people to get the PAC going. Both aircraft are well maintained and flown by good, safe pilots.
Freefly coaching and organizing are available from Guano and Groovalicious. RW organizing and coaching for newer jumpers is available with Team Kaliedoscope. It's rare that there isn't at least one freefly and one RW LO on the dz. Sunset loads, either tracking, RW or both, are organized pretty much every weekend day and all comers are welcome.
The view is very nice from altitude; from the coast to the Sierras on a clear day.
There's a beer fridge that stays pretty well stocked (good beer too), and you won't find cheaper Cokes anyplace ($1 for 20 oz bottles from the vending machine!).
My only gripe would be the snack bar. While the food is excellent - far better than the average snack bar - the prices are a bit high for the average jumper's wallet and the operating hours can be a bit spotty.
If you're in the Bay area and need an altitude adjustment, you won't regret putting Skydance on your list of dz's to visit.
SkyDance SkyDiving
in California
It has all the facilities of a bigger dz (turbine aircraft, gear store, rigging loft, coaching for freefly and RW, load organizers for freefly and RW, a big landing area, covered packing, clean showers, snack bar, camping area, etc) with the advantage of a small dz vibe.
Manifest is efficient and friendly. Calls are generally 30 minutes or less and I've never been bumped from a load for any reason.
The PAC 750XL has become my favorite jump ship. Even with a recent change in the minimum jumpers required to fly (as of January '06 it takes 8 to start, 6 to turn), it's fast to altitude and comfortable. A Cessna 182 is also available for those days when there aren't enough people to get the PAC going. Both aircraft are well maintained and flown by good, safe pilots.
Freefly coaching and organizing are available from Guano and Groovalicious. RW organizing and coaching for newer jumpers is available with Team Kaliedoscope. It's rare that there isn't at least one freefly and one RW LO on the dz. Sunset loads, either tracking, RW or both, are organized pretty much every weekend day and all comers are welcome.
The view is very nice from altitude; from the coast to the Sierras on a clear day.
There's a beer fridge that stays pretty well stocked (good beer too), and you won't find cheaper Cokes anyplace ($1 for 20 oz bottles from the vending machine!).
My only gripe would be the snack bar. While the food is excellent - far better than the average snack bar - the prices are a bit high for the average jumper's wallet and the operating hours can be a bit spotty.
If you're in the Bay area and need an altitude adjustment, you won't regret putting Skydance on your list of dz's to visit.