I am a B licensed jumper with a lot of experience with Skydive Space Center and wanted to share my story so that you are informed before wasting your time. I duplicate posted this response to Skydive Jacksonville because the owner, Greg, operates both Skydive Jacksonville and Skydive Space Center, and they follow the same unprofessional, unsafe business plan. I live about 20 minutes away from Skydive Space Center; so naturally I chose this facility to make my first tandem jump. Calling a week in advance to see what I needed to do and bring. They told me I HAD to make a reservation and leave a deposit to be able to jump that Saturday, so I gave my credit card info over the phone and set an appointment for a 9am jump. When I got there at 8:15, they wouldn’t even talk to me until I filled out my 26 page waiver. After that, they took my remaining balance and told me I’d have to wait since there were 20 or so people ahead of me. They didn’t have an appointment and just walked in, but they were there first so I got bumped. Explain to me what good my reservation did me!? It took several hours to get through my tandem and the only interaction I got was a few minutes to get my harness put on and then when the jumpmaster grabbed me to go to the plane. Very impersonal! A year later, I made a second tandem there, and had the exact same issues. 6 months after that, I started my AFF at Skydive Space Center. They were very passive with me, pushing me to the side whenever a tandem showed up. I would sit at the drop zone from 8am to 4pm every Saturday and Sunday, and would get but 1 or 2 jumps in all weekend. They cater to tandems and treat everyone else like garbage. Once I completed my 7 AFF jumps and was cleared for solo, it became next to impossible to get on a load. It took me 9 months to get my 25 jumps for my A license. That’s not to mention that they refused to do my required hop-n-pop. Thankfully their pilot, Andrew, who was also doing his AFF, helped me out and put me out at 3500 on the dot. The problem was that there was not one instructor who would explain the jump procedure to me. Unknowingly, I made a head first exit from the King Air and had a difficult time getting stable to deploy. I was VERY low when I finally did get under canopy. Greg fired Andrew a few years back and hired a new pilot who hates to fly, so the plane sits until they have a full load manifested. At least Andrew would push manifest to send him up and he got the loads moving. This new guy will get pissed off when he has to make the jump run. They force you out as fast as possible and refuse to make 2 passes. There’s no jump order other tan fun jumpers before tandems. Forget formation jumps because they will bump you off the load of a tandem shows up. Typically, you may see 1 or 2 fun jumpers on a load, but rarely more, and never a fun-jumpers-only load. Their gear rentals are very limited and worn pretty bad. Most of the time, at least 2 or 3 of the 5 rental rigs are in for service. Alan is their senior rigger. He’s a good guy and he’ll try to help, but they hound him to pack all the tandem rigs and he gets too busy to help because Greg won’t let him stop for even a minute. All the jumpmasters are big-ego sky-gods who won’t waste their time talking to you. Anytime I asked a question, even during AFF, they would glare at me and laugh like I’m stupid. Early in 2009, they started a new rule of no fun jumpers M-F, so I could no longer try to make an afternoon jump in-week. They also cut their operating hour’s way down. The second the last tandem is completed and there are no more waiting to go up, they shut down for the day. I mean roll the plane in, lock the doors, and go home. It could be 1 in the afternoon and they’ll still close up. Nobody wants to be there and it’s obvious! Once I got through my first 25 jumps and took my A license test, I was completely fed up with wasting 2 full days in a hanger where nobody will talk to you and only making 2 jumps. I began making the 1.5 hour drive to Skydive City at Z-hills and have made it my home. You can show up, manifest, get rental gear and be on a load in 15 minutes. TK and the entire staff in Z-hills are the best and everyone is quick to welcome new jumpers. I got my B-license at Z-hills and am hereto warm anyone considering Skydive Space Center to stay away! Keep in mind that Greg, the owner of Skydive Space Center, also owns Skydive Jacksonville and Monterey Bay California. His tandems-only policy and anti-skydiving attitude carry through in Jacksonville, and I can only assume the same for Cali. Jumpers beware!
