Area drop zones
Skydive Greene County
Where: 177 S. Monroe-Siding Road, Xenia
Phone: (937) 372-0700
Website: www.skydiveohio.com
Start Skydiving
Where: Middletown Regional Airport Hook Field, 1711 Run Way, Middletown
Phone: (513) 422-JUMP (5867)
Website: www.startskydiving.com/
Skydive Warren County
Where: Warren County Airport, 2460 Greentree Road, Lebanon
Phone: (513) 282-3725
Website: www.skydivewarrencounty.com
Choosing a jump
(From the United States Parachute Association)
Individual drop zones may offer some or all of these first-jump methods.
• A tandem jump is the easiest and most popular way to experience skydiving for the first time, usually requiring only a half-hour of basic ground instruction. Tandem jumping allows students to experience the thrill of freefall from 13,000 feet while securely harnessed to an experienced instructor. Many people find that sharing the parachute with an experienced instructor allows more peace of mind. Tandem jumps generally range from $150 to $250, depending on altitude and extras.
• On an Accelerated Freefall (AFF) jump, first-time students learn to skydive with their own parachute system, experiencing the thrill of freefall with two instructors at their side — not attached to them. AFF requires four to five hours of intense ground instruction, including learning body flight maneuvers and hand signals that instructors use to coach the student as they fly alongside. The instructors hold onto the student's harness until the student deploys his own parachute and then makes a solo canopy descent, with radio instruction to help guide him to a safe landing. AFF jumps typically range from $250-$350 each, which includes a four- to five-hour training session and two instructors accompanying you on the jump.
• The static-line and instructor-assisted deployment (IAD) methods are still in use at many skydiving centers around the country. On this type of jump, either a static-line attached to the aircraft or the instructor initiates deployment of the student's parachute as he exits the airplane. The student experiences only a second or two of freefall but has the advantage of making a solo parachute descent with radio instruction to help guide him to a safe landing. Four or more hours of training are required, and prices range from $100-$200 per jump.
It was just a matter of time before the little boy running around the backyard in his Superman cape really took to the skies.
“Flying had always been a dream of mine,” Mike Chester said.
Just one time skydiving in 2002 and the Clayton man was hooked.
“The first thing I said when I landed was, ‘I just did a bad thing, because I have to do it again,’” Chester said, smiling.
The 37-year-old has done it again and again and again — more than 800 times in all. He now owns his own gear and parachute and has a C license from the United States Parachute Association.
“Skydiving is one of the few things you can do that takes your mind off everything,” Chester said. “It is a great stress relief.”
According to the USPA, approximately 400,000 people in the United States tried skydiving for the first time last year. On average, these first-time jumpers and experienced skydivers make about 3 million jumps annually. More than 4 million men and women across the country can say they’ve taken the leap at least once.
There are several sites in the Miami Valley from Xenia to Middletown where adventure seekers can give skydiving a try.
What’s it like to make the 10,000-plus foot jump?
Dayton-area skydivers share their experiences.
Krystal Warren always wanted to “do daredevil things,” so when a skydiving Groupon came out last fall and she had a willing friend to accompany her, there was little hesitation for the Dayton woman who also checked half-marathon and a trip to South Africa off her bucket list in 2010.
“The process is kind of crazy. We did a tandem jump so there was a five-minute video, we signed a waiver and we were on the plane. There wasn’t a lot of time to think about it. The freefall is the best part, there’s that pure adrenaline rush and the feeling of weightlessness. It was awesome. I would love to do it again and try it on my own.”
When Andrew Blosser headed to the University of Cincinnati in September, his dad suggested he get involved in some campus activities. Blosser found the UC Skydiving Club online. He made his first jump in early October.
“I think my dad was kind of shocked, I don’t think this was the club he had in mind. Standing there getting ready to jump, it just didn’t seem real. I almost didn’t believe it was really happening. When you are falling, it doesn’t really feel like falling, it’s more like floating in mid-air. I’m going again next week and I definitely want to get my license to skydive by myself.”
For Matt Dewald, the adventure started with an offhand comment almost two decades ago to his then girlfriend about wanting to skydive. When she offered to pay for him and a friend (as she didn’t want to go) to give it a try, he was hard-pressed to say no.
“I couldn’t think of a reason not to go, but the whole time, part of you is thinking ‘what’s the point of this — why jump out of a perfectly good airplane?’ For me, the weirdest experience was, when you jump they had you sort of tuck and roll and when I did my first roll, I was facing the plane — it was right there, but there’s no way you can go back. You don’t normally think of yourself in the middle of the sky, next to plane, but there’s no reset button. But once you get into the freefall position, it’s fun and kind of thrilling.”
Natasha Habib is “not a heights person” and she couldn’t even bring herself to give indoor rock climbing a try. But her present to herself for her 23rd birthday earlier this year was a skydiving excursion — something she had been thinking about for awhile.
“I kept expecting to be nervous, maybe when I was at the doors of the plane, but I was pretty calm. Freefalling was amazing, it was the most peaceful experience I’ve ever had. I would do it every day of my life if it wasn’t so expensive. When I tell people about it, they either think it’s cool or I’m crazy, but I really think it’s something everybody should experience at some point.”
While Elizabeth Pages was finishing up her master’s degree in higher education student affairs at Ohio State University, a skydiving class caught her attention. The opportunity was just too good to pass up.
“The first day of class, I was nervous and a little overwhelmed. But by the time I made my jump (which was not required to get class credit), I was feeling ready. I was talking to myself and went through the procedures in my head. When the chute opened, I remember taking a deep breath and thinking ‘I’m still alive.’ It was such a beautiful view. It was so incredible, definitely something I’d love to keep doing again and again.”
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