Atlanta Skydiving Center

So I visited Skydive Georgia or the Atlanta Skydive Center this weekend. It is a tandem factory, they issue no helmets or jumpsuits to there tandem students. Poor briefing before and after the jumps.

Fun jumpers beware save your money and go to another drop zone. Very few fun jumpers, small King Air planes, so if you plan to do solos you'll be fine but good luck doing more than a 3 way. The staff was nice to the license skydivers and most customers but those with valid complaints were cast off as if they were lepers.

If you want to sting a tandem be prepared to have a D license. All in all i have visited much better drop zones both for the tandems and fun jumpers.

Atlanta Skydiving Center recently changed to Skydive Georgia, probably to try to shake off the terrible reputation they have. It's the same bad dropzone.

I hate to leave a bad DZ review. Typically if I don't have something good to say about a place I'll just keep my mouth shut, but this place deserves the negative review.

The only good thing about this place is that there are a few cool fun jumpers that hang out there.

If you stop here for a tandem, your experience will vary. A lot of the tandems get processed like customers at a McDonald's drive through. Their goal is to get you through as fast as possible. Some of the instructors and videographers put more effort into it than the others, but it's clear that the culture there is move you through to get to the next money-making opportunity.

The landing area is small, sloped, and surrounded by trees. This is a dangerous combination.

If all of that isn't enough, the business practices involved with this DZ are downright wrong. They're heavily involved with Skyride, which is a very immoral and nearly criminal organization. It's a scam targeted at people new to the sport (tandems).

Make sure that if you're shopping around for a place to do a tandem, you ask what altitude is included. Most places with a turbine aircraft only give quotes for full altitude (usually between 13,500 and 15,000). Skydive Georgia (Atlanta Skydiving Center) will typically quote you for a lower skydive (less freefall time, less fun). They do this so that their price SOUNDS competitive on the phone. If you don't ask, they won't tell you that they're not giving you a full-altitude jump. When you show up, they'll try to get you to pay extra money to go up to the same altitude that the other places go to.

There is absolutely no reason to jump at SG/ASC when Skydive the Farm (one of the highest rated DZs in the country) is only a few miles away. Do yourself a favor. If you're considering jumping checkout either "Skydive The Farm" if you're on the west side of Atlanta, or "Skydive Monroe" if you're on the east.

I’m sure some of you have read some bad reviews of this location on this and other websites, but let me do my best to set the record straight being new to skydiving myself. This location (493 Airport Rd, Cedartown, GA) is owned by Atlanta Skydiving Company and after doing some jumps towards my Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) certification, I can say it’s better than the reviews.

Yes, at one point back in 2000-2003ish, the service was bad, but that was under SkyRide.com. Speaking of SkyRide.com, they are only a booking service company who also owns ThrillPlanet.com. The jumpmasters/instructors at this location are aware of the bad reviews when it was owned by the old company, and really have done a great job turning it around. I’m actually going back there to do my level 3 and 4 AFF jumps. Yesterday, I was able to do my level 2 AFF jump knowing they have around 70 tandems to do for that day. Hope this helps…

The review right before mine ("The staff lied to us") is just a typical day for these guys. On top of their nasty business practices, these guys own websites like "SkydiveMobile.com" and "SkydiveAuburn.com" and if you call the number on their websites, they will tell you that the closest (and "only reputable dropzone") in the area is in Cedartown, GA. I called them pretending to be an anonymous guy wanting to make a tandem and asked them if there were any closer dropzones or even any other dropzones in my area (Mobile, AL) that weren't owned by their company and they specifically told me NO, there were not. There are 7 dropzones closer to me than this dropzone. As an upjumper I know of them all.
Furthermore, they try and take your credit card info and charge you for the jump before they even tell you where the dropzone is. After they've charged you, no refunds just rainchecks, they'll tell you that you've got to drive 8 hours from Mobile, AL to this place.

I visited this place to do a couple of jumps with a friend of mine who did AFF there. Their landing area is horrible - completely surrounded by trees and buildings. Turbulence and crap is disgusting and I almost want to measure it to see if they are allowed to use it for students under the USPA regs because it's so small. The 3 times I've been there I saw 7 people land in a tree - one of them was a C license holder (the rest students.)

Ask any skydiver who knows a bit about this dropzone (especially the stories of them getting kicked out of USPA and the lawsuit that they started to force their way back in) and you'll hear a nasty hatred. No one should ever go to this dropzone except maybe to leave a flaming brown paper bag on their doorstep or throw some eggs at the hangar.

I will give them this: their onsite staff is friendly and I haven't heard of anything unsafe there other than drunk jumps. Their business practices and the fact that their first concern is TANDEMS TANDEMS TANDEMS (for MONEY MONEY MONEY) will keep me away for good, though. When my friend came to me after AFF, the first thing we went over was a landing pattern at the dropzone. She had never even heard of a landing pattern or other simple things that are in the AFF course. I don't know what these guys are teaching from, but I wouldn't want to learn there.

Don't go here, and if you came from here, go somewhere else and pray that you're not too permanently screwed up from them.

I went with my friend to celebrate my birthday. We paid $279 for a tandem jump, videotape and to go to 14,000 feet. I drove two hours to arrive for a 1pm appt. Around 4pm the clerk told us not to leave for more than 15 min because we would be called soon. Around 6pm I checked in with the ASC staff because the sun was setting and I was assured that we would jump and that sunset jumps were the best. At 7pm, our names finally appeared on the list to jump. At 7:30 ASC staff said that we couldn't jump because the sun was setting. I was crushed. This was my birthday gift, I'd driven two hours and waited for six plus hours. We drove two hours home. It was horrible. The staff were indifferent about it and offered a raincheck. I'm not inclined to go through this miserable experience again. I can't believe we didn't jump and they didn't have a better response. In addition, there were folks (individuals, couples and groups) that arrived after us but jumped before us. They offered us a raincheck but I'm not likely to drive four hours round trip to wait for hours and then be told I can't jump. They knew or should have know that sunset (a quick internet search will tell you the exact time that the sun will set) was approaching planned for it! ASC should have done more to get the jumps in on time, train staff to let people know that they may not jump and have a more professional response to these matters. I am out $279, a full day wasted and no jump. I've been wanting to jump for years. I can't beleive that it didn't happen. Mostly, I'm just really dissapointed.

I just finished my AFF at ASC this week! On to the rest of the A-License... and I feel totally prepared for that and 100% confident of the support I'm gonna get from these great people.

Admittedly, it took a while for me to get through the 7 jumps because I was mostly trying on the weekends, and as anyone local to this DZ would know, the weather lately has NOT been conducive for skydiving. I will say that if I had simply picked a couple of perfect weather weekdays up front and gone for it, it would have been a totally different story and I'd have been done in a couple or three days. Now, on to the the DZ...

The first jump course was professionally done and was entertaining (Fast Eddie!) and all of the subsequent jumps were coached incredibly tight (Johan, Junior, Val, Sarah) and with lots of attention to detail. They paced the instruction right along with me, as much as I could take, and I had a perfect progression. Lots of extra experience was gained along the way, with long casual sit downs in between loads on spotting, packing, gear selection, and even on 'site culture' :) All in all, a GREAT AFF experience, from the course to graduation. I'm so so super ready for what's to come. Johan, you rock as an instructor, thanks man.

The equipment selection is top notch, lots of different rigs always available for you to check out and try. I flew a little bit of everything with lots of guidance from the instructors on what to look for and expect as I experimented. And you should see those packers go... They're machines! Underappreciated machines to boot, y'all don't forget to thank 'em at the end of the day!

The facility is really nice too... all carpeted, kept neat and clean, most everything you could need and a 1 minute walk to the plane. Haven't checked out the bunkhouse, and I wish it had a bit more of a camping area, I'd spend weekends there. Admittedly it is an airport, so maybe that explains it :)

I should also mention this, although it's a bit of an outside perspective. I spent a lot of time sitting around on AFF weather hold and got to see a lot of tandem folks come and go. It's always the same thing... come in a little nervous, then leave after a great time laughing their heads off talking loudly about who they're bringing back next time. They show them a good time, make it interesting, treat them right, and never let down on the details. It's good to see.

You know what? The manifest chicks are underappreciated too. They work their asses off under some tough conditions. Well run manifest office, good job ladies. Prices are good too, although the only comparison I've done are internet prices. They're in line with the rest of the area and no shenanigans observed ;)

All glowing aside, come check them out. You won't be disappointed. The people make this place.

-Jeffrey

I have had a wonderful experience with ASC as my dropzone. I had limited experience in the skydiving world with a few static lines and free falls over the early 2000's (RBC - Walterboro). It had been 5 years since my last jump, and I didn't get much more than canopy ride experience. (They didn't teach setting up your own landing pattern, and talked me down every jump.)

I decided it was time to become serious with the sport, and now that I live in Atlanta, I chose ASC to take the AFF course. I'm very pleased I did so. My journey started off with a very comprehensive ground class with 'Fast' Eddie. Once the class was over, I had to wait for my turn to go up. (It was a pretty busy Saturday.) I was studying the mock up picture of the DZ and asked the closest person how a person determines a landing pattern (we had covered the basics in the class). To tell the truth, I was a little nervous about that part as in my experiences at Walterboro they talked me to the ground (even telling me when to flare every time). Turns out the person I asked was the man in charge of the coaching service at ASC (Lance). He launched into an impromptu lesson in landing patters, wind drag, etc. He showed me where playgrounds would be at the different points at the airport depending on landing target and the wind speed. I felt immensely more confident after that little class, and it did much to quell the one voice of resignation in my head on the whole jump process.

Next thing I knew, it was my turn to go up. I was assigned to two jumpmasters (Thad and JJ) who went over the flow of the skydive with me a few times before getting me suited up for the jump. Up we went, out the door, and the sensory overload kicked in. It was the same feeling of being black-out drunk: I can only recall flashes of about 10 seconds of the free fall, my arch was crap, and I wasn’t able to touch the pilot chute! Thad ended up pulling for me at just above six grand. Then came the canopy ride, which based on my previous experience was breeze (pun intended). I followed Lance’s guidelines for setting up my landing pattern; to my surprise I didn’t get any more over the radio than "doing great". I flared a little low, had a rough PLF, and it was over.

Ready to give it another go, I went back to manifest and was set up to go after about two hours. (This time I was with Frank and JJ.) Since I had to do more this jump, my brain was overloaded before I even made it out of the door. I had the same effect of sensory overload, and if anything my arch was worse this time. Frank gave me the 'straighten your legs' sign twice, and even though I thought I was doing so they still flapped uselessly behind me. Again, I was aware of only about 10 seconds of the jump, and was so unstable near the end Thad pulled for me again (at 6500). I soloed my landing again, this time flaring high (over compensated), and had another PLF landing; thankfully less rough that the first one.

On the review of the jump we went over my complete lack of awareness and disorientation during the jump. Frank was very honest with me about the jump, and told me that I couldn't pass to AFF3 until I was able to get my awareness and Arch under control. I was very disheartened at my progress; it's frustrating to know what you need to do but your brain shuts down on you. I skipped coming back the next weekend so my brain could process the experience and I could work on being aware of what occurred during the skydive.. In part, to also convince myself I could do this sport.

I came back on a Saturday, with a monkey of performance anxiety on my back. Woody and Frank were my jump masters for this route. Woody picked up on my nerves, and spent most of the prep and time on the plane telling me to breathe and to relax. It helped! This time out the plane I was simply amazed at how aware I was. It was like someone flipped a switch and I was AWARE. I once was blind and now could see indeed. I took care of my leg problems, and did my turns properly. I even pulled my pilot chute first try after wave-off! Landing went great. Thrilled by the success, I got on the very next load, this time with Thad. It was a perfect free fall. I was amazed at how my body seemed to automatically correct my heading to focus on Thad (who wasn’t docked the whole jump due to a fast exit).

Most of my down time was spent asking questions of the jump/tandem masters and the packing staff. They are ALL very helpful and giving with information on the sport… and patient too, I ask a lot of questions. =-)

I spent the night at the drop zone over the weekend; they have great facilities (bunks, showers) for jumpers bunking over (at no charge!). Weekend life at a DZ is interesting indeed; they should make a reality show for it.

The rest of my AFF's went much the same. Weather prevented me from getting my AFF7 on Sunday, so I came back the next Tuesday. The wind was too gusty for students, so I hung out with the staff and decided to sign up for a packing class with Sarah. She took her time to show the how to properly prepare and pack a rig; though I’m not quite yet brave enough to pack one to jump, I feel I can do so and have it open properly (hopefully not too rough). I camped out in the bunk house again and got on the first load of the day. It was my AFF7 (Graduation Jump) with Frank. I was a little nervous; what if I had forgotten that awareness I had found over the weekend? Frank was very good at calming my nerves: This was my skydive; he was just there to watch. I also felt I had more to prove in this jump; he had seen my utter failure of a jump on AFF2. I did a forward flip out of the plane and got stable quickly. I did a left 360, then a right 360, ending it focused on Frank. I did a back flip, and focused on him again. He made the sign to arch a little harder (so we were at the same level), then waved me towards him. I can’t tell you exactly how I did it, as it seems like the body figures out how to move even if the brain isn’t actively thinking about it, but I glided up and stopped right in front of him. We docked arms, and then he did the coolest thing that had happened to me in the air yet. I saw both his feet go straight down, and the next thing I knew he flipped me right over the back of his head!!! It was awesome. I got stable and oriented on him again. He signed for me to track away and pull; I did so, and had my second stand up landing at the dropzone. It was a PERFECT skydive for me, and one hell of a graduation from the AFF program. On the ground, Frank gave me accolades for my Skydive, and said my tracking was excellent for the first time I had ever done it.

In total, I’ve had a wonderful experience with ASC and would recommend it to any new or experienced jumper.

Thanks to Frank, Jimmy, Thad, JJ, Fast Eddie, Woody, Kate, Sarah, Katie, Nick, Aaron, Ashton, Tyler, Kenny, Lance, Katie, JR, V, Ted, PJ, Alisha, and everyone else at ASC.

Dennis

I went down for my first jump a couple of months ago with a buddy of mine. At first we felt completely out of place, but by the end of the jump we felt like it was a place we could come back to and be received warmly.

So, I took my AFF course there and have continued to jump there with the people that I can now call my friends. Currently I am taking an A License progression that is being developed by the coaches/staff and it has been extremely rewarding. The coaches are patient, positive, and will work with you one on one as much as you like. There is no reason to look for another DZ to learn from if you are from TN, AL, & GA. They are a 1-stop shop that will accommodate all your needs.

I look forward to becoming a better jumper with all their knowledge, expertise, and friendship.

I did my AFF there and felt welcome and comfortable from the moment I walked in. The general atmosphere is very laid back yet professional. The staff are extremely experienced and always willing to answer any questions and give coaching. The packing area is carpeted and huge and being right next to the airport is great for back to back loads if you want to get in as many jumps as possible. There are many types of jumpers there from RW to freefly who are also asking people to join in on their jumps so you wont have to worry about just having to make solo jumps when you first come. I have brought a couple friends out for tandems and they had a blast also. I've visited a couple DZ's and am happy to call ASC my home dropzone. I would recommend ASC to anyone wanting to have a great time!!

Love love love this dropzone.
Years of good times in a completely climate controlled facility.
Hope everyone gives it a try.

I would recommend this DZ. It is as good and safe as any other DZ in georgia. The review before this one is obviously not someone making a first jump. They know way to much about skydiving and is obviously someone that works at a competing DZ and has a beef with the people at ASC. I'm sure its something stupid. THere is a intense rivalry between two local DZ's. I'm sure this is the motivation for that review. Its true that kritter might try to remove all the water from the pond with his body. But unfortuneatly at the other DZ they use another method for removing water. Its called the displacement method. They displace the water with dead bodies of students that they neglegently drowned while they were drunk partying. Its a fun DZ also and they skydive safe enough. But if you plan to stay the night I would take a life preserver and use the buddy system. On the bright side they refunded the dead guy his money but unfortuneatly they couldnt refund him his future.

I have made several jumps at this DZ and never had any problems with the place. The crowd at the dz is from all over the world and offers great advice from years of epierence and high jump numbers. The dz offers a variety of aircraft, bunk house, showers and only about an hour from Hartsfield international airport.

ASC offers everything! and I do mean everything! expect the best people, gear, rigs, planes, pilots, and reception. ASC has a great vibe and frienly enviroment!

you wont have to settle for anything less than perfection!!

Been on the DZ scene all my life this place rocks.

Over 15 brand new SIGMA TANDEM RIGS,,
10 + new student rigs all cypress equiped.

Just walk in the gear room it will blind you!

Full staff experts in all diciplines of skydiving.

What else can I say,, Ive seen em all,,
WHEN ITS REAL YOU FEEL IT!

PAUL SILVIA

Best vibe in GA PERIOD!No phonys no skygods, just a professionally run DZ.

Ive been at this for 25 years and haven't
jumped with a better crowd period.


JUSTIN P SILVIA D15898
FIRST JUMP 6/17/1984

I made my first jump here at ASC, and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else. Since the first day I was here, almost two years ago, everyone treated me with respect and in a very amicable way. They all wanted to help me advance in the sport in any way that they could, and were always more than happy to give advice, and praise when I did something well, which is very important to a new student's confidence in themselves in such a different sport than most. I had to take 8 months off during my first year of college, but when I came back, they all remembered me, even my name, and were more than happy to help get me current again and continue my learning of the sport. Today, I am almost at 100 jumps and enjoying the sport more than ever. If it weren't for the guidance and care of the instructors here, I would probably not have gotten back into the sport which I now love so much. As far as tandems go, I've never personally made one, but watching them do their jobs, they are nothing less than professional. A few of the instructors have over 10,000 jumps, and the confidence that this instills in the tandem students is more than visible to the naked eye. I don't see how you could have a bad experience at this dropzone (bar injuries, which is part of the sport) and if you did, I'm truly sorry, but give us another shot, I guarantee you that you won't be disappointed, anyone can have a bad day, just because they are some of the best instructors around doesn't make them perfect. Bottom line, ASC is the place to make a skydive, whether you are making your first jump, either tandem or AFF, or are an experienced jumper looking for an awesome place to jump.

I made my first jump at ASC and everying went well up until it was time to jump. It was my birthday and this was my present from my girlfriend, she also paid for my first jump to be videoed, this is where things went wrong. My videographer (kritter) decided to swoop the pond instead of landing and filming the rest of my jump, instead he almost got killed becuase he can't swoop, other jump masters at ASC were talking about how unsafe he was. I didn't get my video because the camera equipment got soaked when he tried to remove the water from the pond with his body. This was a complete lack of professionalism. I talked to the manager tyler who couldn't have cared less. they called me 2 days later to say they had salvaged my video but did not want to give a partial refund enev though I didn't have a complete video. They felt the full price ws warranted for a little more than half of what they promised. Safety? forget it the landing pattern was a joke people were landing from all different directions and almost on top of each other, as I was standing outside with a jumpmaster going over my jump plan a landing skydiver came right at us just so he could high five the jump master. After I finished my class for AFF I waited as load after load after load of tandem jumpers were loaded ahead of us, clearly ASC is only interested in a quick buck from tandem jumpers and cares nothing for new jumpers looking for their A license. Most of the jumpmasters and others there were nice and pleasant but it was the manager tyler, kritter, and the office staff that made me decide to take my business elsewhere.BE YE WARNED these people will rip you off and could get you hurt or killed.

From the moment I walked through the doors I have been treated with the upmost respect. I was, and am sincerely impressed with the professionalism of Kritter (my AFF instructor) as well as with the rest of the staff. The manager is very reasonable, take for instance when I failed one of my levels they wanted to get me back up in the air as fast as possible without going over the financial aspect. They cater to inexperienced personnel such as me, which takes great patience and character. I even stayed there 4 nights to get my first jump and didn’t have a problem with anyone, they even went over how to rig, and whenever I asked a question they were more than happy to answerer it without making me regret asking it, no question was stupid there! I would recommend this place to anyone.

I started my AFFs right off with no Tandem and these guys looked out for me through and through. Fast Eddy gives an awesome AFF Class and everyone is more than willing to give you some pointers. I did my class and first jump one weekend but was unable to jump again due to weather, but came back the next week and did the jump (They don't just keep your money, it stays on the books) plus another. I like the fact that its a fairly small and rough landing area because this is perfect to learn on in my opinion. We went to go for my 2nd jump but they wouldn't let me because we forgot the radio, I was bummed a bit but this just goes to show that they are all about safety even though they thought I would be fine landing on my own. It gets REALLY busy on weekends but they have wireless internet and a bigscreen TV for while you are waiting. Hit it up on a weekday and its smooth sailing with very little wait. Unfortunately I had to leave due to the fact that I work in Iraq but I will be returning in October and driving out there to finish my AFFs.

The only con is not really a con, they are busy because they are good. Make sure you have the whole day to spend with them (bring a book). Everyone is nice and helpful. I went for my first time and now it is time to sell the boat and golf clubs, have something better to do on weekends. I will use them for my training because of the attention to detail and the customer that they provide.

I really researched different DZ's in the area and despite a few experienced jumpers complaints I felt like I needed to find out for myself. ASC seemed well put together and organized. The staff was very friendly and informative (talked to me on the phone for about 10 minutes while I drilled them with questions). Other places seemed eager to answer a couple questions and get off the phone so I went with ASC.

The day we were suppose to go there was bad weather so we rescheduled for a few days later. We did go a couple days later to the DZ and weather was still bad, but enjoyed the company of the people and staff. Two days later I called the DZ on a moments notice to jump and within the hour I was on a plane.

I paid the extra $10 to go to 14 (which I watched the ALT to make sure we did and we jumped @ 14). Some jumpers said they didn't get to 14 and got excuses. I never had a problem with that. It was my first jump and of course, I got the video (and I look like a complete goober but that's not hard :) They rushed to make my video and I had it in my hands in about 5 minutes. I really couldn't be happier. Granted, I did jump on a weekday on the last group out, but they were still helpful and friendly.

The facility was walking distance to the runway and very convenient.

Overall, the facility, crew, environment, and experience were great. I would definitely recommend it and Preacher Man's Baby Jesus Burgers (and I asked, its not make from ground up baby Jesus although if it was I'm sure it'd be Kosher). Only bad factor was the weather which bummed us for a few days but I'm sure it was the same everywhere else.

Any questions or concerns feel free to hit me up.

Woady

Was in town to visit my family for a few days. I had never visited ASC but I had heard mixed things about them but I decided to give them a try. I was very impressed with the packing area, aircon and plenty of space. Bought 1 ticket to 14.5, only they don't go to 14.5, more like 11. This really made me angry. I asked them about this and they said that it was because they are in the Hartsfield traffic pattern, except I have asked friends of mine who are airline pilots as well as private pilots, both of who tell me that it is not. It made me angry but I can get over that. When I got home I started digging into asc on the internet and found out that they have hundreds of complaints lodged, have been kicked out of the USPA and a news station in Atlanta even did an investigative report on them.
The physical aspects of ASC are great and people are friendly, but it is run very poorly. I can not in good conscience recomend this DZ to anybody. Hopefully new management can change that.

My wife and I were in the Atlanta area for work and brought along our rigs this past week. We jumped at a few local DZs and found this one to be our least favorite.

The attitude at ASC was geared more to catering the tandems. I've read a lot of reviews and opinions about this DZ and their marketing/business plan, but I wanted to give the place a fair shot myself. Unfortunately I'd have to agree with a number of people about this place, and I really didn't have a whole lot of time there to peal back the onion skin.

The sub-staff (video guys and instructors) were very friendly though. I actually elevated my overall score on ASC based on their interest in the up-jumper crowd.

The landing area was a bit hectic, as people were and landing in multiple directions (not just the swoopers). All in all I would not be surprised if there was an incident in the landing area at some point.

They do have a nice building with a/c in the packing area. And there is a super nice guy that cooks up food that is convenient to buy on-site.

If your in the area visiting, I'd advise checking out a few of the surrounding DZs first. You'll be happier for it.

I attended the Good Vibes Boogie last March and was one of the organizers of the model/video shoots. As busy as we were that whole weekend, the staff at ASC were very accommodating and I got to do my first jump!! Thanks Tyler, you rock!!

All of the people hanging out were cool as hell and I made alot of friends that I still keep in touch with.

Hey guys its Kenneth Pugh and unlike the guy below all my contact info is in my profile so if you dont like what i have to say shoot me an email. First Nobody sold this guy accident insurance, t shirt most likely although he got to choose from 10 different styles. Second the waiver he is referring to is the relative workshop waiver which every tandem in the country has to to watch and sign before jumping a sigma system (this dangerous dropzone owns 13 sigmas). And his reference to the tandem student that was dropped just so happened to be dropped by the country's best rigger at another Atlanta dropzone. And its obvious this poster is not an experienced jumper because of his comment on the hook turn fatality, experienced jumper fatality s such as that are not a reflection of the dropzones safety not to mention your referring to our lost friends! In a nutshell before anyone takes dingleberry1's advice check the facts ask around, any self respecting jumper will be honest about a dropzones safety no matter where they are from.