WestPlains Skydiving Center

I went out there to work as an instructor and so my reason for being there is different from a fun jumpers perspective. I was told that they had more students than staff to handle them and that there was a desire to build up the business to a higher level. Right now the place is being funded by the DZO. A great guy named Rex who has a lot of energy and gets help from a dedicated staff. They all have full time jobs and hence the weekend only hrs. of operation. The place has fantastic potential but I got the impression that there isn't a lot of desire to increase the student numbers. With the business where it is, it would be difficult for an instructor to make enough to live on for the summer, let alone survive the year. The place has fantastic potential and it's too bad it isn't being operated to it's capacity. I certainly wish them the very best and hope they find a way to keep the place going so it can continue in the future.

Imagine your favorite thing, times that by one meelion. This DZ is better than that.

Extremely experenced staff for a smaller dz, and some very good fun jumpers combined with a great dedication to having fun and being safe makes this one of the best DZs I've been too. No sky gods, and an awesome student program makes the DZ welcoming to new jumpers. Overall a perfect place to jump, hang out and have a blast.

Every day at West Plains is the best day of your life.

Great dropzone with a small club atmosphere. The caravan is in great shape & climbs fast. Large indoor packing area, friendly manifest & big blue skies. I didn’t have a problem with the landing area since the indoor packing area is carpeted. The people are fantastic & willing to jump with you even if you are the newest/guest jumper on the dropzone. Farmer McNasty gives the DZ character. No attitude here just lots of fun people with big smiles! If you are visiting or moving to Eastern Washington this is the place to jump.

They jump hard, party hard, do head down and relitive work. Have a Fast climbing plane and nice people with indoor packing. The overall atmoshere was awesume, lots of skydiving talent. What else do you need.

West Plains Skydiving has that great "small Cessna DZ" feel, but is made even better by that Cessna being a really nice Caravan. The people there make the DZ what it is, that being someplace where it's easy to get on a load doing RW, freefly, or Birdman jumps, and just as easy to BS with folks between jumps and after-hours ,even if you showed up not knowing a soul. The staff seems to really care about student safety as well as whether everyone (students and up-jumpers alike) has fun, and manifest couldn't possibly be nicer. Overall, it's just a really fun DZ, whether you're trying to take it easy or trying to pound out jumps. The only things that could be a little better would be a bit more development of the landing area, a real bathroom/sink instead of a porta-potty, and the ability to take debit/credit cards. Minor inconveniences compared to the upsides.

Picture a skydiver that could dream up the perfect dropzone and you would see WestPlains DZ. Staff was awsome, Caravan was in excellent condition, Hangar has tons of carpet for the massive packing area. Staff would come talk to you to see what load you wanted to manifest for it was like they could read your mind! Not my home DZ but they will be seeing me a lot more in the future. The only thing that prevents this DZ from being completly perfect is the landing area. If the were able to plant lawn type grass this place would be hard to beat.

Good location w/ good crowd of folks eager to enjoy all aspects of skydiving.
We've had a reduction in instructor staff and really need some help to keep this DZ growing and going.
Close drive to Spokane, WA and yet has many amenities close to DZ, ie food, motel,lakes,etc.

Stopped by heading East one day, and we were treated like we had been there forever. Laid back jumping with some very skilled people followed up with a very generous after hours social. The Turbine 207 is an awsome airplane and I believe the only one flying jumpers in the U.S. We will return any time we are in the area,only wish it could be more often.

Jeese,, just found this and thought I better put in my .02 cents,,, It is my home DZ, where I learned to jump, the folks are friendly and willing to jump with all levels,, more of a laid back club atmosphere,, the turbine C-207 is an excellant small DZ jump ship, and the C-182 is available for doin formation loads and slow days,,, we're on the way to Lost Prairie from Seattle/Portland areas and have had numerous West Coast jumpers stop by on there way East.. we've also been recently discovered by the Seattle area jumpers to head East on rainy days there,, the Crabtree School Jumpmasters are amoung the best,, most are Survival school instructors at Fairchild AFB,, or recently retired from there, and have trained and jumped all sorts of military folks in static jumps,, HALO's, night jumps, 200lbs of gear strapped to them etc... having your first jump with someone who has that kind of experience is hard to find anywhere,, the setting is a small town in a farming area with lots of safe outs in wide open fields all over in case of the rare bad spot,, I know the website is being worked on as I write this,,, so if your in the area stop by and say hello,, but if it's your first time/jump there bring your BEER!! For a small DZ you can't beat it and I will rate it a 9/10 just cuz I'm biased and we don't have an Otter or Skyvan.... Billy