Little dinky good vibe dzs for road trip?

[ScratchTX 0]

So I'm thinking I may get current and start skydiving again in the next year. Will do that locally, until I feel like the layer of rust has blown off.

But then...

I always wanted to take a dropzone road trip. But not to the biggest and hottest dz's --rather, to the little club-like ones. DZ's that are especially welcoming to the odd folk, the thoughtful ones who can wax eloquent about the feel of the relative wind at exit from different planes without getting blank stares and shrugs: "I just exit." Kind of an "olden days" feel, where doing one or two jumps in a day wouldn't seem that weird. DZs where it's about skydiving rather than being a Skydiver.

Turbine vs. piston is unimportant. Physical facilities don't matter so much either. I enjoyed getting my feet wet in skydiving at a small Cessna DZ, even though I admit my past-middle-aged bones have enjoyed the bench seats and big doors at the Otter/Caravan dzs I visited. Regarding "disciplines" (huh what a word) -- with my low jump #'s and currency, I don't freefly; small RW and silly stuff is good. And CRW is good, too...

So, starting from Texas, where would y'all suggest I go? I know everybody loves their dz, and good vibes are wherever you make them/find them... :>) But there is still a culture difference, and I'm looking for the Main Street/Woolworths type dzs rather than the Carlos 'n Charlies/Dave & Busters type ones...

[skymama 37]

Palatka, in northeast Florida, is a friendly little dz to visit. Raeford, in NC, is another nice place. Quite a few dz.commers jump at both places and I'm sure they would make you feel welcome.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[peregrinerose 0]

Maytown. It's a club, and Handsome Dave is there

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[popsjumper 2]

I'll plug for:

Skydive Wissota (Wisconsin)
http://www.skydivewissota.org/

Skydive Palatka (Florida)
http://www.skydivepalatka.com/

Skydive Airtight (Oklahoma)
http://www.skydiveairtight.com/home.html

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[Meux 0]

On your way from Texas to Palatka, make a stop by Emerald Coast just West of Pensacola. Very fun place, great vibe, not unusual for the last jump of the day to be on the beach.

As you continue East on I-10 swing by Quincey, just West of Tallahassee. An easy place to fit right in, make some fun jumps and retire into the trees where all the peeps hang out and tell stories. Don't stand too close to the bonfire, or fall in the hot tub.

What a cool idea, have fun.

[jacketsdb23 49]

If you make it North, hit up Dick Swanson's place in Plattsburg, NY. Malone Parachute Club at Plattsburg I think is the name now. Top notch bunch of guys. Its been a while since i've been out there....a long time actually...but that place has been around for ever and has a GREAT vibe!

Blue Skies

Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen
God is Good
Beer is Great
Swoopers are crazy.

[Fast 0]

Sky Knights in East Troy, WI is a unique place. Its a club DZ that operates a turbine in the summer and a cessna in the winter. Worth checking out. Lots of people pass through and we like it!

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[Bolas 5]

Flying Tigers in Clemson SC has some beautiful views from altitude.

Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting
If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

[LittleOne 0]

I recommend Skydive New Mexico. I passed through there and had a most enjoyable day. They have a couple of 182's and the landings are fast, if you like that kind of thing. Really cool bunch of people: made a visiting New Yorker and Londoner feel very welcome.

[docdialtone 0]

If your in the Austin San Antonio area San Marcos is the place to start in Texas. I've heard Skydive Houston and Spaceland are good in that area as well.

[flyhi 24]

Take the I-10 tour. Skydive Spaceland, big but friendly. Emerald Coast. Someone else said it, last jump of the day into the Florabama and incredibly friendly. Let me crash on their floor the first time there. I think they have a Porter. On to Palatka. Art will treat you right. Down I-95 to Space Coast and then Sebastian.

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[faulknerwn 38]

I learned in Palatka - great dz always - and one of my old jumpmasters started the dropzone in Tallahassee.. Small dropzones are good..

And you need to get current and come back to us at Temple. I still have your d-bag on one of my rigs...

[wildfan75 1]

Thanks for the props Pops!

Scratch--Wissota is the ultimate little dinky good vibes dz. Cheap jump tickets, a place to crash, vintage 182s, a full size fridge that always seems to be stocked to the max with beer and always someone to jump with. Plus, if you make it a summer trip, you'll love the cool refreshing Wisconsin summer air. We mostly do belly flying but if you're into that, you'll get to jump with 2 World Teamers and several others that have thousands of jumps.

Also, East Troy is about 4-5 hours away and Skydive Twin Cities is about 45 minutes away. You could always head there before or after and get your turbine fix.

If you do decide to include Wissota in your plans, make sure that you PM when you'll be there. I'll plan something nice for dinner for everyone (I work for a food broker and get free food all the time) and make sure I can help you feel welcome in anyway.

Have fun, good luck and be safe on your road trip!!!

[popsjumper 2]

Did I hear someone say "free food"????????

Sure would supplement my >$20/wk food budget.

Will you email me a sammich?



Oh, and may MD and Nancy please forgive me...I forgot to recommend Emerald Coast (Alabama).

http://www.emeraldskydive.com/

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[ScratchTX 0]

Wow these are some great suggestions. Some of them look like just what I'm looking for... so now, how about the REALLY small ones, the ones WITHOUT websites (are there even such places?!)

Wendy, you can hang on to my d-bag for a while yet -- I don't think my new Spectre got any easier for me to pack in the two years it's been sitting in my rig. I'll be back to Temple for sure once I start jumping again. Might get current elsewhere just to change it up and start fresh. But I do miss y'all and look forward to jumping there again.

This is all still going to be some time in the future, depending on various things, but I've got a good list going of places and people. Interesting challenge drawing a route, though...It looks like something you'd see on a PeeWee's Playhouse map... or like those logic puzzles: "connect the seven dots using only three straight lines..." Austin, Wissota in Wisconsin, and Malone wherever it will be in NY, and Airtight in Oklahoma to see if you guys really do look like those cartoons... I've heard about Palatka and Emerald Coast for a while so want to add those even though they're a little bigger than what I was looking for...

And hell yes it will have to be the height of summer for me to jump in Wisconsin. Brr. The last summer I was jumping at all regularly, I enjoyed exiting into balmy air around 75 degrees... AT FULL ALTITUDE.

(okay so the temps. did really suck on the ground, though)

[jjrainyday 0]

What a great-sounding trip!

As far as great vibes and different planes, head on up to Missouri and Skydive Quantum Leap for some jumps out of the Sweet Beech and a great scene all the time! The Beech 99 Airliner is what happened when an Otter and King Air mated; it takes 21 jumpers to 14,000 feet in about 8 minutes.

As far as the jumpers, everyone will welcome you with open arms, especially if you're a little "different," 'cause we all are too! We're a great mix of old-time belly flyers and those young-uns freeflying. There's always beer in the fridge and food on the grill.

Drive safe!

[angrypeppers 1]

Quote

Maytown. It's a club, and Handsome Dave is there

Agreed. I stopped by last December while on a trip home to visit the parents. I really just wanted to meet Dave, but ended up on a coach jump. I had all of eleven jumps at the time, none out of Cessna, and the folks there went out of their way to make me feel welcome and safe. I can't wait to go back to PA and jump there again!

Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.

[Snowwhite 0]

I spent this year doing exactly what you are talking about doing. What a fun and exciting year it has been. I'll tell you about some of the places that I have gone that are not on this list so far. I did a lot of the dz's that have already been mentioned, but a couple other terrific places are:

Skydive Carolina in Chester South Carolina.
The RR bros had their boogie there, and made everyone feel tremendously welcome, even tho the power was out most of Saturday.

Skydive Superior in Superior Wisconsin.
Owned by the notorious, infamous and fabulous Androsky family

Mid America Sport Parachute Club in Taylorville Illinois
They fly a Cessna 206 and are some really great folks with a lot of knowlege and comaraderie

The Pathetic Losers in Flattville Illinois
The owners John and Lee Ann Rash are about as hospitable and open as they could be, they will let you crash in the hangar if you like, or haul your rv onto their property for the weekend.

Quad City Skydivers in Geneseo Illinois
If you want to work on recurrency, you should probably call first, to make sure they have some one to help you here, but I think all of the other previously mentioned places have someone available most of the time.

skydiveTaylorville.org
freefallbeth@yahoo.com

[lauraliscious 0]

Skydive Smoky Mountains has a C-182 and a C-206, friendly people, and great scenery.

Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

[dmetz 0]

Check out Skydive Virginia in central VA. Although there has been, luckily, a handful of pretty busy weekends this season, if its not the peak of the summer season you may be one of 10-12 jumpers with the King Air all to yourself all day, or in the winter you may be one of 4 with the 182 all to yourself. I'm sure the dzo's would rather it be a little busier, but if you're looking for small with good vibes and always someone to jump with, SdVA is a good one in my book.

_________________________________________

"If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?"

[BGill 0]

I've heard great things about Maytown as well. Nice little small cessna dz with cheap jumps, and of course Handsome Dave DeWolfe.

And since Delmarva is only 2 or 3 hours from Maytown, I'd recommend coming down our way. We're a turbine (Otter) dz, but we definitely have a homely feel. Lots of bbq'ing and bonfires. We're like one big happy dysfunctional family, and we love company.