Drop Zones between San Francisco and LA

[Ralph_W 0]

Earlier this year I have asked for recommendations on dropzones around Atlanta, GA. Got good feedback and had a great time at the recommended dropzones.

So here we go again, just on the other side of the country.

In late April I will arrive in San Francisco and travel down to Perris. Some sightseeing is planed en route, however a few jumps on the way are a must.
So my question is, which dropzone between San Francisco and Perris could you recommend for whatever reason (great scenic view, good vibes, fast plane, etc.).

Thanks in advance

Ralph

Silence is golden. www.bt-ag.ch

[numm3r 0]

Skydive Santa Barbara is right off the 1 in Lompoc, CA. On a clear day the views are amazing since it's about 10 miles from the ocean. They have a caravan and sometimes you can catch a ride to 18,000 . Hope that helps!

[AndreLapointe 0]

Hollister was a fun and friendly place to visit,
fellows like Greg, Josh, Dave and Skip dragged me along on my first 4-way and made it memorable,
we could see St Andreas fault from the air...

http://www.1800funjump.com/exp_jumpers.html

[skybytch 273]

There are a few different ways you can get from SF to LA. Highway 1 - the most scenic drive - will take you past two dz's, one in Monterey and one in Lompoc. Both are primarily tandem dz's but the scenery is nice.

Highway 101 takes you near Hollister (mentioned above). If you are coming through after January 1st, there is supposed to be a dz opening in Paso Robles as well. Lompoc is fairly close to 101 too.

You could visit Byron, Davis and/or Lodi on your way out of the Bay Area. From Byron you can easily pick up I5; from Davis you can easily pick up I5 or 99, Lodi is on 99.

I5 takes you close to Taft. It is also the least scenic road in California. 99 passes by Madera, a Cessna dz.

Have fun! :D

[LongWayToFall 0]

I gotta give a thumbs up towards Monterey. The views are sweet, and so is the plane. Don't expect to make many jumps though, they are geared for tandems. I have not been to Hollister but they are much more up jump friendly, so it depends on how many jumps you are trying to do. If I was you, I would take the coast all the way down from SF, past Santa Cruz, to the Monterey DZ. Then, I would cut back over to the 101 and head down that way. Lompoc is right there if you wanted to try that. The 5 sucks, 101 is much nicer, and 1 the whole way down the coast is slow and very very twisty. If you have a sports car or like that sort of thing, its a very scenic and fun option though. Stop by big Sur. Anyways, hope you have a good time! If you have extra time in the Bay, check out the other dzs.

[Ralph_W 0]

Thanks for the excellent feedback. I really appreciate it.
Now lets look at the available drop zone the other way. Are there any DZ I definitely should not go? e.g. Skyride, no safety culture, etc.

Thanks

Ralph

Silence is golden. www.bt-ag.ch

[weavermc 0]

I'm late to this conversation - I jump at Monterey Bay and the above is true - it's a Tandem DZ but great for stopping by for a jump (just not a lot of jumps).

The King Air 200 goes to 18K in 8-10 minutes (yes, those #s are accurate) and the view is incredible (you can YouTube tons of vids that show the view).

Operates on a large (old Army) airfield with wide open landing, and its about 1.5 miles to the beach so views are great... Easy to get to (about 5 mins from CA-1 / Pacific Coast Highway), and easy to get back to US101 to head South

Mark