I was looking for dropzones near Austin and this was one of the first to come up.
I'll start with the only downside. They only have one Cessna and it won't take you above 10,500 AGL. That's it.
The moment I walked in the door I was greeted by the friendliest people I've ever met. Small talk turned into jokes into general storytelling and banter. First day there and I got invited get food with everyone and then to crash at the place so I could get up nice and early to jump the next day.
Don't get me wrong though. They don't mess around when it comes to credentials and safety, and that is a wonderful thing. Facilities were clean and maintained, and the DZO keeps a fresh supply of snacks and ahem, refreshments... For those waiting around, there's a dartboard and horseshoes to keep you occupied, and plenty of people to talk to.
Unfortunately I didn't get to jump because winds there were too high 2 days in a row. Not a problem though, as the staff was extremely helpful and walked me through the rest of the non-jumping AFF requirements, and some of the fun jumpers there even let me pack their chutes, guiding me along the way. Stupid on their part, but good for me. And hey, my packjobs opened fine so I must be doing something right.
If you land really far off the dropzone, they have a van to pick you up.
This place is really good for tandems too. Much better than certain tandem factories in the area.
All in all a superb dropzone. Small, clean, friendly, professional, and fun. I think this will by my home dropzone for a long time to come.
