How do you know what the perfect dropzone is?

For most personal services, we turn to a trusted Google search and a myriad of reviews to help pick the place that will be the best fit. While this may do the trick for choosing a salon or picking a dental office, it doesn’t quite cut it for picking a skydiving dropzone like Skydive Paraclete XP.

As you can imagine, just like the customers who frequent their grounds, skydiving centers each have their own personalities, something we like to call dropzone culture. Because of variations in dropzone cultures, no two skydiving dropzones are the same. Before settling on your final skydiving destination, it’s important you do a bit of research to ensure the skydiving dropzone you choose is the one that’s best for you. Take a look at the topics below to learn how to select the perfect dropzone.

Safety Record

Skydiving is an extreme activity, and there are certain inherent risks that are involved. Yet, dropzones can help mitigate those risks that inevitably exist. When making an important and potentially life-changing decision like selecting a skydiving dropzone, it is important that your early research include an examination of the skydiving center’s safety record. Reach out to the company to make sure that they are compliant with regulations issued by the Federal Aviation Administration and by the United States Parachute Association.

Skydiving Aircraft

Your entire skydiving experience will be over in a flash, as freefall only takes a minute, and the canopy ride around five minutes. As far as timing is concerned, you will spend more time in the aircraft on the ride to altitude than you will in the freefall and the parachute ride combined! If you’re anything like us, you want that time to be enjoyable.

Before selecting a skydiving center, do a little research on the facility’s aircraft. Are the planes at the dropzone specifically modified for skydiving? If they aren’t, you would do best to keep searching.

At Skydive Paraclete, we have one of the largest skydiving aircraft fleets in the South East, and each of our planes is maintained to the highest standard. Our aircraft options ensure that you have a quick, comfortable ride to altitude regardless of when you visit our facility.

Jump Equipment

Skydiving equipment isn’t cheap, but a reputable business won’t cut corners where their customers safety is concerned. At Skydive Paraclete XP, we use the most up to date skydiving equipment on the market from brands with reliable reputations. Before selecting a dropzone for skydiving be sure to inquire about the age and maintenance of the skydiving harness and the parachutes. A rule of thumb is that gear can be safely used for about 15-20 years. Any skydiving equipment older than this will most likely need to be replaced.

First-Time Skydiver Resources

Not all skydiving dropzones are created equal, and many are not suited for first-time skydivers. It’s important that the skydiving facility you choose has resources dedicated specifically to first-time skydivers. A quick visit to our website is all it takes to show our customers we care — we have an entire section of our website dedicated to our first-time skydiving customers. We also have blogs and a frequently asked question section to help prepare customers for their first time visiting a skydiving dropzone.

Last but not least, give us a call! Our friendly, helpful staff is here to answer any lingering questions you might have. A quick chat with one of our representatives may be all it takes to seal the deal and prove we’re the perfect dropzone for you!