CCGV19

I would love to visit Eloy but can't justify the cost of the flights. I am going to plan to visit Eloy for my Birthday and take some serious time off to enjoy it at another time. I am going to head to Zhills this time as I only have a couple of days and the airline tickets were very cheap. Sadly I won't be jumping from any balloons but I plan to be in the sport for a long time so I am okay with waiting for the good stuff. Thank you to all who commented. If anyone plans to be at Zhills hit me up either on here or in a PM. I'd love to meet up and jump with you!

As the title suggests I am looking to get away for a couple days and attend one of these boogies. My home DZ is only open Friday, Sat, and Sunday this time of year :(. Looking for 1). Ability to make lots of jumps 2). Night jumps and or different aircraft i.e. ballon, helicopter 3). Possibility of Wingsuit First Jump Course My dates are not set yet but I'm going to be limited on time with work. Looking at 31st to 4th. Flights to FL are a little cheaper bc I am on east coast. Weather can always be an issue with FL in DEc/ Jan. and might miss Zhills night jumps if I can't get in on time. Sebastian and the Invasion look cool but higher cost to attend is not making them number 1. Never been to AZ but have heard really good things. Suggestions and ideas would be helpful thanks!

Beautiful shots. I just rented the 10-24 to try as well and see which one I like better. What settings are you using on your Nikon? Those pics look great with the mountains in the background. Did you do any post production touch ups? I have some pics that will be in December Parachutist and a couple that I edited for a buddy that flew into the demo. His shots were very dark so I had to adjust exposure and some saturation to get the colors he wanted. Do you find yourself doing a lot in post? I will have to upload my Tonfly helmet. I have the bite switch and the GoPro bracket down below in the front like yours. I plan to jump it for a while before I add a ring sight or other hardware to it.

As others have mentioned get a briefing and make friends with an Instructor. I made many friends on my trip to DeLand that I still stay in touch with. I was weathered out but we talked a lot. I was like yourself coming from a small drop zone then went to Zhills and DeLand on the same trip. Say hi to Steve Hubbard for me he's an AFFi @ DeLand and also does lots of Wingsuit flying. He is very knowledgeable and will help answer any questions you might have. There are some great people who will help you at DeLand. Also don't be afraid to ask questions. I would also recommend stopping into Blue Skies Mag, Chutting Star, Aerodyne, PD, UPT, L&B, Vigil they are close by and many are on the same street! Great People and fun to see behind the curtain of the skydive industry in my mind :) Have a blast and blue skies!

Welcome to the Forums! I used to live in Upstate NY but closer to Buffalo, Rochester area lol before I moved to NC. Made many jumps at WNY Skydiving. I have visited the Ranch but weather wasn't in my favor so I haven't jumped there. You will find a friendly staff and people there. I recently jumped with many people from the Ranch but down at Skydive Carolina. I thought they were very friendly. You can try and get some jumps in but weather is going to be the main drawback this time of year in NY. You might be wise to plan a trip and knock out your AFF training and even some of your coach jumps as you work towards earing the A either down in FL or AZ. Z-hills does a great job with training and runs lots of Otters so will be easy to get full altitude jumps and proper training in. Eloy in AZ has a huge fleet of all sorts of planes. They also have Axis flight school on hand and even have their own wind tunnel, which can help you learn a lot before making more jumps. You picked a great sport and culture to be part of! Ask the instructors lots of questions. Once you earn your license and then additional licenses it becomes even more addicting and traveling with your own rig is a blast :) Great way to see the world and meet new friends. Cheers

I am looking at the Tonkina 11-16mm f/2.8 for my Nikon D7000 or Nikon 12-24mm or equivalent from Sigma or Tameron. Am I better off with a prime? I think my 35mm f/1.8 will be too zoomed. I have a Tonfly 3x setup with bite switch for the D7000. I will be shooting tandem and fun jumpers. Does anyone have experience with these either Nikon or cannon mounts? Good lens choice? Does anyone go as far as jumping something like the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 is one of their most badass lens but looks really big for a skydive setup. Thanks

Any update? I am near Charlotte and normally jump at Skydive Carolina down in Chester, SC. We have a group of people that would make balloon jumps. Any upcoming boogies that have balloon jumps?

I have been to Skydive Carolina a few years back and it was a great spot. Now that I have moved down here are there other dropzones I should visit? What is the vibe in the area? Is Raeford worth the drive from Charlotte? Any of the smaller dz's fun for a visit or just head to Skydive Carolina? Also does Skydive Carolina do gear sales? Any talk on them getting a swoop pond. I am not a swooper but love taking pics of those guys and gals and when I'm ready I'd rather get wet in a pond then really hurt on the land. Still practicing that stuff up high. I'd love to link up with some CRW dogs or attend more training on that. Any upcoming boogies or events down in the Carolinas? I should mention I did a search and the responses were from 2007. I realize the info is good but wanted to find out what has changed etc. I'd like a more update as to where I can call my new home and also where I should and shouldn't spend my money. Thank you in advance

I made it there last year for the New Years Boogie and a bunch of Days afterword. Let me tell you that it was a great time. I am not the most experienced and at the time I had just earned my B license and loved the Zhills vibe. There was plenty of fun for me to be had and what I really liked is more experienced jumpers made jumps with me and included me in on their bigger group jumps but gave me a slot that I felt comfortable with. I also made a bunch of fun 2 way and solo jumps and the experienced jumpers would touch base with me as the days went by. I also had some firsts and bought lots of beer at the bar afterward but the vibe is really cool people didn't expect the beer instead they wanted to cheers and hear why we were celebrating. The staff was really top notch and there are some very bright people to give you instruction and coaching. I had recently been there for a Flight 1 canopy course to get the B and do water training and some of the instructors even remembered me a couple months later while they looked to be busy with their students. I have since visited again because the people and vibe as well as talent and goal focused coaches that have helped. TK runs a good business and professionalism, safety and kindness are very clear in his approach. Also 4 Otters that were running the entire time... that could be its own selling point. PS the pirate ship party was very memorable! I say DO IT!!!

I am also in a similar situation. I am using the GoPro Hero2 and would like to either go with the Hero3+ black edition or wait and go with a GoPro4 or what ever they decide to call this one. I also need a new iPhone maybe GoPro and Apple should release both of their new gadgets soon! Anyone shoot with a Hero2 and recently made an upgrade to their newest flagship? Thanks

WNY Skydiving in Akron, NY just outside of buffalo is a great place to fun jump. 2 planes with options to go all the way up to altitude or just have fun with hop n pops. Their website www.wnyskydiving.com has contact but here is the main #(716) 597-7393.

Hello I thought I would make it official and introduce myself here in the proper area. My name is Curt. I am from Buffalo and have made Tandems all over the place then decided well that is fun and all but I need to get my license. I went through AFF ground school 2 years ago at the end of the season but could not get any jumps in due to weather in Upstate New York (snow & rain are not skydive friendly). I went through all the AFF this past summer and earned my A-License. I got hooked and went down to Zhills 3 different times over our winter season in Upstate New York. I was down in FL for a few boogies and to work on canopy control. I now have my B license and working towards my C and at some point D license. I would rather learn than rush. I take still photography for Tandems and DEMO's at my home dz (WNY Skydiving) but from the ground with a few really big zoom lens' The plan is to keep getting my jumps up and do photography from the air. I also SCUBA dive, rock climb, waterski, and wakeboard, own 2 motorcycles (1 dirt 1 street), used to compete in snowboarding and played college hockey. I realize that's more than 2 cents worth but now I am not a stranger anymore ;) Curt

Hello I will be in Jacksonville for a Country Concert in June and wondering what the best DZ is close by/ within driving distance? I used the dz search and found Skydive Jacksonville, Skydive Palatka, and Skydive Amelia Island or I can drive up to Georgia. I have been to Sebastian, Zhills, JUMP Florida, and Skydive Lake Whales, and DeLand before what is the vibe up near Jacksonville? Anything worth jumping or do I drive to Georgia before I leave to hit some otters or drive down to the usually spots in FL like I mentioned above? My home DZ has Cessna 182 so I don't mind that but prefer larger planes for more jumping. I am looking for advice on a good spot to visit while I am in town. Of the ones I mentioned does anyone have experience with those close to Jacksonville area? Thanks, Curt

Thank you for your response. I don't have enough jumps to skydive there but I am making 2 more trips to Zhills before I go. I should be able to knock out more jumps and get closer before the Trip. One of the guys in my group was thinking about charting a helicopter and having us jump from that lol.

So I have been all over the place for Skydiving! I have jumped all around New York and Upstate New York, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Hawaii, Florida and the Keys, Alaska, Cananda, and Califorina. Zhills has it all! They Welcome everyone and safety is big. They also are available for teaching. I live in Upstate New York and escape to Florida when the weather at home is too cold and snowy for jumping. I came down for a Boggie and then canceled my flights home because I had so much fun. I have been down 3 times this winter and also stopped at other dropzones in FL including Sebastian, JUMP Florida, Skydive Lake Whales, DeLand. Zhills is my favorite DZ because of such a great mix of people, vibe, aircraft, organizing, training, swoop pond ( I don't swoop yet but its fun to watch ). I did my water training here as well as my Flight 1 and 2 Canopy courses and B License requirements. Made my first Night jumps, Free Fly's, head-down flying, big-ways, and more importantly made lots of friends that I keep in touch with even though I am back in Buffalo. The name say it all it truly is a "Skydive City" Zhills has great riggers, packers, staff to teach Tandems, AFF, Coaching, Advanced progression, Free Flying, Wingsuiting, and even obtain all or any ratings through Bram and his staff at Skydive Ratings which is on Site at Zhills.

I had made a few Tandem Skydives before while on vacation and really had a blast. I decided to take a friend who was visiting Buffalo and I wasn't sure where to go. I went to Google to search for places near Buffalo. After finding out safety history and making phone calls I found WNY Skydiving. I spoke with Tim (the Owner) let me tell you this guy is awesome. He has a strong passion and energy for Skydiving the "right & Safe way". On the day of the Skydive we were told to be there early for briefing/ instruction before the skydive. I was a little unsure where to go but the Staff were all very friendly and explained what and with who we needed to meet. Training was clear and it was off to Skydive. They had a good time in the plane on the way up to altitude and they kept me loose and excited. I was the first out. Once the Door opened we looked for the spot and Tim told me to lean my head back and focus on my arc! It was amazing! I recommend it to everyone there is nothing like it. The freefall was great and under the canopy was even more fun. I got to grab the Toggles with Tim's help and control our turns. We had a soft and smooth flare at the end and landed just great! Fast Forward I enjoyed Tim & his staff soo much that I went back and did my ground school and AFF with WNY Skydiving! I earned my A License and now have my B License. Tim and others have continued to look out for my safety and helped me choose the right gear for my needs not my wallet. There have been days where weather was not good for jumping and they kept positive spirits before calling weather hold. I am glad we didn't jump in bad weather as another dropzone in Buffalo did and they had a major accident. I am glad that WNY Skydiving takes safety to the highest level. Their whole operation is professional and I love going back. For first timers I highly recommend the video and still photographs they were well worth it and my buddy was bummed he didn't get a video after watching mine. Go visit WNY Skydiving they have an excellent staff and will take care of you!

Sounds like you made a great choice. I made two trips to FL where I jumped at Zhills. I did the 101 and 102 Flight-1 course with Aaron Stocum as well as my water training. I earned my B then celebrated later with night jumps. I can personally say that the Flight 1 courses are great and I really enjoyed the video debrief to see what my landings looked like. I have gained a lot more canopy confidence and would recommend them to all for better control and skill. The license is just a bonus in my eyes. The flight-1 guys really focus on safety and improving everyone at their individual skills. You will be very happy you chose Flight-1. Best of Luck and enjoy the trip!

I did a search and found that there used to be a DZ in Costa Rica and I also found that there was a pretty bad crash a few years back. I will be traveling to Costa Rica and would like to know if there is any places open for fun jumping? Thanks in advance, Curt

I tried different canopies after earning my A. I really enjoyed the Pulse, Sabre 2 and Pilot. I went with a Pilot 210 in ZPX. First off it is a blast. I was debating to go with the 188 but feel that the 210 still zips and gives the user lots of control while at the same time can be very forgiving. At first the ZPX was pretty hard to pack because of being slippery and because I am not the best packer. I have found that it fits into a smaller container than a 210 normally would. This canopy is a lot of fun to fly and has a really good flare. I have not had any off heading openings or back breakers. It is very consistent and I would recommend to anyone as a great novice to advanced canopy. If you put it through its paces it is right there to respond and give you a great ride. I custom ordered mine with custom colors and the Aerodyme team did an excellent job sending me color patch before I completed the order when I had questions. They also did a great job getting it to me before I had expected to receive it! I will buy another one when it is time to downsize. Edited: I know own the 188 and love it even more. There is a reason they call it the Pilot it flies like a dream and is delightful when it opens. As far as harness turns and riser input well it makes me smile all day long and can also be a blast when dialing in aggressive landings.