Year round Weekends. As it gets warmer, we start operating more weekdays. Saturdays are our busiest skydiving day, Sundays and especially weekdays are usually not as crowded. Closed most non-holiday Mondays & Tuesdays. Always contact us and check before coming out to jump weekdays, as our schedule varies with how busy we are. See Weekday Skydiving.
When
do I arrive, when will I actually jump?
Short answer- Schedule
9 AM, 11 AM and 1 PM weekend arrival time. You usually jump within 2-4
hours of arrival time, but it could take 6 hours or longer depending on weather
and other logistical situations, so allow lots of extra time. See also Can I get a refund if the weather is bad?
Long answer- Although we do our best to help you make your skydive
in a timely manner, we sometimes have to wait for things like the
weather to change, storms to go by, (click
here for weather considerations), or due to other circumstances
beyond our control like time consuming unscheduled FAA inspections,
unpredictable airport operation slow downs or shutdowns, which
might delay or postpone your skydive, so please allow a
generous amount of time that you might have to be at the airport, possibly
even the whole day until just before dark.
There are many variables we
must deal with to provide all the components to try to make skydiving
as safe as we can make it.
Sometimes circumstances
may change unpredictably, necessitating last minute changes to exactly
when you will get in the air. Therefore, we can never guarantee that
anyone will definitely jump by a certain time with a certain person
on their plane load! If anyone is coming to watch you jump, be sure
they understand they might be waiting a while. Many groups will want
to jump one person at a time so they can watch each other jump, but
we may need to put 2, 3, 4, or more first time skydivers on one plane
load. We will try to arrange plane loads to suit, but please understand
we have to deal with weight limitations, videographer availability,
how many places are available on each plane load, coordinating Jumpmasters,
packers, packed rigs, and many other things,
so we can't promise who else will be on your aircraft load.
The Static Line and AFF first Jump Course starts at 8:00 AM Saturday or Sunday and lasts about 5-6 hours. We break for lunch so either pack a lunch or go into town during lunch break (No alcoholic beverages within 8 hours of beginning of training, please!). Your jump will be made on the same day as your training, weather permitting, usually between 2:00 P.M. and sunset. For repeat AFF or Static Line jumps, arrive 7:45. But in the winter, it wouldn't hurt to contact us and verify morning start times. Weekdays, especially Wednesday through Friday work well for repeat AFF jumps, we usually schedule a later arrival time on weekdays.
For Tandem, we have groups arrive at assigned times, tell us which you want, usually:
May through October - 8AM, 10AM, Noon, 2 PM, 4 PM weekend arrival times
Early November through April- 9 AM, 11 AM and 1 PM weekend arrival times
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - Noon or 2 PM arrival times usually work well, but we can usually arrange tandem jumps at any time weekdays with a week's (or sometimes less) notice.
Mondays and Tuesdays are usually our days off (federal holidays excepted), but contact us if you'd like to jump those days, with our larger local skydiving staff generally available any day in 2009, we'd be happy to arrange jumps these days too!
ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME!
We train shortly after the arrival time, and then we start skydiving with one or more Tandems on a plane load. Be sure to allow plenty of time. For example, we have 15 Tandems arriving at 8AM, most of these will jump within 1- 3 hours of arrival, but it could be 5-6 hours or more before the last of this group jumps, weather permitting. The last of the last group to arrive may not get to jump till just before dark if indeed the weather is a factor. If we are busy, we will sometimes offer a small early morning arrival group, usually 6-7:30 AM with the idea of getting the first 4-6 Tandems in the air at 8 AM while the other students are still signing in.
Weekdays by special arrangement we can usually arrange other arrival times on other days of the week, especially for groups of 8 or more.
ARRIVE ON TIME! If you miss a class, or if a large part of a group arrives late and we miss the opportunity to get you up that day, it is your responsibility to reschedule and come back to make the dive. We train groups at the scheduled arrival time, and some of each group will go first, others will have to wait while we get these first student skydivers up and repack our parachutes. But it is still necessary that everyone arrives on time for the scheduled training session. We will do our best to work with you, but may not have the staff to train a separate late class for you. This is especially true of AFF and Static Line ground school, which takes quite a while.
Where do I go when I get there?
Look for the Student Manifest desk in the big skydiver hanger and check in there. You will probably be brought to the classroom where we will explain the paperwork, watch the video if you are going to make a Tandem skydive. Assigned plane loads can change unexpectedly, however, as unexpected turns of events occur throughout the incredibly dynamic days that are typical in the Skydive Orange student program. Often we will have morning arrivals wait in line a bit while we get the first load(s) of skydivers in the air. This makes things go faster for everyone in the long run.
What about my friends coming along to watch?
Be sure they understand they may be waiting around a while, in fact is is recommended that they check over these FAQ's so they understand about weather contingencies, the possibility of the need to reschedule your jump due to weather and such, and that skydiving is not something that can be organized on a tight schedule. Check out the Orange area attractions that might occupy them while you are in training and waiting to jump, although the incredible hustle and bustle of our active skydiving center on weekends will be enough to keep them boggled.
At Skydive Orange, we recognize that safety starts before we even get off the ground. As a student skydiver, we ask that you stay close to your Instructor or Jumpmaster while approaching the aircraft. Approach only from the rear or side of the aircraft staying very close to your instructor. If anyone is coming to watch you skydive, we ask that they stay near the parking/hanger area, AWAY FROM THE AIRCRAFT LOADING AREA.
Our 22 jumper Otter has an extra margin of safety since it is more controllable in the event of engine failure than many skydiving aircraft. It is also more forgiving of weight and balance which is important at 13,000' as skydivers approach the exit.
But there is much more to this than just the fact that we have the only year round Super Otter in Virginia, DC, and Maryland - an exceptional aircraft in any case - with freshly overhauled engines. This magnificent aircraft attracts the most experienced skydivers and skydiving instructors. Since we are the most popular skydiving center, we can take our pick of which instructional staff to hire. Our students benefit from having the most capable, knowledgeable staff.
Do I get an Automatic
Parachute Opener?
All our rental, student, and Tandem parachute systems are equipped with the state of the art CYPRES automatic activation device on the reserve. It is widely accepted as being the best AAD system. It is a reserve activating back up system set for 1,000'. Cypres AAD's were the first computerized AAD in common use, about 1,000 times as many Skydives have been made with the more expensive Cypres brand AAD than all the others put together, so their safety and reliability has been proven far better than any other brand of AAD. That's why we use them even though we spend about $2,000 more on them every year at Skydive Orange -for our Tandem parachute systems alone- than the next most popular AAD.
We will not jump in unsafe weather conditions!
Being in the skydiving business as we are, we must ask you to accept in advance that Skydiving is a weather controlled sport. Weather forecasts just one day previous to the jump day are less than 50% accurate when used to try to guess if you will be able to jump or not. Hence, in the event that you come out and the weather is bad so we can't jump (High winds, turbulence, clouds, rain), or if it causes the day's jump schedule to be backed up so that you cannot jump that day, it is your responsibility to reschedule your jump (no refunds). We will do everything we reasonably can to work with you to reschedule, and we will give you priority when you return to try again. Remember, what matters is the weather at the intended time of your jump directly over and around the airport. All weather reports are little more than rough guesses that are loosely applied to areas thousands of times this size. Let us point out three considerations for those who like to listen to the weather guessers:
1) Partly Cloudy = partly Sunny
2) "Cloudy" Does not address how high the clouds are. If they are above 13,000', then they will have little if any effect on skydiving anyway. Over 4,000' has no effect on static line skydives.
3) Sometimes they guess exactly right! I read that if you were to give 200 monkeys each a typewriter and an infinite supply of paper, eventually just by chance they will type something intelligible. Don't get mad at us if you come out despite a bad weather report, and it indeed turns out as predicted. Here is an example of a typical weather report.
Yes, we jump in the winter, but we don't know what the temperature will be at jump altitude until we get there. It could be colder or warmer than on the ground, (almost always colder, of course) and there is no reliable rule of thumb for how much colder it will be higher up. Even if it is quite cold at jump altitude, it is relatively warm in the aircraft, and then you are only in the cold in freefall for about a minute. So cold is usually not too big a problem unless the weather happens to be much below 00F or so at altitude. It usually gets a bunch warmer as you get lower. So it is kind of like a quick trip into and out of a big freezer where you usually don't have a chance to get too cold if you get in and then right out.
But you still need to dress appropriately. If it is a
real cold day, dress warmly. Layers of sweatshirts are better than bulky
coats for example. If you have a pair of thin gloves
like deerskin or
leather, bring them along, as they will likely fit better than our
loaner gloves.
What about scheduling and my deposit?
The amount of behind the scenes expense and effort that goes into providing your moment of glory in the sky in a safety conscious environment is enormous. We do our best to provide aircraft, relatively new state of the art parachutes with the latest safety devices and carefully maintained Reserve parachutes, as well as the best staff at the right place at the right time. After all this, you are expected to turn up to make your jump as scheduled. If you fail to turn up for your appointment, therefore, there is no refund for the Nonrefundable $50 deposit. We need at least 5 days notice to change your appointment date without forfeiting your $50 deposit. Also if you are too overweight, or underage, your deposit will be forfeited. See weight below.
See also scheduled
arrival times and when will I actually jump
Back to top
How far ahead do I need to send in my deposit to schedule my skydive?
We never know how far ahead a given day will fill up.
Some days book up a month in advance, others fill up just a little
before. If you have your heart set on a certain day, it is a good
idea to send in your deposit
and schedule the jump a month or more in advance. If you are more
flexible in scheduling, then it might not hurt to wait till closer to
your desired jump date. Usually two weeks is adequate. Sometimes we
can ad more on a moment's notice, but don't be mad at us if we can't! But don't
hesitate to email me or call (540) 943-6587 during the week to find out
there is room on a shorter notice. We'll be happy to have you Skydive
with us as long as we still have enough instructors and room on the plane. See
also When will I
actually jump?
Can I get a refund if the weather is bad?
No refunds, only reschedules. It is the jumpers responsibility to reschedule if the weather is bad. We provide aircraft, instruction, equipment, and jumpmasters, a place to skydive, but we can not help you find your way back to the airport to make your skydive- that is your responsibility. If you come out to jump and the weather is bad, we will give you a receipt for you to come back and make your skydive, and if you can't make it back for a while, there is no charge for the retraining that we will provide before you jump. You might also have to reschedule your skydive due to other circumstances beyond our control like time consuming unscheduled FAA inspections, unpredictable airport operation slow downs or shutdowns.
Out of the many first jumps made in a year at Skydive Orange, some of them will be scheduled on days when the weather does not cooperate. If we were to follow weather predictions, the proportion of jumps that had to be rescheduled would not be very different than if we ignore the weather reports and accept that we might have to reschedule if indeed the weather is bad, and in the process we would be wasting the opportunity to make many skydives. We will not jump in unsafe weather conditions. We won't know until just before the time for you to jump if the weather conditions are acceptable or not. If you pay for your jump and you have to reschedule for any reason, be sure to get a rain check receipt before you leave.
The amount of organization that goes into your skydive on is enormous, as is the commitment made by our staff necessary to be ready to provide everything needed for you to make your skydive in a safe environment. That's why there is no refund for the non-refundable deposits.
Please don't smoke in the hanger or near aircraft. If we pack a parachute on a hot cigarette butt, it causes a lot of expensive damage.
Do not
consume any alcoholic beverages
within 8 hours prior to training. We never
drink & jump. No open alcoholic beverages until the last load of the
day is in the air, even though you may be done jumping for the day.
Back to top
How
do I know you are safe?
Skydive Orange is a United States Parachute Association
(USPA) Group Member. We follow the recommendations of the USPA. USPA
is the national skydiving organization that publishes skydiving rules
and recommendations. See also
Why Skydive Orange?
What
do I need to bring?
Picture ID with date of birth like a Drivers' or
Passport
Cash or Credit card (No checks!)
A T-shirt, and tennis shoes (sneakers) work well for skydiving. Sandals & high heel shoes won't do! No loose floppy clothing. Although ankle supporting footwear like high top tennis shoes never hurts, if you wear shoes with hooks for the laces we will need to duct tape them up to be sure nothing gets snagged on them. We prefer shoes with eyelets or something of the sort instead. For Static Line, it is OK to wear boots, but no combat boots for Tandem or AFF, please. Blue jeans or other long pants are a good idea for Tandem- if you wear shorts but bring them along to change into on a hot day that is a good idea. Otherwise we will provide jump pants or a jumpsuit for you to wear. For AFF and Static Line, we will provide a jumpsuit so dress comfortably- shorts are OK for training. Best to leave the jewelry behind or lock it in your car when you jump. We do not provide secure storage for anything. In cold weather, bringing warm clothes, layers of sweatshirts without a hood and long underwear are a good idea in the winter. Except for Summer, bring light gloves if you have them, preferably not fuzzy or slippery, better deerskin or thin sports gloves designed for gripping. Otherwise we have gloves you can borrow for your jump. We also have gloves for sale where you sign in. Here are examples of footwear and acceptability for skydiving.
If you have glasses, we will give you over the glasses goggles for your skydive. But Contact lenses are preferable, since standard goggles work nicely. We provide goggles for freefall skydives until you are doing coached and solo Category E and later skydives, at which point you are expected to have your own goggles and altimeter.
We provide goggles for you if you wear contact lenses, and for other student freefall skydives until you are doing coached and solo Category E and later skydives, at which point you are expected to have your own goggles and altimeter.
What if I am over the weight limit?
The weight limit is 220#, but:
Tandem:
Heavier passengers make a Tandem master's day a lot harder,
and in the long run will increase maintenance on equipment
(which we are very careful to repair and replace regularly). We can take Tandems over
220# by special arrangement: Kilograms
Below are the overweight surcharges if, wearing shoes, shirt and pants, you weigh:
220# or less- regular price
220# - 230#- add $35/ jump
230# - 240#- add $70/ jump
240# - 250#- add $105/ jump
250# - 260#- add $140/ jump
260# - 270#- add $175/ jump
270# - 280#- add $210/ jump*
280# - * add $245/ jump*
*We can usually take up to 280# jumper's weight on a tandem skydive. Beyond this, we can occasionally accommodate someone just a little heavier. Our weight capability varies with our staff availability since it depends on their weight too, so ask us and we'll see what we can do as we will not exceed the equipment's rated weight limits. In any case, this assumes you are in reasonable physical condition and proportions. We reserve judgment to elect not to take anyone if we think there is a safety compromise based on the jumpmaster's assessment. Please tell us when scheduling anyone over 220# so we can plan accordingly. Above weights are without gear, with clothing. We might need to ask you to demonstrate an adequate level of strength and agility if you are over 50 years old. Kilograms
Static Line & AFF:
Similar situation here. If you weigh:
220# or less- regular price
220# - 230#- add $35/ jump
230# - 240#- add $70/ jump
We can take up to 240# jumper's weight plus gear, we cannot accommodate anyone heavier. In any case, this assumes you are in reasonable physical condition and proportions. We reserve judgment to elect not to take anyone if we think there is a safety compromise. Please tell us when scheduling anyone over 220# so we can plan accordingly. Above weights are without gear. Kilograms
What if I am under 18 years old?
Because of legal concerns, you must be 18 years or older to skydive unless you go out of the USA. If your congressman has taken money from the American Trial Lawyers Association, he is largely to blame. The next best thing is probably going to be Flyaway, the wind tunnel in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee or one of the other wind tunnels.
What Do I get a Confirmation number after I Reserve my Skydive?
Instead of using Reservation or confirmation numbers, we use the date you schedule for and you name. If you need to reschedule a jump that was weathered out, we look up your skydiving reservation information on our jump schedule Calendar, so we usually need you to tell us which date you originally scheduled the jump for.
What if I have a fear of heights?
If you have a fear of heights, it does not apply in the same way for skydiving. You are so high, it does not look high in the same perspective as looking down from a ladder or out a high window.
What about fear and apprehension?
Fear & apprehension get worse & worse until you are out of the plane and skydiving, then most of it goes away. When you come back for repeat skydives, you will find that repeat jumps made on the same day will be more enjoyable since you will get a lot of this out of the way on the first jump of the day.
Can I get just still photos of my skydive?
Yes, the price is the same for either still photos only or video only. See Skydiving Video Prices and details and the VIDEO, PHOTO and music FAQ's
Can we get one video or set of still photos for our whole group?
No. It is impossible for a freefall camera flyer to be in more than one place at the same time — tandems are as much as a quarter mile apart in freefall! See Skydiving Video Prices and details, Prices are per person. We're good, but we have yet to master the art of being in two places at one. See also VIDEO, PHOTO and music FAQ's
Can I bring my own camera on my skydive?
No, it would get in the way. And if you drop it, it would likely bonk your instructor in freefall, or hurt someone on the ground. Or it might get tangled up with a really important parachute part... Still photos are available. Here are more detailed answers. See Skydiving Video Prices and details, See also VIDEO, PHOTO and music FAQ's
We skydive all day long almost every weekend and can usually arrange weekday Tandems and repeat weekday AFF jumps. occasionally weekday first Static Line or AFF weekday first jump class. Email or call me and tell me when you want to jump, what kind of jump, and I will try to arrange it.
See Weather? above. If asked more than two days before you are scheduled to jump, then this question clearly falls into the following category:
Please do! Especially during your training, we don't want any confusion or misunderstandings. There are only two really stupid questions in skydiving, and this is one of them. If you ask this, aren't you really asking if you can ask TWO questions (having already asked if you can ask the question)? Why not just ask the question and see what happens? The other stupid question is "What is the weather going to do?" especially if asked more then a few days ahead of time. See weather above.
Skydiving defies description. It is not a falling sensation like being in an elevator. It is more like lying on a bed of air. See also What if I have a fear of heights? and What about fear and apprehension? Although watching a video is absolutely no substitute for making a real skydive, we did include a video of a Tandem sky dive for you to download.
Usually pretty soft, especially for tandem skydives, since we constantly replace our parachutes with the latest, greatest parachutes manufactured by Performance Designs for United Parachute Technologies, (formerly the Relative Workshop). See a tandem video landing on this Skydive Orange YouTube video. (Be patient, there is a long-winded introduction before the jump, the landing, of course, is near the end of this 7 minute video. Search "skydive orange" on www.youtube.com for more videos taken by our proud team of Skydive Orange vidiots for many more videos that mostly include landings!
Which kind of skydive should I do for my first skydive?
Most first jumps are Tandem, and this is what we suggest you start with for many good reasons. Definitely do this if you just want to try skydiving one time. Tandem is the easiest way to experience freefall with a minimum of training so you can experience the thrill with less training on your mind than AFF, and the experience is almost identical except that you don't have two jumpmasters holding on to you. With tandem the chance of having to reschedule because of weather is a little lower than AFF or Static Line. Check out the repeat skydives page where it compares the instructional programs for those continuing. Rather than agonizing over what kind of first jump to do, consider that just about everyone has the same size smile on their face after they land regardless of which kind of skydive they do, and a tandem lets you concentrate on the basics in Category A of the training program so your second jump can be Category B AFF.
Before we added this to the website, we had too many signing up for AFF for their first jump because they mistakenly thought AFF is a "BIG JUMP", or because they didn't like the idea of being strapped to a guy or something, but these are not good reasons to do an AFF jump the first time. Many would realize half way through the AFF first jump class that there is a much higher duty of performance required for AFF than they realized so they ended up doing a tandem jump (just as productive for learning to skydive!) anyway and were glad they did.
Advantages of Tandem over AFF & Static Line first jumps are:
-
Less training to clutter your mind while you are experiencing your first jump. One tandem jump can get you through the first Category of the program, Category A if you watch the altitude, open the parachute, and learn the landing pattern.
-
Far less chance of having to reschedule because of high winds or clouds thanks to your instructor's (you'll hardly notice!) presence through the whole parachute landing pattern and landing flare.
-
There's a chance you will need to do a Tandem anyway if you don't pass the AFF ground school. Many first time skydivers who train for Static Line or AFF decide or are required to do a Tandem instead; this is true at all skydiving schools when students can't demonstrate they've learned everything they need to know for AFF or Static.
-
With Tandem, you get to go 10,000 feet higher and freefall for almost a minute for less that the price of a static line!
If your goal is to get certified, tell us this when you sign in and also mention to your instructor and we'll who you how to check altitude, open the parachute, and do the landing pattern on your first tandem jump. Then we'll give you a logbook for having completed the first category of instruction via Tandem.
Category E and F, about 8 jumps into the training progression, are solo skydives where you do front flips, back flips, barrel rolls, and tracking.
Don't see your question listed here?
Please email me skydive@cfw.com . I want to include all the answers where they are easy to find. Send me suggestions on how to spread the word about Skydive Orange and how to make this web page better too.
Do I need to buy anything else?
No, you don't need to buy anything else for the first jump. (In cold weather, it can be handy if you bring a pair of thin gloves, yours probably fit better than our first jump loaners, and we have them for sale here too). If you plan to continue you will want to get a copy of the student progression and Skydiver's Information Manual available at student manifest for $25 tax included. Your own goggles will be the next item you will want to purchase.
When you continue through the training program, you will want to purchase your own altimeter, goggles, and gloves (in cold weather) by Category E. From Category E on there is a $5/ jump Altimeter rental, $1/ jump goggles rental, and $2/ jump glove rental. Actually, we suggest getting your own goggles a lot sooner (and thin gloves that allow a good grip in winter), be sure to get clear goggles that don't cut down you field of vision, nor prohibit eye contact between yourself and your instructor. You MUST HAVE AN "A" LICENSE TO WEAR A FULL FACE HELMET.
Please Don't! Skydive Orange is not a
good place for pets or unattended Children. If you bring your pet to
Skydive Orange, you will not be allowed to
jump until you bring your pet home.
But
I saw someone with a dog...
Please Don't
bring them here! Aircraft
and skydiving do not mix well with children. Things that appear to a
child's eye to be great toys may be expensive equipment that had best
not be tampered with. Skydive Orange is not a
good place for pets or unattended Children. Here
is the long answer to the children
at the drop zone issue.
You Just Hate Children and Animals, Don't you?
No, there's a place for everything... If you really think that, please click here!
We skydive year round all weekends
and most federal holidays except maybe a week or two around Christmas and New
Years, depending on interest. In the summer through early October we
jump many weekdays too, See also When do I arrive?
And planned weekday
jumps but it never hurts to email or call us ahead to check on
other desired jump dates.
,
or call (540) 943-6587 any time, or on
weekends, we can usually be reached at the hanger at (540) 672-5044, but
a busy weekend jump day is not the best time to call about general
skydiving information.
What about AFF LEVELS 1-7?
Skydive Orange is the birthplace of USPA's new much improved student training program, the Integrated Student Progression (ISP) While some skydiving centers still use the obsolete "Levels 1-7" or seem to want to dream up their own little 3 letter acronyms for their program, Skydive Orange uses the United States Parachute Association's official training progression.
Don't
drive to our office / mailing address!!!
We jump in ORANGE, VIRGINIA! If you drive to out mailing address
instead, you will be over an hour away instead of where you are supposed
to be.
Skydive Orange is an easy drive to Orange County Virginia. Tandem skydiving arrival times are usually scheduled every 2 hours starting at 8 AM weekend days, weekday schedules vary with jump operations most summer Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in addition to all day Saturdays and Sundays
Click these links for the rest of Skydive Orange Website!
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