Skydiving in the Northeast

Connoisseur

Platinum Member
Sep 14, 2002
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So I wanted to do get some skydiving action in this summer but there seem to be a million places on the intarweb and I don't know where to begin. I believe my cousin told me a while ago that there's a skydiving joint that lets you do a solo drop for your first time with a day's training. Is there any such place in the NY, NJ, PA, CT area that offers this option? If not, can anyone recommend a good skydiving outfit?
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
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Most places will let you go solo the first time. You just have to go static line because you can't be trusted to pull your own ripcord, so you don't get any significant freefall time. A more expensive option is to go AFF. You jump with 2 instructors who will protect you from mistakes, but they're not tied to you. You activate your own chute and land yourself. If you're looking to do it once just go tandem. If you're looking to do it longterm AFF is the quickest road to being able to solo.
 

Old Hippie

Diamond Member
Oct 8, 2005
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Most places will let you go solo the first time.

I sat thru 4 hrs. of training before the first static line jump.

The personal injury releases were something else. I signed two before the class started, and the first "training film" was a lawyer telling you that you were screwed if ya got hurt.

The last thing required before getting into the plane, was another release.
 

Connoisseur

Platinum Member
Sep 14, 2002
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Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Most places will let you go solo the first time. You just have to go static line because you can't be trusted to pull your own ripcord, so you don't get any significant freefall time. A more expensive option is to go AFF. You jump with 2 instructors who will protect you from mistakes, but they're not tied to you. You activate your own chute and land yourself. If you're looking to do it once just go tandem. If you're looking to do it longterm AFF is the quickest road to being able to solo.

Hmm. The static line option is with the chute deploying immediately after the jump right? In that case might have to do tandem...
 

jorken

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Only three DZ's i've been to in the area you mentino are: Cross Keys (South Jersey), The Ranch (Gardiner, NY) and Skys the Limit (East Stroudsburg, PA). You'd have to call them to ask if they still do an AFF program, as opposed to AFP... but they tend to be the more "talked" about (largest) DZ's in the general area you mention.