Skydive Arizona Eloy
Author: Ingus Augstkalns, Reinis Rūtentāls0 COMMENTS
Jump over the desert!
Skydive Arizona, located in Eloy, is the largest skydiving centre both in the USA and worldwide. It's an airfield number one for its purpose - a gathering place of professionals and first time jumpers, wishing to tap into their experience and get their first taste of skydiving. It is one of the most dynamic airdromes in the world, as Arizona weather guaranties as much as 350 jumping days a year. Americans opt for cooler spots, however, and in summertime prefer to jump elsewhere outside the States.
They know how to party at Skydive Arizona, and a festive feeling never leaves the place. The airfield complex comprises bars, restaurants and swimming pools and offers diverse leisure time activities.
www.skydiveaz.com
Aside from Arizona, the USA boasts to have 4 other major skydiving centers hosting camps, festivals and record-setting championships. They are as follows:
- Skydive Perris, California offers jumps above the city of Los Angeles. You can practice skydiving and enjoy lots of other leisure travel opportunities - everything that the city of angels has to offer. (www.skydiveperris.com).
- Skydive DeLand, Florida (www.skydivedeland.com) - a dreamland for the ones for whom the movie Cutaway (2000) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211792/) has served as an inspiration to jump;
- Cross Keys Skydive, Pennsylvania (http://crosskeysskydiving.com/index.php).
- Skydive Chicago, Illinois (www.skydivechicago.com).
Jump over the canyon!
Moab drop zone in Utah is famous for its annual skydiving festivals. It's a stunning experience of soaring over the Grand Canyon, caved by the Colorado River, starching across the southern corner of the State of Utah. Its spectacular rock formations feature a unique diversity of shapes and colors. Both sport and tandem jumps are performed above the river with its scenic red cliffs and numerous meanders. Moab region offers a chance of legal B.A.S.E. jumping too. A height and inclination of cliffs are perfect for this purpose. In many places across the United States B.A.S.E. jumping is prohibited by law, and therefore you always should make sure that there are no restrictions that apply to the particular area.
www.skydivemoab.com/about.html
It is worth emphasizing that all the USA drop zones offer great quality of service.
Photo: Tim Martin - http://www.skydivemoab.com/gallery.html
The best thing about skydiving is that anyone can do it, regardless of prior level of physical preparedness. It can be done just for joy or to achieve ambitious sportive targets.
HOW-TO
-To perform individual jumps one has to take accelerated free fall (AFF) training program, which provides basic skills and knowledge of skydiving. It consists of a theoretical training and 8 jumps.
Upon completion of the AFF course, an actual exercising and refining of your skills can finally start! Skydiving becomes a truly exhilarating experienced only after you have jumped for at least a 100 to 200 times.
Jumping from the height of 4 km, a free fall lasts for 55 seconds.
A training course costs up to 1000 LVL, equipment - 3000 - 8000 EUR (at world drop zones rental gear is available), after completion of training, jump prices range from 12 to 20 LVL per jump.
-Tandem skydiving jumps with an instructor do not require any prior skydiving experience. A short 30 minutes instruction and you are ready to take a plunge! It's like being a passenger and enjoying a sheer joyride! Moreover, a camera operator will follow you to capture your first free fall experience and provide a video.
Jumping from the height of 4 km, a free fall lasts for about 2.5 km before a parachute opens. In a tandem jumping, a passenger is given a chance to steer the chute as well, but at the height of 300 m above the ground an instructor takes over the lead. A free fall lasts for 50 seconds.
A tandem jump with a video camera operator costs about 150 LVL.
As skydiving training is completed, you become part of the skydiving community. Training camps, regional and world championships and skydiving festivals take place on regular bases at different drop zones around the globe, and variety of holiday packages and joy flights are available.
Skydiving can be practiced anywhere, without necessarily going abroad. "Unofficial" fun jumps can be performed almost anywhere, and you just need to rent an airplane that would take you up in the sky. And then - flip, somersault and romp to your heart's content!
For the most exotic skydiving adventures around the globe check out www.exoticskyadventures.com
*Drop zones - specially equipped airfields that have suitable for skydiving aircrafts, landing areas, windsock for indication of wind direction, etc..