I had my first jump through this company yesterday, the 3rd of September 2014. I scheduled on impulse just days prior and everything went perfectly. I had called in twice to verify the weather was acceptable and both times my call was answered by one of the ladies running the administrative tasks, they were professional, polite, and seemingly in good spirits.
The first person encountered was JD from the introductory video, we saw him before even entering the building. He greeted both my wife and myself politely and respectfully. Next, I did the routine paperwork for this kind of activity and again the ladies were nice and cheery.
My instructor was Jason. He was well spoken and very relaxed; however, when it came time for the important instructions he was serious with a professional tone, perfect eye contact and gave a general sense of confidence and experience. I'm not a fearful type, but this shift in his demeanor where necessary showed a high level of care and professionalism and was definitely appreciated. There is a time for silly fun, and there is a time for serious attention-to-detail, Jason shifted effortlessly between the two.
In the plane, all instructions were clear, hooking up was a breeze and despite me mixing up my footing Jason had perfect control and we exited the plane easier than I expected. I made some positioning mistakes during free-fall which were corrected fairly quickly, and I attribute these simply to this being my first time and there was really no way to prepare for the pressure of the air. This jump went well, the next one will go even better. Landing was cake, I have no idea how people could have a difficult time with that part, maybe my landing was just a lucky fluke, but I cannot imagine it ever being difficult.
As for the complaints I have read online, I feel none, and least during my experience, warrant a lower review of the service. People say the building is small, it is, so what? We come here to jump out of planes, not to stay in a Hilton. The parachutes are packed by the staff and they smile and have fun while they do it - this in no way shows less skill or care. NO ONE was rude in the least, but everyone does have their own personalities, these are people, not robots.
Anyone complaining about being groped should realize fully the closeness involved in such an activity. You will be touched, you will be close, and if you are not in position, you will be put in position. If you are the type of person who is sensitive about being touched, in any area, you need to suck it up, or find another activity. This isn't mini-golf, there are procedures that must be followed and for YOUR SAFETY as well as the instructors, things get up close and personal.
Also, the plane is small. It feels rickety. Once again, so what? Did you think you would be jumping from a c-130? These planes have inspections to pass, they are safe. You might feel the wind, but you'll soon be jumping into it anyway, you'll be just fine.
Lastly, all information is found easily on the website. How one could miss the additional fee for being above weight if you even glanced at the tandem page is beyond me. It isn't fine print, and may even be in bold if I remember correctly. If you didn't even look at the tandem page while scheduling a tandem jump - that is your own problem. With the sort of risks involved in such activities, weights and allowances are often rounded up, this is also the case whether you are aware of it or not, with baggage on commercial flights. This buffer is for the protection of all involved - It is better to be safe than sorry. I would rather appear heavier and know that the weight is still safe than push things and have a freak situation occur. If it is the money you're worried about, this is life on the line, don't be cheap.
I know this review is long, and there is still more I could clarify, but I'll stop here. I only wrote this much because I feel many of the reviews are based on ignorance and/or unrealistic expectations.
Everything went not only as planned, but had exceeded my expectations. I am considering learning for certification in the future, and will definitely be participating in more jumps as well regardless. My wife may join me next time, as well as my cousin, and my father. There may be closer services to me, as Baltimore Skydive is a two hour drive for me; however, their service has earned them my loyalty. I will both be returning, and recommending them to anyone I discuss my jump with.
I know this review sounds ass-kissing, but that is because this is the experience I had and I don't want interested people being misled by the negative reviewers. I do not know anyone involved with Skydive Baltimore, I have no ties or associations to them or the industry. Should you have any questions for me about my experience or this review, I can be reached at: joshuascottnye (at) gmail (dot) com.
Thank you Skydive Baltimore, and thank you Jason. read more