Skydiving in Michigan

Michigan Wingsuit Formation Record

2011-05-28T04:48:00.001-07:00

Wingsuiters converged on Skydive Allegan to attempt a new, USPA recognized, state wingsuit record!

The record was set on 22MAY11 on the third attempt and consisted of seven flyers forming a tight diamond formation pattern!

At larger dropzones, a seven way wingsuit formation may not be very newsworthy; if you have seven wingsuiters, a large turbine airplane and plenty of altitude, this formation can be relatively easy... but, if you try to do it from two small Cessna aircraft (with several people who had never exited a Cessna before) flying in formation from only 10,000', achieving a successful outcome becomes much more challenging.

They did it though, and on only the third attempt! Nice job everybody!

2010-10-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

2010-09-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Before your first Skydive.

2010-07-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

I am sure you want to make the most of your first skydiving experience. If so, here are some suggestions for you in order to get the most out of your first jump experience!

Avoid excessive drinking the night before you jump! This will only dehydrate your body and the last you want is to feel all hung over when falling through the air at 120mph!
Get a good night's sleep. Being well rested will help you to be sharp and ready to go. A good night sleep never hurt anyone.
Eat a good meal. You don't need to starve yourself before your jump, but at the same time, don't stuff yourself full just before your jump. This will keep your body's energy levels up.
Drink plenty of water! If you're jump is scheduled on a hot day, be sure to bring a bottle of water with you. You may spend more time in the sun than you are used to. The extra water will help to keep you hydrated.
Wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes, what ever is appropriate for the weather is fine. In the summer, shorts and t-shirt work well. In the colder months, longs sleeves/sweatshirts and pants. Your shoes should be tight. Sandals and flip-flops will not stay on your feet! Avoid shoes with tie-hooks and large clunky boots. Good tennis shoes are the best footwear for skydiving. It's best to leave jewelry and expensive items at home or locked in your car. Remember, the temperature will drop about 30+ degrees at jump altitude!
Bring your camera. There'll be plenty of things for you and your family and friends to take pictures of!

While following each of these things aren't required, they will help to enhance your skydiving experience.

See you at the airport!

You can overcome anything!

2010-07-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Skydive Allegan had the All American Role Models put together a group and come out to jump with us! We did a total of 16 Tandem Skydives with them!

Here's some of the coverage, video, and pictures:

WZZM Channel 13 News

Kalamazoo Gazette Pictures

Kalamazoo Gazette Video

All American Roll Models

Questions Answered

2010-05-07T14:15:00.001-07:00

We get a ton of questions about all aspects of skydiving in Michigan; here are some of the more frequent ones and some answers!

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I schedule a jump?

You should call (269) 998-7747 to schedule a date and time for your jump and our staff will set up an appointment for you or your group.

What are the requirements for a Tandem Training Jump?

You must be in good physical condition with no medical issues and at least 18 years of age on or before your jump.

What is the weight limit for doing a Tandem Training Jump?

You must be height/weight proportionate and weigh less than 250 Lbs.

What should I wear for my jump?

You should dress appropriately for the weather in loose comfortable clothes. You should wear comfortable lace up shoes; no heels or slip on shoes.

How does the weather affect my jump?

Skydiving is very weather dependant and the first thing you learn is NOT to believe the weather forecast if it is more than a day in advance. We wait until the day of your jump to make a weather call. If you are worried about the weather, give us a call a few hours before you drive out. Weather can vary greatly within a distance of 30 miles, so although it may be bad weather where you are, we may have perfect weather. If you call we can update you on the current weather conditions and if necessary reschedule your jump for a different date. If we have to reschedule, you will not lose any deposit you have put down, it will be transferred to the next available date of your choice.

Do you offer group discounts?

Yes! We offer discounts for groups of 5 or more. Groups of 5-9 can save each person $15 and groups of 10+ can save each person $25! A 50% deposit must be made at time of booking to recieve discount pricing.

How far in advance do I need to schedule?

That all depends on how full our schedule is, if we don't have a full schedule you can call in the morning and jump in the afternoon but if our schedule is full then you may have to make your appointment several weeks in advance. It is a good idea to lock in a date that's best for you as early as you can.

Should I eat or drink before my jump?

You should eat a regular light meal before your jump and make sure to stay hydrated. You should not however consume any drugs or alcohol prior to your jump. If we feel you are impaired by any alcohol or drugs you will not be allowed to jump!

Can my mom take pictures of me?

Absolutely! We encourage you to bring others with you to share your experience and they are more than welcome to take pictures and video you while you are on the ground. Pictures and video of you in the plane and in freefall are also available if you opt to get one of our video packages to capture the excitement of your jump.

How many of us can go up in the plane at the same time?

The jump plane is a Cessna 182 specially configured for skydiving and can hold a pilot and four jumpers. We can take up to two Tandem jumpers at a time.

How can I pay for my jump?

We accept cash and Visa/Mastercard/Discover/American Express for payments. We will accept personal checks but only on a case-by-case basis so call first.

I want to surprise someone with a Tandem Training Jump; do you have gift certificates available?

Of course we do. We have gift certificates for all our services and packages and for any amount. Call us and we will arrange a gift certificate for you!

Can I make a Tandem Training Jump during the week?

If for some reason you can not make it out on a weekend we do have the possibility to schedule your jump during the week. This is subject to Pilot and Instructor availability and requires a deposit and at least two jumpers.

2010 Skydive Season

2010-05-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Skydive Allegan is up and running for the 2010 skydiving season!

While the Michigan weather is hit or miss for skydiving; we've been watching the skies and jumping whenever possible.

You can keep track of us and our jump operations status in any of several ways:

Subscribe to our Twitter Feed

Visit us on Facebook

Check out our website: Skydive Allegan

Read our Forums: Skydive Allegan Forums

When you are ready to jump, just give us a call at: (269) 998-7747 and we will add you to our skydive schedule!

Ready for the 2010 season.

2010-03-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Michigan Skydiving Season is just around the corner!

Now is the time to pull that gear out of the closet, blow the dust off, and give it a good thorough inspection in order to make sure you are prepared to get back into the air after a Winter layoff!

Whether you spent the Michigan Winter on the couch watching reruns of Seinfeld or grabbed the gear and spent time jumping in warmer climes, now is the time to get your gear tuned up and any issues taken care of.

Contact your rigger and make plans to get your reserve repacked if it needs it. Remember, the FAA has recently approved a new 180 day repack cycle on reserves.

If you need any assistance in finding a rigger or just have questions on your gear, feel free to contact us at any time. There are several ways to reach us:

Give us a call at: (268) 998-7747
Email us through our website: Skydive Allegan Information
Contact us through our Facebook page: Skydive Allegan

In the news.

2009-10-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

We've made the news again! This time, as part of their new one hour program: eight west, WOOD TV8 sent out meteorologist Matt Kirkwood to make his first skydive;

Matt Kirkwood at Skydive Allegan 1:

Matt Kirkwood at Skydive Allegan 2:

Get more information on Skydive Allegan!

Get more information on eight west!

Just because you can't walk doesn't mean you can't fly!

2009-08-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

As part of the Ms. Wheelchair program, a group of wheelchair bound thrill-seekers converged on Skydive Allegan at Padgham Field for the experience of a lifetime!

Allegan County News

Learn to Skydive!

2009-05-13T12:06:00.001-07:00

Now is the time!

Skydiving is a fantastic thrill-a-minute sport and Michigan is a beautiful place to skydive. We don't blame you for getting hooked and wanting to continue on to learn to jump on your own and get your license through the United States Parachute Association. Now that Spring is here and the weather is starting to calm down and be reliable enough for student jumps (USPA says that wind need to be below 14 mph for students) it time to learn.

Here is an quick outline of our student program:

Student Skydive Training

Level 1:	Tandem training jump	Introduction to skydiving!
Once you have completed your first jump, you will need to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to safely and successfully jump on your own. We offer a comprehensive training program that will progress you from the basic skills to the advanced techniques required to achieve your first United States Parachute Association (USPA) license, which will allow you to jump on your own anywhere in the United States along with many different countries around the world.
Level 2:	Tandem training jump from 10,000	(Canopy control skills)

Level 3:	Ground School Training Package.	(First solo student jump)
The Ground School Training Package includes; approximately 4-5 hours of classroom instruction, a copy of the United States Parachute Association (USPA) Student Information Manual (SIM), a log book, and the students first Instructor Assisted Deployment (IAD) solo student jump from 3,500.
Level 4:	IAD jump from 3,500	(Second solo student jump)
* The students Level 5 and Level 6 jumps MUST be successfully completed on the same day! *
Level 5:	IAD jump from 3,500	(Practice ripcord pull)

Level 6:	5 second delay freefall jump from 4,000	(First freefall)

Level 7:	10 second delay freefall jump from 4,500	(Canopy control skills)

Level 8:	10 second delay from 4,500	Canopy control skills; exit spotting)

Level 9:	15 second delay from 5,500	(Freefall maneuvers)

Level 10:	15 second delay from 5,500	(Freefall maneuvers)

Level 11:	20 second delay from 6,500	(Freefall maneuvers)

Level 12:	20 second delay from 6,500	(Bomb Out exit and tracking skills)

Level 13:	30 second delay from 9,000	(Freefall maneuvers and aircraft exits)

Level 14:	30 second delay from 9,000	(Back loop, tracking, and wave off skills)

Level 15:	Introduction to Relative Work from 10,000	(Exit, fall rate, docking, tracking)

Level 16:	Relative Work skills from 10,000	(Graduation jump and dock with Instructor)

Give us a call at (269) 998-7747 and we'll get you started!

www.SkydiveAllegan.com

Moving to a better location!

2009-04-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Skydive Inc. has recently struck a deal with the Allegan City Airport to develop facilities and bring skydiving to Allegan!

While Hastings was a nice enough airport to operate out of, the airport management decided that it did not want any business development at the airport so we have moved our operation to Padgham Field in Allegan and are working on developing a first class skydive operation! Allegan is a top notch airport and has just recently finished an airport expansion with a brand new runway.

We've got our new website up; it is: SkydiveAllegan.com

Check out our new videos, they are located on the right side of our Skydive, Information, Training, and Prices pages and will randomly change every time you change pages or refresh your browser window.

We've also updated our Images page to be more user friendly.

Skydiving at Allegan will allow us to focus on bringing you the best and safest skydiving experience possible and will put us closer to the Michigan lakeshore for beautiful views of the sun setting over the lake.

Give us a call at (269) 998-7747 anytime and we'll help you experience the excitement of skydiving!

2009-04-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

Our Safety Day was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who participated!

Here are some stats from the event:

Safety Day Stats:

Number of people attending: 53
Total Combined Number of Years in Sport: 489
Total Combined Number of Jumps: 35,817+

We've also got more photos posted on our Facebook account:

Safety Day Photos

2009-02-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

Safety Day is Coming!

We are having our annual Safety Day on March 14th at our hangar at the Hastings Airport. Come on out and participate in the activities, we're going to have a bunch of skydive stations set up for informative and refresher training and will be giving away a ton of prizes to participants.

We're meeting at the hangar at 11:00a for lunch, so bring a dish to pass and we'll fire up the grill. After everybody is full, we'll start the activities.

Doesn't matter if you've been in skydiving for 20+ years, are a student, or are just looking at getting into skydiving and want to introduce yourself; come on out!

Winter Skydiving

2008-12-03T10:23:00.001-08:00

Well, it's Michigan and Winter has arrived. Winter means that we have suspended Tandem and Student training skydiving at Hastings, Michigan.

Once the weather gets too cold, fewer people want to come out and make their first skydive and it becomes difficult to coordinate those few hardy folks that do with pilots, instructors, and support staff. We will open again in the Spring, usually by the middle of April, for full skydiving operations!

We do offer Skydive Gift Certificates throughout the Winter season (or anytime) which are the perfect "unique" gift for the daredevil on your Christmas list.

Give us a call anytime at (269) 998-7747 to order your Skydive Gift Certificate in time for the holidays. Skydive Gift Certificates can be ordered in any denomination and for any skydiving service that we offer!

For more information on Skydiving in Michigan, you can visit us here: www.SkydiveInc.com

Skydive Grand Rapids!

2008-11-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

We had a representative from Rapid Growth Media, come to our facility this summer to check us out. Rapid Growth is a weekly e-magazine and web site devoted to showcasing the positive and sustained transformation of the greater Grand Rapids region.

Here is the link to the story they did:

10,000 feet above West Michigan

Blind Skydiving!

2008-11-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

If you find the thought of skydiving scary; try doing it blind! We had a group from the Michigan Commision for the Blind Training School out of Kalamzoo Michigan come out and nine of them made their first skydives! It was great and everybody involved had a fantastic time. The ages ranged from 21 to 79 and also included one double amputee. It was a huge confidence builder for the group.

If you can skydive blind, you can do anything!

Article on Blind Skydiving at Hastings Michigan.

Sign up for the USPA Solo Challenge

2008-08-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

Why don’t you take the United States Parachute Association (USPA) Solo Challenge? It’s a pretty simple challenge, but it will change your life. Very simply, why don’t you make it a goal to make a solo freefall? After you make your first Tandem, it’s only four jumps away! With one more training Tandem jump, and a Ground School Course, you will be ready to make a solo student jump! After three Instructor Assisted Deployment jumps, you will be ready for your first solo freefall! It’s not as daunting as you think. You’ll still be under the direct supervision of an instructor and you’ll still receive parachute steering assistance from the ground, but you will have shown that you have what it takes to exit an airplane then deploy and steer your own parachute safely to the ground.

Are you up for the USPA Solo Challenge? It's simple to get started.

Just call Skydive Inc. to get more information on our Student Training Program and how you can get to your first solo freefall. Our number is: (269) 998-7747. We will get you registered with USPA and make you eligible for the First Freefall Challenge!

Student Day

2008-08-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Not only have we been having great success in bringing in first time jumpers with our Tandem Program, we have also seen a large increase in the amount of people interested in continuing on past that first jump and going through our student program.

With our progression training, your first Tandem jump counts towards your United States Parachute Association (USPA) "A" license requirements. We utilize the Tandem skydive as an initial instructional tool to prepare you for your first solo student jump.

With the increase in jumpers going through our student program we decided to set up a special student day where our staff could get together with our students and work with them one-on-one without the distractions of the normal drop zone operations to deal with. This allowed us to focus on just the students and their proficiency skills and allowed the students to jump several times and advance more quickly.

The evening was a great success! The weather was perfect all evening and we had a half dozen students show up to jump. We had a couple of students working on their freefall skills, several working their way through their Instructor Assisted Deployment (IAD) jumps and practicing their pilot chute deployments, and one who finally had the opportunity to make his first solo student jump!

Congratulations to all the students who came out and jumped and many thanks to the Skydive Inc. staff that showed up to make it happen.

Wednesday Jumping

2008-08-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Wednesday jumping went really well despite dodging weather most of the day. We started at 9:00a and jumped all day with a large group of ER professionals who came out equipped with matching t-shirts, diapers, and a great attitude.

We dodged clouds, hail, and rain but we got all of them up to make their first skydives! A fun time was had by all.

We did some experienced jumping at the end of the day and Travis made his 200th jump and his first wingsuit jump! Nice job.

First Skydive.

2008-08-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

I always find it both exciting and fascinating when I stumble upon something on the internet that someone else has posted about their skydiving experience with us.

I find it exciting that someone found their experience with us so incredible that they take the time to share it online and I find it fascinating to hear how other people view their skydiving experience.

Here's a blog entry from someone who came out a couple of weeks ago and made a skydive with us.

If anybody else comes across anything on the web about us, let me know!

Skydiving on Wednesday 13 AUG 08

2008-08-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

We will be skydiving this Wednesday starting at 9:00a and continuing all day long! We've got a bunch of first time Tandem students coming out to jump.

We should have two planes starting at about 4:30p for the normal Wednesday jumping.

New Skydiving Location

2008-03-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

It's official! The operations of Skydive Plainwell have moved to a large new hangar facility at the Hastings City Airport and is now Hastings Skydivers.

http://hastingsskydive.com/

The new location allows for a more comfortable and convenient facility with the chance to offer many more amenities and also is closer to the major cities of West Michigan so you can spend your time skydiving instead of driving! Hastings Skydivers are now located less than an hour away from Grand Rapids, Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and the Michigan lakeshore.

Skydive Demonstration Jump

2007-07-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight, weather permitting, four jumpers from the Parachute Demonstration Team will be jumping into the Plainwell High School in support of the American Cancer Society. They are putting on a Relay for Life event to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

If you are in the area feel free to stop on out and check out the event! Skydivers will be falling from the sky at 5:30p!