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Skydive Chicago
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- No
9 reviews for Skydive Chicago
The. Best. Ever. Don't stop after your tandems. Everyone treats you like family if you have one jump or if this is your 12,000th jump. Best facilitities, awesome staff, super professional. Can't say enough wonderful things about these guys.
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I wish there more were stars to give this place, because I would. Let me first explain the process step by step (incase you have never been there). Miguel though, explains things PERFECTLY.
You get there to check in and have to fill out the usual, (if you get hurt/die and sue us..you can't win) waivers. You wait a bit for your tandem class to start, they basically show you a video, of a guy that looks like Mr Belding with a huge beard, about skydiving and the experience. The guy running the class (a VERY experienced instructor) goes through the jump STEP BY STEP. Showing you the equipment, telling you about it, and then going TOTALLY through the jump. I even think that he went through it twice. He goes through types of turns you can do etc.
Then you are asked if you have any questions, and are told to go hangout in the hangar. Now, depending what day you go, you SHOULD expect a wait. Consider this place can get busy, but they run things VERY smoothly and efficiently. I do have to say first off, that the office staff, is VERY friendly, and polite, and really on top of their stuff. I got there after driving an hour and a half, after I had worked all night, and I was able to shower and change. So, you wait in the hangar a bit, get to watch others jump, and eventually your flight number is called. On the monitor it is a 3 digit number (ours was 313) but listen for them to call "Load #X) or whatever your number was. You will get a 15 min call, a 10 min call, a 5 min call, and a NOW call.
The person you are going to go tandem with, will get you in a jump suit, and a harness. The jumpsuit is HIGHLY recommended, unless you want to grass stain your clothes. (The staff ALSO explains this..Which I liked how they did that). The Instructor who you are going to go tandem with will introduce themselves, and talk toyou a bit about yourself, if this is your first jump, etc etc. If you are getting video/stills done, the videographer will ALSO begin filming at this point. The instructor will go through the jump with you again. I won't post it here, but I will let you find out on your own (since I am NOT an instructor, but a newbie). ANYHOW, He goes through it once or twice, and then you are told to just sit tight for a minute. Show it up for the camera, joke around with the camera guy if you are having that done. But if you are a bit afraid, don't show it..lol I heard that they will play that up a bit. Funny though.
After that, you will walk towards the holding area, and sit down. You will then load the plane, sitting on the ground, in between each others legs, like in a bobsled. I actually got to sit in the co-pilot seat. I was going to ask to fly..haha. So, It comes time to get hooked to your instructor. By now, if you have a videographer, he is filming you and talking to you. Have fun with it. Laugh, joke around, tell him to never show this DVD to your mom if something happens. Get hooked up, and you will be told to kneel. AGAIN, you will go through the jump process, from jump to landing, and start making your way to the door. Miguel was COMPLETELY right in that looking out the open door DOWN from 13,500 feet is INDEED a humbling experience. You get the "What in the heck am I doing?" Thoughs go through your head. You walk on your knees to the door, and then comes the count.
1
2
3
ARCH!
And you are falling. 0-120mph in about 2 seconds. There is nothing to explain the feeling of freefall. It feels like flight, and falling, and floating all at once. You do your thing, and pull the cord as you were instructed on the several run throughs, and you are under the canopy, talking to your instructor. I say this: I am going to be one year cancer free on the 9th of July. This was an incredible experience that I am glad I had friends with me to do. You HAVE to do this ONCE in your life. ATLEAST once. Everyone who has done it, wants to go back and do it again, and again. You get a huge rush of endorphins and adrenalin in freefall. I beg and plead with you. GO DO IT. NOW. 1800-skydive, http://Skydivechicago.com Go. NOW! You will love it! I promise!
In addition, the instructors and the staff make this place what it is. They are a great place, everyone from manifest, to pilots, to instructors to cafe staff. I jumped with Donovan, an AWESOME guy. I hope to jump with him again. They ALSO have an Advanced FreeFall Program, to where you can EVENTUALLY do jumps solo. A+++++++++ to Skydive Chicago!
I wanted to add something AFTER reading Antoine F's review below. First. SHUTUP. No one has EVER been injured or killed on a tandem at SDC. Yes, people have died or been injured skydiving, but that is the nature of skydiving, but not on tandems at SDC. Read that again: NO TANDEMS have ever been injured or killed at SDC, the staff is incredibly safe and professional. They are TOP NOTCH PEOPLE. Please get your facts straight before posting, and making yourself look UNEDUCATED. Have a nice day.
I went to Sky Dive Chicago. While I survived my personal experience with Sky Dive Chicago, at least 15 other people did not, including the owner. Check out their safety record. Maybe the name should be Sky Die Chicago.
Chad M. is apparently affiliated with this company, as he promotes both the website and the 800# in violation of the Yelp Terms of Service, Paragraph 6 which prohibits "use the Site for promotional or commercial purposes, except as expressly permitted by Yelp." Accordingly, the credibility of his comment is suspect. The cold, hard, undisputed fact is that at least 15 people have died jumping with this company.
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Let's get the obvious joke out of the way -- "Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good plane!?"
Well all I can say is when The Beatles sang - "Free As A Bird" I don't believe they were talking about skydiving, but that is one way to describe the experience. I would agree with Stephanie K. on the fact that there is no way you can actually review the experience of the actual jump - you have to try it for yourself. With that in mind I will say it is one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had and can't wait to go again . . . and again . . . and again . . well you get the picture. ; )
The atmosphere of Skydive Chicago is laid back, friendly and filled with excitement. The staff and instructors who work there have two important priorities in mind for everyone who jumps - safety and fun. I can only think of a split second I was nervous, but I think that was because I thought I should be. Otherwise, there was not one moment - not even when we were about to jump - that I was scared or frightened. My instructor, Sparky, was awesome and I hope that I can take my second tandem jump with him.
When you go be prepared to spend several hours there. After signing your rights, and the rights of your family, away there is a wait to go to the class on tandem jumping (for those jumping for the first and second times) and then for your "load" to actually be called. That's cool. The sight of the other jumpers descending into the landing field is amazing and makes the time pass quick - especially if you're lucky to get a beautiful day like we had.
SDC does give you the option to purchase a DVD and/or digital photos of your jump. I highly recommend you do so. The cost to get both is just $20 more than buying just the DVD or digital pics only so it's worth the extra cost.
Skydive Chicago also has a camp site you can stay at for free if you are jumping. It was perfect for the first time camper such as myself - facilities, man made lake to swim and lounge around and a bar.
All in all, I highly recommend you plan to skydive you do so at Skydive Chicago.
Oh boy.
I was thrilled to be invited to come here recently with my new friend, who was unbelievably generous, putting a cap on the summer & my term as an unemployed waif.
After pretty much signing away my life (huge waivers to initial & sign & witness), we received some instruction, & we were ready.
The dude on my back was uber-cool & made me feel totally safe. We climbed into the tiny plane & sat down, then he strapped on. As we ascended, I kept thinking, "What in the f--- am I doing? Jumping out of a perfectly good plane?"
Climbing up to 13,000 feet was a trip in & of itself. The ground looks so far away, as well it should. 13,000 feet is almost 2.5 miles. & I was about to travel this at a top speed of approximately 120 mph (at freefall).
Cooooooool.
There were four of us jumping (with our partners-in-flying). I was the last. As I scootched forward, watching my fellow parachuters being sucked out of the plane, one lovely all-purpose four-letter word kept escaping my lips.
& then we were off. We somersaulted for a bit, then assumed the position. This was my favorite part. It's a little hard to breathe, though, when you have air rushing at you at that speed, not to mention it's thinner air anyways. Apparently, the instructor did a great job prior to our jump, because I felt very secure with what I had to do, when I had to do it. My buddy on my back told me I was textbook.
Sweeeeeet.
Then I pulled the chute at 6,500 miles above ground. POOF! We were floating downwards. I could breathe again!
Now, I must pause for a moment to mention that I took a Dramamine prior to leaving Chicago & yet another one about 15 minutes before boarding the plane. That's 2 Dramamines.
Taking a good look around ("this is what you call an unobstructed view") was magnificent. The splendor was beyond description. But uh-oh ... what was that heat crawling up my neck? What was that flip in my stomach?
Damn Dramamine.
So I spent a lot of the time drifting down telling my back buddy to "take 'er easy - I have a sensitive stomach." Which sucked, cuz I really wanted to focus on what was happening around me, not in me.
Luckily, I kept my blueberry muffin to myself until we were about a mile from the drop zone. My poor friend had to deal with that. He was a trooper!
Our landing couldn't have been more smooth. It felt as if I was just stepping off a stair. & then the ground was beneath my feet.
I would definitely recommend Skydive Chicago to anyone looking for a thrill, a personal challenge, or a "must do this before I die." Go with a cool new friend - it makes it even better!
Just remember to take a lot of Dramamine.
Woah-a. That's about all I can about skydiving.
I think that if I tried reviewing the actual jump on here, I'd fail miserably in doing it justice. So, I won't. Instead, I'll just say 'You absolutely-positively must try it. Tomorrow. Now, go.'
A few words about Skydive Chicago. The atmosphere breeds good vibes and safety. There wasn't one point where my sister or I felt the least bit nervous. Or scared. Or reluctant to climb into a plane and free fall from 13,000 feet. Crazy, I know.
All of the employees are super nice - and a little crazy. Which certainly keeps things interesting. But above all else, they're all there to make sure you get down - safe and sound.
Here are a couple suggestions for the first-time jumper:
1. Take some motion sickness medication, if you tend to get queasy.
2. Save up a little extra and spring for the pictures and DVD. It's worth it. And everyone back home will want to share in your death-defying moment.
3. Bring a book to read while you wait. My sister and I had an appointment at noon and ended up jumping at 5pm. That's a long time to wait, and there's only so much food you can eat.
4. Do it today!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! ;-) giggle gasp! WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
flying to the earth from around 13000 feet above it, the loud sound of wind rushing by and the OMG feeling you get in your stomach and you soon realize you are FLYING!
Your body becomes a vehicle to travel the winds and move in new directions you never experienced on the ground below and you actually are FLYING on a cushion of air! Though gravity has much to say about this and still brings you down to earth, but have no fears as your professional instructor and the trusty parachute are there to take you back to earth safely and slowly in control to do it AGAIN!
Jumping from a perfectly good airplane in midflight is one of the most stupidest and craziest things to do...but now one of my most favorite things!
With incredibly supportive and instructive staff, SDC is as good as it gets when you want to fly like a bird and live to tell about it, Yes there are dangers, but I think the other cars on the road to Ottawa were actually scarier than the jump itself.
This place won my heart and my future business as I go on for my license to thrill! ;-)
Wow! What an amazing experience this was. I'll admit I was scared sh*tless when filling out the paperwork. Every other line was "You will not sue us if you die" or something similar to it in attourney language. Thats the freakiest part. They take you through a couple quick training sessions then up you go for your first tandem jump. The instructors are what you would expect skydive instuctors to be. Cool as hell. They were messing with me and cracking jokes like "We haven't lost one yet this week." Halarious for them I'm sure but I was really nervous. When you actually jump, a strange sense of peace comes over you and you are not scared but calm. My only downside was that my ears popped worse than they have ever popped before. You can make a weekend of it and camp there if you want which I thought was cool. I highly reccomend getting the video package on your visit. Everytime I watch it I get tiny adrenaline rush.
I have to agree with Nikki - WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I went last summer but had SUCH an awesome time! We made a weekend of it - set up camp in an open grassy, hilly field. If you camp there, don't expect it to be like, "real" camping - its just a giant open field with a train track next to it. We had a blast anyway as we gathered our group of about thirty campers and drank from beer bongs to our hearts content (though the next day, some of us were regretting that last bong of the night!!!)
The lesson was quick, about 45 mins. and then the agony was in waiting for your turn to hop on the plane to then jump off of it, 13,000 ft from the sky. You get cramped on the plane, basically sitting on the floor, on each others lap. Then once you are at the right altitude, you get read to release! The scariest part of this all was not the jump, but that the pilot looked to be about 23 years old. She was GREAT though!
I paid the $100 to capture all this on camera - I'm just glad I didn't pee myself and had it caught on film. I'd definitely do it again! I've done alot of crazy stuff in my life, but nothing as exhilirating as this!