Start Skydiving Experience

Posted on Mar 26

Skydiving in Ohio: The perfect activity for adrenaline junkies, or anyone with a bucket list!

I recently launched myself out of a plane (no big deal) and wanted to share my story with you. I have always wanted to go skydiving, and after doing some research I knew I wanted my skydiving adventure to take place at Start Skydiving in Ohio. This place is ranked the #1 Place to Skydive in the World by Dropzone.com... and I got to experience why.

The Day Of

Luckily, the day I booked my skydive on was beautiful! However, if the day ends up being too windy or rainy, Start Skydiving is prompt in calling and rescheduling to a later date. My dad and brother both booked a skydive with me, so we made the trip to the Middletown Regional Airport. Upon arrival we checked-in with a Customer Service Jump Master, weighed-in and headed to a second building to suit up.

There's a large TV that shows your estimated jump time, tandem master and the plane you’ll be going up in. As you wait you get to watch people practicing how to pack parachutes, which is interesting to see. Keep in mind, waiting for your turn is probably the most nerve-wracking part of the experience!

Getting your Gear

About 20 minutes before your set to load the plane your tandem master finds you, and puts you in a blue bodysuit and harness. Don’t worry; they expertly go over what’s going to happen, how to position your body and answer any questions.

My tandem master had jumped over an astounding 7,000 times. I can’t think of too many things that I’ve personally done over 7,000 times. He said he knew someone that had jumped over 20,000 times, which is simply incredible. If you choose to have a video of your skydive, they will candid style video your group in a pre-jump interview.

Ready to Take Off...

Your group will load onto the plane shortly before you head up. The plane consists of two benches that you slide your way down, with your instructor at your back. After a quick ten minute plane ride we had reached our jumping destination, and my heart was beating out of my chest— the perfect combination of being nervous and super excited.

You can hear the wind whipping outside, and at the time where you might really start to get nervous, you’re lucky enough to not have the time to second think your decision. Put your goggles on... and it's go time!

Take the Leap!

One by one tandem jumpers and their tandem master slid down the bench. The next thing I knew we were at the plane door and I was staring down roughly 13,000 feet. Very quickly my instructor pulled me out the door and our freefall began.

You quickly forget about how cold it feels as you realize how exhilarating the experience is. Getting to see so much of Butler County from that height is something I'll never forget. As you're falling through the air, the entire experience is surreal. I didn't realize how oddly relaxed I was.

During the freefall and landing I was also surprised by how easy it was to talk to your instructor; I had imaged it was going to be a lot louder. After free-falling (which feels like floating) for close to a minute, he deployed our parachute and we spent roughly 5 minutes, or 5,500 feet gliding in. He even let me take the reigns of the parachute and steer us around for a bit before landing.

Back on Solid Ground

The landing happens one of two ways. You start off by holding your legs as high as you can in the air and slide in, or you plant your feet and with a couple of quick paces you’ve come to a stop. Within a few seconds my tandem master managed to unhook himself, and was on the run.

He needed to get to the next plane to jump again with another skydiving first-timer. Honestly, I wish I could have joined him for that second jump! I am already looking forward to the next time I get to have the surreal experience of skydiving. I was so thankful to have my first experience at Start Skydiving!