Frequently Asked Questions
Here is the one stop destination for the answers to all your questions. Below is a list of frequently asked questions, they are here to satisfy your curiosities about skydiving, or simply give you that confidence to finally jump. If for some reason, the answer to your question(s) is not here, please feel free to give us a call or check out some of our other pages for info.
Look no further, because Skydive Philadelphia is undoubtedly the best choice for your skydiving adventure!
Call Skydive Philadelphia, the premier dropzone in the Northeast, today!
Skydive Philadelphia is open 7-days-a-week, virtually year-round for our customer’s convenience. We are open Monday-Friday 10 AM to 5 PM, Saturday & Sunday 8 AM to dark. “Winter hours may vary.”
Pricing can vary depending on a number of factors (type of jump, time of year, group discounts, etc.) Please visit our pricing page for specific information.
Yes. Check out our pricing page for information on discounts or give us a call at 215-258-2255 to learn more.
Yes and no. You can pay for a skydive over the phone, online, or at the dropzone. However, if you book in advance by making a reservation, you save money on your jump.
You will arrive at the time you schedule for your jump, because we do everything possible to minimize the wait. Please arrive at the time of your reservation to avoid any issues.
We have weather monitoring equipment, distinct training, and more than fifteen years of experience. The conditions that can affect your jump are excessively high winds, freezing temperatures, rain and lightning, and low clouds. If you happen to be that one person out of a hundred that does not get to jump because of weather, we will simply reschedule you for a day that will work in the future.
Yes, the cost for a tandem jump, AFF course, A-License Package will include everything you need for your respective jump(s). However, extras like the video and/or photos are an additional cost. This information is included on the pricing page.
Skydiving is a surprisingly safe, yet, unsurprisingly, exciting sport. With almost anything in life, especially extreme sports, there is risk of death or injury. Skydive Philadelphia take safety seriously. Skydiving accidents are far and in between, because we follow all USPA guidelines, purchase modern and unadulterated equipment, regularly maintain the equipment, and ensure each of our instructors are the best for you. From a statistical standpoint, death by skydiving is similar in odds to being struck by lightning.
You must be 18 years old to skydive. There is no age limit to jump; all we ask is that the individual jumping be physically able.
If you can walk and hop over a 3-foot fence, you should be fine. However, we do encourage good physical health. If you are concerned that an existing or past medical condition may affect your jump, please consult your doctor before coming out to jump.
**Be aware you may be required to provide a doctors clearance in order to jump. Please contact the center with questions**
Yes! With prior notice, we can make arrangements!
Our aircraft can ferry up to 12 jumpers! "Only those jumping can be on the plane"
Of course! We have a nice, newly renovated, viewing area with comfortable seating and amenities for family and friends who are there to witness your jump.
A valid driver’s license, state photo ID or passport, comfortable shoes, appropriate clothes, and your excitement.
The entire process of arriving, filling out paperwork, training, putting your gear on, jumping out of our plane is around two to four hours. Wait times may vary on weekends and holidays.
Skydive Philadelphia has some of the highest jumps out of any dropzone in the Northeast area. Depending on the conditions, we can jump anywhere from 12,000 to 14,000 ft. Additionally, our pilots are known to fly higher under certain circumstances to give you a longer jump, but this is not guaranteed.
During freefall, after about roughly 15 seconds, you will be falling at terminal velocity. While the exact speed varies from person to person, 120 mph is a guarantee.
In 99.9% of circumstances, the answer is no. The landing should be smooth and clean, regardless of if you prefer to land on your butt or feet. However, accidents can occur if precautions are not taken and procedures are not followed.
The parachute deployment is an inherently rapid act, yet we receive scarce reports of it being too harsh. Our equipment makes use of the most modern capabilities in the sport to ensure a safe and comfortable jump, including the parachute opening.
Tandem skydiving is the act of jumping out of a plane attached to the front of a certified tandem instructor as compared to AFF where the student virtually skydives solo his or her first time. This experience is often ‘reserved’ for individuals looking for a first time skydive experience with little training require (10-15 minutes). See our tandem skydiving page for a more detailed description.
Skydive Philadelphia carries no liability insurance for skydiving.
Your jump will likely be around 10-minutes. On average, freefall will last one minute and your canopy ride around 6-9 minutes.
We have a strict no refund policy with no exceptions. You may, however, cancel or reschedule with 48 hours’ notice.
Skydive Philadelphia’s AFF is a training program for skydivers who lack experience, but are determined to become a ‘skydiver’ in a short time. Skydive Philadelphia’s original program will provide you with the skills needed to skydive competently through seven levels of achievement (A-G). Each level consists of ground training and a jump with specific goals. Each jump getting progressively more advanced while the training beforehand lessens as you acquire the basic skills needed to build your experience as a skydiver. Visit our Accelerated Freefall page for a more thorough depiction of the experience.
Ground school is the time you will spend on the ground training in skydiving theory and practicing procedures including body control, aircraft exit, altimeter awareness, parachute deployment, canopy deployment, hand signals, landing, etc. Ground school for a tandem skydive is only 10 to 15 minutes. The ground school for your first AFF Category A jump is approximately 4 to 6 hours. Each progressive jump requires ground training of around one hour or less.
The length of the course greatly depends on your dedication to the sport. Fortunately, Skydive Philadelphia can get you certified to skydive solo with the AFF program in as little as 2 to 3 days.
The AFF course certifies you to jump solo under a student status once you have successfully completed the first seven jumps. The A-License is a series of 25 jumps consisting of completing specific review items, a few USPA coach jumps, a hop-n-pop, and complete ten landings within twenty-five feet of the target landing area. After this, you will be a certified skydiver with the ability to jump solo anywhere in the United States.
Of course! Skydive Philadelphia utilizes the most advanced and clear camera equipment to document your experience here. The video and pictures package is an additional cost for your skydive; please visit our pricing page for more information on pricing or our video packages page for more information on the types of videos. Only Skydive Philadelphia instructors are allowed to capture your jump; i.e. you cannot film your jump with your own equipment.
Unfortunately, no. Every jumper exits the aircraft sequentially after a certain amount of time between jumpers. Moreover, while skydivers wish the laws of physics did not apply to them, the videographer cannot fly back up for the next person’s video.
As soon as your landing is filmed, the raw footage of your jump is handed over to the Skydive Philadelphia professional editing team to add in music, titles and special effects to your jump video. The video will usually be ready within a week after you jump, but this can change due to high jump volume and unforeseen delays. The video will be an MP4 file that is emailed to you!
Yes, the weight limit is 230 lbs.
