Start Skydiving — Attraction in Middletown

My two adult sons and I went skydiving at Start Skydiving in July 2021 and were given no opportunity to obtain still pics. I asked the day of the jump and I was told the only thing available was the video. This was a bucket list item for me and I have no photo record of the event due to the way Start Skydiving handled themselves. I asked to order stills on the day of the jump on more than one occasion and was told NO. We arrived at the scheduled time and had to wait several hours before we were prepared to go up in the plane. I wanted to get a pic of the three of us at that time and was told there wasn't time and we were told no. There were no stills taken, only an expensive video. I have a video from whitewater rafting that I never watch. So I wanted pictures I could put in a frame! Not only is this not offered but we were not allowed to take our own pic! I am not one to leave bad reviews. I voiced my disappointment in writing to Start Skydiving TWICE (the first time was soon after the jump). Just wanted them to know. I never heard anything from them either time, so decided (after seeing my friend's wonderful pictures from Greene County Skydiving), to let people know. For a better experience, I would go to Greene County if I were you!

Update: Per your response: I apologize if my memory is fuzzy, but I DID share my experience with you soon after my jump and you did not respond. I shared my experience with you in writing in the area on your website where you can leave a message. I told you twice (as I said above). You did not respond until I took it to a review then proceeded to try and disprove EVERYTHING I said. That must have taken you a great deal of time. No one EVER tried to call me. Cell phones record that data now. A simple apology would have sufficed. We did NOT try to take our camera on the plane. We just tried to take a pic when we were suiting up in the hanger and we were told ,"NO". Of course I would not expect to take my own pics during the jump! Those pics should have been taken by you! I asked for still pics before we left that day and we're told the ONLY THING AVAILABLE WAS THE VIDEO!!! I would definitely have ordered stills! I shared the pic concern IMMEDIATELY with your staff!! Oh, and I did share that I was nauseous with my instructor. I will NOT be jumping again with you.

It's the next day: So that's it? No other response than trying to discredit me? No one gave a hoot until I took it public. I obviously was given incorrect information and lost out on ordering pics. I think it's at least worth a sincere apology.

FYI, you may find where you returned a call because we found a gift card we lost and I left a message for you to call me to ask for information on how long it was still good. So IF you find a call to my number does not mean your staff called when I left two written messages about the jump. I will find them. I can't believe you are questioning my integrity.

SIDE NOTE: IT'S FUNNY HOW YOU COULD DO AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH TO TRY AND PROVE ME WRONG BUT YOU COULD NOT HELP ME WHEN I CALLED BEFORE OUR JUMP ASKING YOU TO SEARCH FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE LOST CARD! YOU MADE ME BUY ANOTHER JUMP ON THE DAY WE JUMPED BECAUSE YOU HAD "NO RECORD OF MY PURCHASE". Just WOW!

AND THE SAGA CONTINUES! To offer a credit to someone who doesn't intend on jumping again is a way for you to try and say you offered a resolve and I refused. I explained from the start that this was a bucket list item and two of us vomited. I told you we do not want a repeat. Also, with the way you have argued with me LABORIOUSLY, I am thinking putting my life in your hands may not be a positive experience. And this is ONLY because you want me to remove the review and have requested I do so. It has nothing to do with you caring for me as a customer or human being.

I stand by my original recommendation, now more than ever, that I would go to Greene County Skydiving for a better experience. Blue skies...

I love Start Skydiving @ Middletown, OH! I have jumped with Larry C, Lonnie K, Rodrigo, Marcos R (x2!), and almost with Daniel (but a weather call was made). Every instructor has made me feel valued, safe, confident, and ready. From my first jump to my fifth, I have been greeted with excited smiles and been made to feel like part of the family. Their attention to my safety while also considering comfort has been so thoughtful. I mentioned that one of my favorite parts of the jump was the floating feeling when the instructors pull both toggle lines (?) down and the world seems to be still and silent. After i mentioned that, my instructor made an effort to enhance that part of the dive for me! Each instructor has also been incredibly patient as i ask 100 questions - some which may seem repetitive but make me feel so much more assured and safe. I honestly trust these people with my life - after all, I did jump out of an airplane with them - and I will keep coming back.

Overall, their ability to reassure my safety while keeping the excitement and thrill has made these experiences delightful for me.

If your considering jumping, here’s what I would keep in mind (lol): The weather can change anyyyy minute. I have jumped 5 times and been weathered out 4 times! (wind, storm, lightning, etc). It can feel frustrating to wait or to be completely prepared and have to reevaluate but these guys prioritize safety and that is the absolute most important thing to me. Last time I waited a few hours, got my harness on and was walking out to waiting area to board the plane when the call was made. Skies looked fine. 5-10 minutes later, it was torrential down pouring and lightning. (also i heard weather is more unpredictable at the beginning of szn as compared to the end.)

the harness is meant to be safe, not comfortable (necessarily). They always communicate that to me, and I will let them know if something feels too, too tight - but for the most part, i trust their judgment and suck it up bc I DONT WANNA D*E

check for discounts on website + sign up for newsletter!

my first instructor (Larry) told me that it’s against every instinct in your body and mind to actually throw urself off of an airplane. Be brave!

wear comfy clothes and good shoes (follow instructions on waiver)

if ur up for it, chat with the people who will be on your flight beforehand or after. It’s so interesting to hear everyone’s stories and their “why”. I have met some of the coolest people ever just chilling in the hangar waiting to jump.

idk im not an expert but keeping these things in mind has helped me!

edit to add: shoutout to the people who work up front!! super cool folks :)))

have fun!!🤘

I’ll be back, fam -...

Great place to go for skydiving. Just like the name, we started with skydiving from here last weekend. It was our (I and my wife) first skydive, and for that matter first extreme adventure, and it became truly memorable, thanks to the folks here - especially the diving instructors. The location is good. About 40-45mins from downtown Cincinnati. Quite inside once you take the exit from I-71 North. There is a residential area on one side of the location but still a lot of free lands available on the other side. There is a free make-shift parking (pebble-surface) available close to their office. The registration process was quick and there was a lady who escorted us to the diving site. Depending upon the rush, you may be diving in 30mins to an hour. So, your registration time is NOT your dive time but they have a large LED that displays your aircraft time and your diving instructor's name so that you know when to be available at the site. They start preparing about 20mins before the dive is scheduled. Our instructors - Brian Marzluf and Kyle Whittier - were great. Kyle was very engaging and friendly but also very meticulous in ensuring all the required procedures are followed. He's great with pictures and videos based on the results in my DVD. The dive was very thrilling and the landing very smooth. On a sunny day, you get really breathtaking views at this location. Brian was great. However, my wife could smell cigarette while talking to him which made her a little uncomfortable. It's better if he quits smoking but otherwise, a better mouth freshener will do. In terms of handling the dive, he was great and meticulous. He could be better in photography and videography. At the time of dive, his hand was more towards left than in front of my wife, where we see Kyle was more effective and captured better shots. The aircraft was good with a seating capacity of 8. We had four divers and five instructors (and of course, two pilots). One of the instructors dived at about 8K feet. They take you till about 11-13K from where the plane stabilizes and the divers dive one after the other. You already start feeling the wind as soon as they open the door. The dive was one of it's kind of experience and landing was very smooth. They were quick with getting our photos and videos DVD which got ready in just about 20-25mins. Overall, definitely a great place to skydive if you're looking for an...