Skydive Spaceland Dallas — Local services in Van Alstyne

This review may be a bit long, but bare with me, it’s long for a reason! I skydived on June 18 with Keith, and I genuinely cannot sing his (or Skydive Spaceland Dallas’), praises enough. I have mobility issues and rely on forearm crutches to get around. When I was first making my way down to Texas, I didn’t think I’d be able to skydive since I can’t really jump out of the plane with my crutches- I felt like doing so would be some sort of safety hazard. But I ended up checking out Skydive Spaceland Dallas’ FAQs and couldn’t help but see that in there it said that accommodations could be made for disabilities, so I decided to make the trek and talk to an instructor on whether I’d be able to jump or not. They placed me with Keith and he seemed genuinely excited about the prospect of getting out there and completing my first ever tandem jump with me. He explained every little step to me and said there was absolutely no reason I wouldn’t be able to jump. He even told me he’d jumped with someone else previously who walked with crutches, so I felt I was in pretty good hands. He had me laughing and in such good spirits the entire time, and after laying all my worries to rest, how could I say no to my first ever skydive. My dad was also impressed with how well Keith explained every little thing, and I think Keith really helped my dad be a lot less nervous (my dad was still incredibly nervous to watch me jump out of a plane, but I think he could’ve been worse). Some of the employees helped me onto the plane, and after I landed my crutches were brought out to me and they drove me back to the hangar in a golf cart. I also know I wasn’t the best student either- as soon as I jumped out of the plane I felt like I had forgotten everything and Keith had to tap me a couple of times so I’d even let go of my harness! But I made it down all in one piece, even if I almost ripped my hair out with his dad jokes. The photos and videos Camilo took came out incredible, and I’m definitely going to be showing them to every person I talk to. The people in the office were incredibly kind- Paula and Channing were so helpful and were the ones who suggested Keith in the first place! Thank you to the pilot, Heath, as well for getting us up in the sky in the first place. As far as I’m aware (which isn’t very, as I don’t fly planes) he did an amazing job getting us up into the sky safely. Everyone helped keep me safe and helped me feel like a part of the family and for that I am so grateful. I cannot recommend this place enough. They were helpful and accommodating without coddling me- they let me be independent (or as independent as you can be while strapped to someone else) and let me figure out when I did or didn’t need help. If you’re thinking of skydiving, I 100% recommend going to Skydive...

For 80th BD this was an apprehensive bucket list item. Not only are these people safety conscious professional instructors, but also very entertaining. The entertainment is intentional. Especially with first jump, there can be a lot of anxiety during preparation phase. Carl is the main entertainer, and we thank him for his service in the US Marine Corp. He has a mind full of stories and experiences that he strategically releases in a very amusing way to take the edge off any unnecessary anxieties. Tandem instructor, Katie, and photographer, kyle, made me feel relaxed and already like a pro, before making first jump. Even if you haven’t considered doing this, suggest making a visit to witness the process and reaction of a first-time jumper. That is what I did, and became convinced I could and need to jump. Granddaughter said she would never even consider, but now after witnessing she is ready. All is fair priced, considering effort put out on your behalf. Highly recommend adding the complete photo and video package for first jump. When you visit, be sure to watch current videos to understand why. When asked about most enjoyable part, I had to say it was when first being released from the aircraft at 14K ft. At that moment there is little relative motion and the feeling is of free floating in air, not like most expect of feeling like on a roller coaster.

Now to confess. During preparatory instruction, it was repeated over and over again to be sure to monitor your altimeter and when it gets to 7K ft. be ready to pull rip cord at 6K ft. I was enjoying the free fall so much and preoccupied showing off directly in front of free-falling photographer, Kyle, that not once did I even think to look at my wrist altimeter. So, Katie did that for me. The reason to prepare at 7K ft. is that it takes less than 6 seconds to drop from there to 6K ft. As part of safety training, Katie did exactly the correct thing by not prompting me to look at my altimeter during free fall. Obviously, that is an important personal responsibility. Although embarrassed, I appreciate her for that and will not make that mistake next time or ever again. Katie, Kyle, and Carl made this great accomplishment a very fun life-fulfilling experience.

As a final note, when you are there and allow, you will meet some very interesting people at Spaceland. Jack Pyland was in Vietnam same time frame as me. He was Army helicopter med-evac pilot shot down three times. In comparison, my experience was falling out of a desk chair. At age 76, Jack has made over 154 thousand jumps. He is one of those creating and doing the amazing free-fall maneuvers. You might also meet him at the state fair, Jack’s French Frys (correct spelling), or Jack’s Airport Café...

Easily one of the biggest endorphin rushes and best times I've had in a long time. Everyone in the operation is friendly and helpful. The weather was dicey early and they kept me apprised via phone of any possibly delays and what I could expect. Luckily, things cleared and I was able to jump into a beautiful early spring afternoon- twice ;)

As for the jump, I was fortunate to be paired up with Tim (instructor) and Jade (videographer). Let's be honest- the experience was going to be rad regardless. But, those two made it an over the top positive experience. Tim is an incredibly chill dude and very personable. But, you can tell that he's hyperattentive to protocol and safety which is obviously key and made sure that we were simpatico with all the needed maneuvers to make it a smooth jump. He let me participate to my comfort level which was great as you can tell this is truly a school- not just a tourist trap. If you just want to be a passenger, Tim can totally do that I'm sure. But, being interested in going further, it was awesome to have someone that clearly enjoys instructing and gave me an opportunity to get valuable instruction along with the fun.

Jade did an awesome job capturing the jump. If you're on the fence about having your first jump recorded- just do it. In for a penny in for a pound. You'll kick yourself if you don't and watching it over and over and terrifying my wife and family with it are almost as much fun as the jump itself. Jade, like Tim, did a great job of helping keep nerves down and got some incredible shots and HD footage. Plus, she's just cool.

If you're still on the fence, doooooo it. I've been thinking about skydiving for more than a decade and I'm really glad that I chose these guys when it was time to take the plunge. It was so fun, I immediately went back up for my 2nd jump about 20 minutes after my first and had even more skill progression. Thanks again to Tim and Jade for putting the experience over the top and helping me to make one helluva memory. I'm not a Dallas local, but if I'm ever in the area again I'm totally heading north for another jump. A+...