Why Choose West Point Skydiving Adventures for your skydive?

Let's face it, there are many skydiving operations in the Mid-Atlantic area. Some may even be closer to you. But choosing a skydiving school based on location alone should not be your biggest consideration. The staff, aircraft, equipment and facilities should be a higher priority than the distance travelled for your jump. Fortunately, we are convenient to the major population areas of Northern Virginia, Richmond and Tidewater/VA Beach, and driving to us is easy. Below are some considerations regarding why you should choose West Point Skydiving Adventures.

 

 

Staff
Visit our staff bio page at http://www.skydivewestpoint.com/skydiving/staff.aspx Most of our staff has performed thousands of skydives and have been skydiving for years or even decades. WPSA is owned by Jim Crouch, who is also the Director of Safety and Training for the United States Parachute Association. He has the advantage of working with other industry leaders on a daily basis, working to develop the highest quality student and instructor training programs in the world. The staff at WPSA receives constant input from Jim, to ensure that each staff member has the latest information regarding matters of Safety and Training. What this means for you, is that you can be assured that training and customer service is the highest priority of every staff member. We strive to take care of each customer in a friendly, professional manner that will never compromise safety.  

 

Aircraft

We use twin turboprop aircraft supplied by Rampart Aviation, a military contractor for training operations. Because they work closely with the military, the aircraft must be maintained to the standards of FAA Part 135 operations. This maintenance and inspection program is much more stringent than the minimum required for skydiving operators (FAA Part 91). Our Super King Air is equipped with two over-sized, higher horsepower engines that offer 30% more power than the standard engines. This plane carries 14 jumpers to altitude in about 15 minutes. This means we are providing you with a safer and faster ride to altitude. We also own our Cessna 182, which has also been outfitted with a higher horsepower engine, and the wings have been extended by three feet. The engine provides an additional 25% horsepower increase over the standard model. The larger wings provide a 25% increase in gross weight capability. This plane carries four jumpers to altitude in approximately 15 minutes. The bigger engine and wings are a terrific safety feature we have chosen to utilize, in the interest of keeping you as safe as possible. These aircraft modifications cost tens of thousands of dollars ($55,000 in improvements on our Cessna, alone!), however we are more than happy to invest in making our airplanes as safe as possible, and maintaining them to the highest standards.

Equipment

We spend tens of thousands of dollars each year to replace our skydiving equipment frequently ($35,000 alone in 2009-2010). This ensures that the gear is always in great shape and incorporates the latest designs, which provides you with a higher degree of comfort and safety. Our solo student containers and canopies are sized for your height and weight, rather than using a "one size fits all" method. This helps ensure that you have the best fit and comfort possible, and that the main canopy is the optimal size for you, based on your weight. We replace our tandem equipment frequently, to help ensure that the main canopies are as reliable as possible and that they also provide smooth landings. Parachutes do eventually wear out, and their performance and reliability get worse as they age. We would rather spend the time and money to replace the equipment frequently, in an effort to keep you (and ourselves!) as safe as possible.  

Facilities
 

We offer video and still photos by using only a separate videographer to capture your skydive. Some skydiving operations have moved to a "Handcam" setup, where the tandem instructor wears the video camera on the back of his hand. To compare the quality of the two methods, we have video samples below. You can see the obvious difference in the two presentations. This is why we only offer outside video.  We have a heated and air-conditioned waiting room with a large screen TV, and there is also wireless internet available. The view at West Point is simply stunning. You can see seven different rivers all cascading towards the Chesapeake Bay as you descend peacefully under your parachute. There is plenty of space for a group picnic should your group want to bring a picnic lunch. We have a large hangar for indoor packing or just hanging around people watching. You will instantly feel welcomed by the friendly group of regular skydivers who are always happy to see first time jumpers there. There are several restaurants and a hotel just a few miles from the drop zone. And in the event there is an injury, we have a Life-Flight helicopter and trained medical personnel based right on the airport.     

Handcam Sample  

 

Outside Video Sample (How we video at WPSA)




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