Tandem Skydiving FAQs

Skydive Carolina is located at 1903 King Air Drive, Chester, SC 29706 at the Chester County Regional Airport. We’re right on the border of North and South Carolina – once you get off the highway, the ride to the dropzone is a pleasant drive through farmland and open fields. Get directions!

On the North Carolina side, we’re less than an hour from South Charlotte, just over two hours from Greensboro and Asheville, and about three and a half from Raleigh. On the South Carolina side, we’re about an hour from Columbia and Spartanburg, under two hours from Greenville, and about three hours and 15 minutes from Charleston.

Skydive Carolina is open almost year round. In peak season, we’re open Thursday through Monday, and in the “off season” we’re open on weekends only – we are always closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

• January: Closed (Available by Phone)
• February: Friday – Sunday
• March-October: Thursday – Monday
• November-Mid-December: Friday – Sunday

We have ample, free onsite parking. Check out this video to get the lay of the land at the dropzone!

Yes! Online reservations are highly recommended for all tandem skydiving bookings. If you’re bringing a group, plan to book two weeks in advance.

Absolutely! Unless your jump is scheduled for 8 am, we recommend that spectators arrive an hour or so after your booking time. This will give you time to check in and complete your training. Note, all children 12 years and under must be under adult supervision at all times.

There’s plenty of seating and shade, and our on-site restaurant – Blue Sky Café – is open on weekends. Snacks and cold drinks are available in the Student Training Center & Gear Store.

Yes! The Blue Sky Café is open on Saturdays and Sundays. They serve hot and cold beverages, salads, sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, and sides. Snacks and cold drinks are always available in the Student Training Center & Gear Store.

No. For safety reasons, dogs and other animals are not permitted at the airport. Please call us in advance if you or someone in your party is supported by a service dog.

Yes, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) mandates that you must be 18 or older to skydive. As a USPA member dropzone, this rule is strictly enforced at Skydive Carolina. Be sure to bring your valid, government-issued photo ID with you to prove your date of birth (e.g. driver’s license, passport). Consent from a parent or guardian is not permitted under any circumstances. No ID, no jump – no joke.

No – if you’re able to jump, you can jump! Not only is there no maximum age for skydiving, but there are worldwide affiliate groups, such as POPS (People over Phorty Society), SOS (Skydivers of Sixty), all the way up to JONS (Jumpers over Ninety Society). The oldest tandem skydiver currently on record was 106 years old when he made his most recent jump!

The maximum weight limit at Skydive Carolina is 225 lbs, including your clothing and shoes. All guests are asked to stand on a private scale at the time of check-in. Skydiving weight requirements are enforced as a matter of safety and comfort for you and your instructor.

You must be in generally good shape to make a skydive. You need to be somewhat flexible in order to crouch and kneel while on the plane and to create the skydiving arch position in freefall. You also need decent core strength to lift your legs when landing.

If you have any questions or concerns about your physical ability to make a skydive, talk with your doctor before booking your jump.

To complete the required paperwork and perform a skydive, you must possess cognitive ability, mental alertness, and demonstrate the ability to follow directions.

If you have any questions or concerns about the mental requirements to make a skydive, talk with your doctor before booking your jump.

Skydiving is renowned for being inclusive. Many people with differing abilities make tandem skydives and get licensed to jump solo. You know your body better than anyone else – if you think you can skydive, you probably can! Contact us to discuss the specifics of disability and to learn about possible accommodations.

If you have any questions or concerns about your ability to make a skydive, talk with your doctor before booking your jump.

There are a number of health conditions that may preclude you from making a skydive. If you have a cold, congestion or sinus problems or an inner ear issue that affects your balance, you may want to wait until you’re better before making a jump.

If you have  fainting spells, a seizure disorder, diabetes, hypertension or other heart issue, prior shoulder dislocation or neck/back pain, please see your doctor before booking your jump.

You cannot skydive if you are pregnant.

It is critical that you and your instructor communicate seamlessly. All tandem instructors at Skydive Carolina speak English and quite a few speak more than one language. If you have a question about language, please contact us!

Your reservation time is when your mandatory training class begins – check in at the Student Training Center 30 minutes before your reservation time. If you miss your training class, you will be required to attend another class time with availability.

Plan to spend half the day with us – about four or five hours. Your actual tandem skydive only takes about 30 minutes from wheels up to touch down, but there are lots of checks and balances behind the scenes to ensure you’re ready for takeoff. Weather is the most frequent culprit of delays, and we must allow ample time for parachutes to be packed, jump planes to be refueled, etc. We operate within a culture of safety at Skydive Carolina – please practice patience.

Pro Tip: Wait times are greatly reduced for those scheduled at 8 am and 9 am.

You must be 18 or older to skydive or participate in a ridealong – bring a valid, government-issued form of photo identification (e.g. driver’s license or passport). Permission from a parent or guardian will not suffice.

Summertime in the Carolinas is hot! There’s plenty of shaded seating, but consider bringing sunblock, a hat, and sunglasses. In cooler months, bring an extra layer for the down time between check-in, training, and go time.

You’re welcome to bring a cooler, just remember that no alcohol is permitted on the dropzone at any time.

Dress in weather-appropriate clothing that is suitable for physical activity. Close-fitting athletic clothing is best. Loose-fitting clothing and hoodies whip in the wind and can be painful. Avoid crop tops and short shorts so the harness doesn’t irritate your skin. On chilly days, wear layers and long pants. If it’s particularly cold, we recommend long-johns or Under Armour.

Lace-up tennis shoes or sneakers are recommended for footwear. Slides, flip flops, sandals, shoes with spikes or hooks, and boots are not recommended.

Remove jewelry that may come off (never to be seen again!) or that may be painful in the wind. Tie back long hair.

Yes you can, and you should wear your glasses – you don’t want to miss a thing! We’ll provide you with goggles that will go over top of your glasses. Let your instructor know if you wear contacts.

You’ll have a lot of nervous energy on the day of your jump, but skydiving is not like being on a roller coaster – you don’t feel like you’re falling and you’re not aware that you are traveling at 120 mph. So eat normally.

Not eating before you jump will likely make you feel a little green around the gills – lightheaded and faint, especially after the adrenaline high wears off. Eating too much will make you feel sick; avoid greasy or heavy food.

Water: yes. Alcohol: hard no. Staying hydrated is important – drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic beverages. Just don’t forget to make one last bathroom stop before getting geared up!

You must not drink any alcohol at least eight hours prior to your jump. Jumping under the influence is illegal, is a major safety concern and, despite what you might imagine, is not fun. (Neither is jumping hungover, BTW.) If you are deemed to be under the influence, you will not be skydiving.

Skydiving with a cold or any sinus pressure is not recommended. Due to the pressure changes experienced during a skydive, it’s not uncommon to feel discomfort or intense pain within the inner ear. If you are scheduled to make a jump and have any congestion, we recommend rescheduling your skydive.

All payments are non-refundable, but are transferable and are valid for one calendar year. In the event that your skydive will have to be rescheduled, you will have up to one calendar year to reschedule.

If you have a long drive and are concerned about the weather, please call us before you head out.

Conditions that affect skydiving operations include heavy clouds, rain, or wind. Note that the weather at ground level is not the same as the weather at altitude. We are a safety-first facility – if conditions are unfavorable, we do not jump.

There’s a common saying in skydiving: Better to be on the ground wishing you were in the sky instead of being in the sky wishing you were on the ground. Know that if we ground operations, it’s for good reason. We ask you to practice patience as we wait for the weather to life or reschedule your jump.

Tipping isn’t expected in skydiving but it’s, of course, always appreciated. Tandem instructors undergo a great deal of training for the privilege of taking people skydiving, and videographers work hard to document the perfect account of your skydiving experience. Showing them some love for facilitating one of life’s best and most memorable experiences is awesome – but it’s certainly not a requirement.

There are other ways to express your gratitude, too! Call them out by name in a stellar review, write them a thank you note, or give them a big ol’ hug.

Skydive Carolina has a dedicated, onsite media team called Xtreme Video Services. The professional videographers of Xtreme are some of the best in the industry and will capture every aspect of your skydive. Unlike some dropzones that offer footage taken only from the tandem instructor’s wrist-mounted camera, our dropzone’s videographers jump with you and your instructor, taking video and photos from their helmet. You gain an outside perspective of your whole skydive, not just up-close footage of your face.

Your photo package will include 30 to 60 high resolution images that showcase your skydiving experience – from gearing up to landing!

Add video of your tandem skydive as well as pre- and post-jump interviews by upgrading to a package that includes video and stills. Visit our video services page for details.

Your video package will include every aspect of your jump! Highlights include:

• Meeting your instructor
• Getting geared up in your tandem skydiving harness
• Pre-jump interview
• Boarding the aircraft
• Midway interview at 7,000 feet
• Exiting the aircraft at 14,000 feet
• Freefall experience at 120 mph
• Parachute deployment
• Landing
• Post-jump interview

Add photos of your jump by upgrading to a package that includes video and stills. Our Social Media Package includes 30 to 60 photos and a ready-to-post video clip. The Xtreme Package includes 30 to 60 photos, your complete video, and a ready-to-post social media video clip. Visit our video services page for details.

You’ll be able to view your video on the big screen in the hangar within minutes of landing! A Dropbox link to your video package will be sent to you by the end of the business day via your email address.

This is not possible. Each tandem pair exits the aircraft with about 5 to 10 seconds of separation out the door to ensure that parachutes will not be deploying within close proximity. Because of this separation it is not possible for a videographer to fly from one tandem pair to another.

No. The USPA mandates that all skydivers have a minimum of 200 jumps in order to skydive with a camera. Anyone with less than 200 jumps is not permitted to take a GoPro or any other camera, including a phone or other device, on a jump without meeting this criteria.