When the Hart family opened Start Skydiving in 2006, their business approach was rooted in a focus on core values and providing the best possible experience for people. Located in Middletown, Ohio, the business was started in 2006 by John Hart II (aka J2) a University of Cincinnati alumnus, Ohio native, and second generation U.S. Army veteran. J2 and his family had a vision for creating a better and notably different skydiving dropzone experience. And they have succeeded: today Start Skydiving is one of the top 5 largest and fastest growing dropzones in the world, training more skydivers than any facility in the Midwest.
What is a Skydiving Dropzone?
If you aren’t familiar with dropzones, they are a designated area where skydiving activities take place. These dropzones are regulated to endure safety and adherence to guidelines set by governing bodies like the United States Parachute Association (USPA) in the US. They typically include the following components:
- Landing Area: A clear, open space where skydivers land after their jumps.
- Airfield: Often a small airport or airstrip where aircraft take off and land.
- Facilities: Buildings or structures that house classrooms for training, gear storage, packing areas for parachutes, and sometimes recreational areas for skydivers to relax.
- Training Areas: Spaces designated for ground training, including mock-up aircraft for practice and areas for practicing emergency procedures.
- Staff: Certified instructors, riggers (parachute packers), and other support personnel who ensure safety and provide guidance to skydivers.
- Equipment: Rental or sales of skydiving gear, including parachutes, altimeters, helmets, and jumpsuits.
- Manifest: The office or area where skydivers check in, schedule their jumps, and get assigned to flights.
Start Skydiving’s dropzone facilities are located at the Middletown Regional Airport. The campus runs alongside Smith Park, which has a fishing pond, splash pad, playground, and soccer and baseball fields. Plus, you can kayak on the Great Miami River and bike on the Great Miami River Trail (over 75+ miles long!). Their indoor amenities include a high ropes course and a climbing wall, campgrounds, fire pit, picnic tables, and more.
Ready to Jump? Try Tandem Skydiving
Startskydiving.com is a wealth of information for newbies who are thinking of making a jump. Making a tandem jump makes skydiving easy and accessible to beginners. Utilizing a “parachute for two”, tandem skydiving enables you to try the life-changing experience of human flight along with a highly experienced tandem instructor. The “What Does Tandem Skydiving Feel Like?” page on the website answers a ton of questions to help newbies feel more comfortable. Here are just a few of the FAQ’s answered on Startskydiving.com:
- What happens when you arrive at the dropzone for a skydiving session?
- What is involved in the pre-jump briefing for a tandem skydive?
- What is the process of getting ready and boarding the aircraft for a skydive?
- What happens when the airplane door opens at altitude?
- What is the experience of freefalling during a skydive?
- What happens when the parachute is deployed during a skydive?
- Does skydiving hurt?
- Does your stomach drop when you skydive?
Pro Tips for First-Time Skydivers
If you’re ready to skydive for the first time, Start Skydiving has some important tips to help you create the best experience.
- Plan Ahead Get a good night’s sleep, eat normally, dress in weather-appropriate, close-fitting athletic clothing and tennis shoes.
- Don’t Forget the Essentials You will need to show your valid, government-issued photo ID as well as complete your waiver online. Bring snacks and drinks.
- Arrive On Time Your reservation time is your check-in time, not your jump time. Arriving 15+ minutes late will result in a per-person fee.
- Practice Patience Weather holds and logistics can cause delays. Plan to spend up to half of the day with us. Safety first, always.
- Get Video The adrenaline rush will make your skydive go by in a flash. Relive your jump again and again with skydiving video.
Stepping Up to Solo Jumps
When you’re ready to take the leap into solo skydiving, Start Skydiving offers Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) Training, the only one of its kind in the Midwest. This program lets you grow from novice to a proficient skydiver while earning your United States Parachute Association (USPA) A License – the first of four license levels: A, B, C and D.
It takes 5-8 hours of instruction before you can make a jump where you deploy your own parachute. On your first jump, you’ll exit the aircraft between 10,000 and 12,000 feet while accompanied by two instructors, experience 50 seconds of free fall, and then deploy your own parachute at around 5,500 feet.
To enroll in the AFF training, you must:
- Be at least 18 (no maximum age limit)
- Make 1 tandem (strongly recommended)
- Weigh less than 235 lbs
- Be in generally good health
For the Love of the Sport
The Hart family continues to stay focused on the core values that have always driven the business. One of those values, inclusion, has led them to provide skydiving experiences to people with paraplegia, quadriplegia, vision and hearing impairments. Other core values inspire them to give back to the community through various charitable initiatives like Blue Skies for the Good Guys & Gals , an organization providing skydiving experiences to veterans and their families for the purpose of emotional healing.
We highly recommend connecting with the Hart family and making your first jump with them. If you yearn to experience pure freedom…leaping from an airplane, free falling at 120 mph, and floating under a canopy is like nothing else on the planet.
Connect with Start Skydiving:
