SkyDiving DC - Capitol Skydiving

Capitol Skydiving has some of the coolest skydiving instructors I have talked too. They are honest and up front, and had some very funny experiences I won’t mention here! Skydive Capitol City caters to first timers and pro alike, with programs for anyone who just wants to jump off a plane. However, with all the fun stuff they do safety is first. They realize that one bad mistake can ruin a reputation they have spent their lives building. Currently, they have 4 full time jumpers and about 4 more who work part-time. Chris, the lead skydiver, also said he takes a great pride in who he hires. If someone is just looking to make money or pick up girls, they better not even try. People who live to skydive are who he hires, as most of the trainers live no more than 250 feet from the private airfield. Now that’s what I call dedication - eat, breathe and live Skydiving! Wouldn’t you trust someone like this?

What about in this plane.. 2 tandem jumpers per flight...Smaller planes are safer....

Location

9272 Green Meadows Rd.

Warrenton, VA 20187

I came on a Saturday and they had 40 tandem jumps scheduled for that day – unfortunately because public weather forecasters are obviously not the best at their job they had to cancel all their jumps. When I was there it was 75 degrees and not a single cloud in the sky – scattered thunderstorms what? But as with everything - safety is first. They asked if I had ever jumped – my response was “No, gravity and I have chosen not to recognize each other.” I was then encouraged to schedule and book a jump in a few weeks with a group from DC; however I saw that they were seriously thinking of asking me right then and there. I was gracious and quick about moving the conversation along as I remembered them saying something about blood alcohol content rising with the altitude = dangerous. Mind you, this was on Saturday afternoon, where we religiously indulge in our weekend “drunch.”

Process

Many people may think that you just show up and jump. This is not the case as you need to learn the basics on how to be safe and communicate with your instructor, gear checking, and lots of questions! It can take as long as one hour to four hours depending on your learning skills.

Chris, the lead skydiver, was very helpful and knew everything. I guess I would too after more than 8000 jumps! His goal, he said wasn’t necessarily to make Skydive Capitol City look good, but promote safe skydiving. He has heard many accidents happening at other places and he just wished people knew the questions to ask. Here are a couple he gave me, which you should ask any place you may go Skydiving at.

1)      What is the establishment’s safety record?

2)      How many jumps has your instructor performed?

3)      How long have they been in business?

4)      How new is the equipment?

Skydive Capitol City uses the best in skydiving aircraft with large panoramic windows so you can easily see the amazing view. Chris said they had also just bought almost $50,000 in new equipment. Good sign!

Skydive Capitol City has 2 planes where each plane can do about 2 tandem jumps. They have done about 70 jumps in one day before! In the place you are taken to about two miles above the ground, where you and your instructor accelerate up to 120 mph of freefall for over 40 seconds. The parachute ride lasts about 7 minutes.  You can steer the parachute and ask your instructor questions about the jump. 

In addition, Skydive Capitol City just hired a pilot who is also a skydiver. They will hopefully begin offering an array of other aerial packages and tours coming soon. They are not listed on the website but you call directly and ask.

Prices

Prices start at $199 in cash or $209 on weekdays and $249 on weekends.