Skydive Milwaukee !

If being in a plane is flying, then riding in a boat is swimming.

A Friendly Warning Be weary of the Web sites with 'milwaukee' and 'skydiving'
in their URLs but only have 800 numbers and no pages with
their physical address, maps, or directions on how to get to
their facilities. It's because they don't have any facilities.
The owner of these sites, Cary Quattrocchi, has been the
subject of numerous lawsuits and "I-Team" investigations.

Thinking about skydiving ?

Try a tandem skydive! With tandem skydiving you're harnessed to the front of a jumpmaster and are basically just a passenger going along for the ride. There are no training classes to take. You view a video, fill out some forms, and then go through some basic exit, free-fall, and landing positions with your jumpmaster. Then you're ready to jump!

Lets face it, jumping out of a airplane 2.5 miles above the ground on your first skydive is the scariest thing you could imagine. That's only natural. But it's often said that "you leave your fear in the plane" because the rush of a 120-mph free-fall overwhelms the senses. Your jumpmaster will likely let you pull the ripcord if you want - just ask! And once you're under canopy the feeling of soaring around like a bird is indescribable. Your jumpmaster will even give you the "toggles" so you can steer it around. Don't blame me if you get addicted. (Information on pursuing skydiving training is given further down on this page.)

The cost of a tandem skydive at Sky Knights in East Troy, Wisconsin is $195 on weekends (a little cheaper during the week), plus an additional $90 if you'd like a video shot of your free-fall. Be sure to wear closed-toe shoes with laces. Sandles and slip-ons may fly off during free-fall. Family and friends are welcome to come and watch as there is a large back yard for picnicing (no pets please). For $25/person they can even ride in the jump plane as an observer to get a "high level" view of your jump. (This is not recommended for those prone to motion sickness as the pilots make some pretty aggressive maneuvers to get back down quickly. It takes 15 minutes to go up but they usually make it back down in 5.) I did my first tandem jump near Hoover Dam in Nevada. There's a page on my GoingToVegas.com Web site that describes the process and tells you what to expect and is based on jumping from a small Cessna. If you jump at Sky Knights on the weekend you'll likely be jumping from a larger aircaft (shown below).

This is similar to the view you would have as you are gliding back torwards
the DZ if you jumped on a day when the wind was out of the northwest.
(Original photo by Gary Dikkers - WI Bureau of Aeronautics.)

Directions to Skydiving Milwaukee Sky Knights

Directions to Skydiving Milwaukee Sky Knights

Sky Knights is located on County Highway L in East Troy, Wisconsin southwest of Milwaukee. It is very easy to get to from Milwaukee (and Chicago) by taking the freeway.

From Milwaukee

From I-894 take I-43 South (the "Rock freeway") southwest of Milwaukee (only takes about 20 minutes once you get on I-43).
Exit at Hwy 20 (you'll see the airport on your left side as you are approaching the exit).
At the end of the exit ramp turn left onto Hwy 20.
Go under the freeway and turn left onto Hwy L (you'll see the "East Troy Municipal Airport" sign).
Hwy L winds around past the airport buildings and a farm house and Sky Knights will be on the right side.

From Chicago / Northeast Illinois

Take I-94 north into Wisconsin to the southern part of Racine County.
Exit at Hwy 20 (exit no. 333) and go west. (Hwy 20 forks in a couple places around Waterford so be sure to follow the Hwy 20 signs. If you get lost just call 800-ET-CHUTE and let them know where you are.)
Turn right onto Hwy L which is just before the I-43 North entrance ramp. (You'll see the airport on your right as you're driving down Hwy 20 approaching Hwy L.)
Hwy L winds around past the airport buildings and a farm house and Sky Knights will be on the right side.

Fear is temporary.
Regret is permanent.

Sky Knights is not a for-profit business. It is a non-profit club that has been serving Milwaukee area skydivers for over 35 years. Any "profits" from training and jump fees go back into the club. You don't have to become a member to train or jump there, but if you become a member a portion of your gear rental fees goes into a fund for you which you can use to buy your own rig.
A PAC 750 similar to the one shown is often used for a jump plane. It's a turbo-prop that carries up to 16 to a jump run at 13,500' in about 15 minutes. They also use a smaller Beech King Air and a Cessna 182 from time to time.
More information on Sky Knights is available at www.skydivemilwaukee.com.
Here is their page on doing a tandem skydive.

The goggles provided by drop zones tend to be fogged and scratched from heavy use (and not the most comfortable things in the world). If you're planning on doing a one-time tandem jump you may want to invest the $12 and get your own goggles for the occasion (makes a nice souvenir of your jump). If you're going to take an AFF or static line class you'll definitely want your own goggles. Kroop's Goggles have a padded edge and wider strap that makes them more comfortable. Be sure to specify the "skydive punched" (vent holes) clear lens. If you wear contact lenses get the "ventless" clear lens (otherwise your eyes will water during free-fall with the skydive-punched vented lens). They also have a model that will fit over eyeglasses (you'll want the skydive-punched clear lens with those too.)

Tandem Jumps Count! The USPA requires 25 training/coach jumps to get an 'A' license. If you think you may pursue skydiving training, be sure to write down all of the facts about your tandem skydive because even these jumps count towards this total. Write down date, time, location, type of plane you jumped out of, exit altitude, time (in seconds) of free-fall, etc. You may even want to get a log book ahead of time and have your tandem master sign it after you fill in the information. Skydiving magazine sells log books for $8. I prefer the Skylog 3 model with the "two jumps per page" format as this gives you plenty of room for both the instructor and you to write notes about your training jumps.

If you're planning on pursuing skydiving training, get a jump (no pun intended) on the material by ordering the SIM (Skydivers Information Manual) directly from the USPA (United States Parachute Assoc.) Web site. The cost is around $25 and it contains ALL of the material that is (or should be) covered in your training.

When deciding between the static line and AFF (Accelerated Free-Fall) training methods, consider that the static line method eases you into free-fall which is the most difficult part of skydiving to master. (At 120 mph the air isn't very foregiving of misplaced arms and legs and I got flipped over on my back or went into flat spins so many times I lost count.) Early static line jumps are from lower altitudes (3,000 to 4,000 feet) where you're hanging off the wing strut of a small Cessna 182. When you let go the static line deploys your parachute immediately. Early AFF jumps are from 13,500 feet with two instructors holding onto you during free-fall. Theoretically, there are fewer training jumps with AFF but re-jumps at the lower AFF levels are common. Given the higher per-jump costs associated with AFF (you're paying for two instructors), re-jumps can make AFF expensive. Static line offers a lower per-jump rate allowing you to do more jumps in a given period for the same budget. Also note that even if you do complete AFF training in fewer jumps than static line, you won't get you your license any sooner. You need 25 jumps to get your 'A' license (where you can jump on your own) regardless of the training method used. Any jumps made to get to 25 after you've completed your training are called "coach jumps" where you're still under student status and jumping with an experienced skydiver.

Design your own jumpsuit! If you're looking for a good custom-made jumpsuit check out the Zute Sute hand-made by Milwaukee area skydiver Jennifer Martin.

Excellent Wisconsin DOT/BOA arial shot of East Troy airport (PDF file).

Even if the weather in Milwaukee or Chicago is not skydiving friendly, the weather in East Troy may be a whole 'nother story. And this satellite view will show any clouds in the area.

Before a trip to Philidelphia I was researching drop zones in the area. If you have a broadband Internet connection (because the file is nearly 15 meg in size), Freefall Adventures in Williamstown, NJ has this neat video about tandem jumps on their Web site. It was created at a resolution high enough where you can put Windows Media Player or Real Player in "Full Screen" mode during playback and still have a good quality picture.

Blue skies.

Keith's Home Page

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Skydive Milwaukee !

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