Author: Skydive Spaceland San Marcos
-
Skydive Spaceland Brings World-Class Skydiving with Texas Hospitality to Atlanta on May 1
by
Rosharon, Texas (March 31, 2015)–Building on the strong success of two world-class skydiving centers near Houston, Texas, and Miami, Florida, Skydive Spaceland will open a third skydiving center near Atlanta on May 1. “This is such a beautiful farm property in the Appalachian foothills,” says owner Steve Boyd. “We’re super excited to bring our business…
-
What’s Your Wind Limit?
Gusty winds are common at Spaceland and many other dropzones. As an experienced jumper, I have thought a lot about what my personal wind limit is–in other words, when I will sit down even though the dropzone is not on a wind hold. Recently, I made the decision not to jump after watching other fun…
-
It’s Official: Guinness World Records Confirms Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation Charity Skydive Event is New World’s Record
by
THE WOODLANDS, TX — March 24, 2015 — Not only did leaping out of an airplane raise more than $48,000 for the Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation, but the Jump! Shout! event last September near Houston landed the 286 jumpers in the record book. Major sponsors for the event included iFLY, Ron Carter Ford & First…
-
Splish-Splash: Landing in Wet Conditions
Ah spring… Green grass, warming temperatures, and RAIN! One of the most common questions we see in our social media news feeds this time of the year is, “How wet is the landing area?” If you have to ask, the answer is usually “underwater.” 😉 Since we’re not too interested in waiting days for perfectly…
-
Keep Learning with Facebook!
As a current or former student in our Skydiver Training Program here at Spaceland, you have access to our skydiving students group on Facebook. This group is a ton of fun! You’ll find everything from freefall and canopy control questions to gear inquiries, discussions of who’s jumping on a particular day, Spaceland event announcements, and…
-
Skydiving Currency: Use it or Lose It!
Ah, wintertime. We’re lucky enough here at Spaceland-San Marcos to have jumpable temperatures year-round, but cooler days and holidays often result in many of us taking a bit of a break from jumping this time of year. This break can result in a lack of currency, which is an additional risk factor for injury in…
-
Skydivers Over Sixty World Sequential Record
by
On January 17th, two weeks after the original date was rained out, 19 Skydivers over Sixty (years of age) set a new World Record at Skydive Spaceland in Rosharon, Texas. Nineteen jumpers completed two points (two separate skydiving formations) to set the new Skydivers Over Sixty (SOS) world large-formation sequential record on the fourth try of…
-
Rigs vs. Doors
Recently, one of our licensed jumpers took it upon himself to remind us all about keeping our rigs away from the edges of the aircraft door when rotating out to a floater exit. It’s a great reminder for all of us, because it’s far too easy to get too comfortable and complacent about safety aspects…
-
Extreme Team Building: Skydiving with Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Friends
by
(Rosharon, Texas, Jan. 6, 2014)–Not every business does team-building activities, and those that do don’t often plan something as intense as skydiving. You certainly wouldn’t expect it out of a government office, but Houston Mayor Annise Parker brought no fewer than 20 employees, City Council aides, and others to skydive and bond at Skydive Spaceland…
-
Skydiver Training Tip: What If You Have to Repeat a Dive?
Let’s face it: Skydiving isn’t easy, especially when you’re just starting the sport. You may be a natural at freefall, but struggle with canopy patterns or landing, or vice versa. Or you may be nervous enough to have trouble getting out of the plane at all. The important thing to remember here is that many…
-
Skydiver Training Tip: Cheat Sheet!
Are you one of those people who knocks standardized tests out of the park without half trying, or do you tend to need some quality study time to ace them? Regardless of your test performance proclivities, keep one thing in mind regarding your skydiving training tests: These are definitely tests you don’t want to fail,…
-
Skydive Spaceland Owner Gives Back to our Military By Flying Wounded Veterans
by
Do you ever wonder what our pretty King Air with the in-flight door is up to? Spaceland’s owner Steve Boyd, Sr., has teamed with the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC) to provide free transportation in his King Air to our wounded veterans. So far, he has completed four missions including trips to North Carolina, Florida, and two…
-
Skydivers Set Three World Records Over Skydive Spaceland
by
Rosharon, Texas (Nov. 4, 2014)—On the weekend of Oct. 25-26, 2014, skydivers set not one or two, but three challenging world skydiving records (and several Texas state/national records) at Skydive Spaceland in Rosharon, Texas, just south of Houston. “These records were all new (no previous records had been set in this category), making these skydivers…
-
Right-Now Rigging
by
Oh no! You want to jump this weekend, but your reserve is out of date! Can this tragedy be averted so you can get some quality sky time? The answer is: Maybe! Our full-time rigging loft may very well be able to accommodate your right-now repack request, depending on their current workload. If you need…
-
Special Dives: Low/High Pulls, Toy Dives, Pond Swooping
Low/High Pulls High openings and low passes must take into account the number of airplanes flying, other skydiving activities, and canopy descent rate. We cannot always accommodate low passes or high openings. We cannot guarantee that low-pass jumpers will land alone unless only one plane is flying. Ensure that the aircraft is configured for your…
-
Landing/Canopy Safety
Canopy Safety Wind indicators: Landing direction arrow, flags, wind sock. The landing direction arrow is an air-traffic control device that sets the landing direction on the north side of the runway. Know the landing direction before takeoff, and check the landing direction indicator (LDI) north of the runway after you open and check canopy in case…
-
Aircraft/Loading Area Safety and Policies
Winds Aloft This information is posted daily on the board near the aircraft mockups. Also check out our weather page… Loading Area We use loading area 1 (north of the hangar) on cold starts/after fueling, and loading area 2 (northwest corner of hangar) on hot turns. Please be in the loading area on the 5-minute…
-
Wingsuit Dive Policies
Wingsuit jumps carry many of the same risks as tracking/angle flying because of the horizontal movement component. They can also pose a risk to later-dropping aircraft because of the extremely slow fall rate. They can pose challenges when dealing with malfunctions as well, because of the limited mobility many suits allow the jumper before wings…
-
New on New
Are you a new skydiver with a shiny new A license? Or maybe you’re a skydiving student already thinking about the fun things you’ll do after you graduate? Congratulations on becoming a part of the global skydiving community! We’re glad you’re here. 🙂 Now let’s talk a little about the skydives you’ll do once you…
-
We Did It! CCRF Breaks Guinness World Record and Raises $48,255 at Charity Skydive Event to Assist Children Battling Cancer and Their Families
by
Houston Man among the Skydivers Who Honored Young Daughter’s Memory Rosharon, TX – October 2, 2014 – It was the thrill of a lifetime in more ways than one, as 286 skydivers took to the skies and made a jump that was both exhilarating and meaningful to so many. Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation (CCRF), a 501(c) (3) charitable…
-
Skydive Spaceland Camera Policy
Forrest Gump might have said that skydiving and cameras go together like peas and carrots. It’s an awesome thing to capture what’s arguably the world’s most fun aerial activity with a nice tiny, high-quality camera such as a GoPro. It won’t get in the way, right? You won’t even know it’s there! To go back…
-
Avoiding Turbulence
It is bumpy up there! Turbulence is the Rodney Dangerfield of skydiving…. It doesn’t get respect. Turbulence is a challenge for jumpers for at least two reasons: It is invisible and unpredictable. Because turbulence is invisible, we must actively anticipate where it may be. Most new jumpers (and a lot of more experienced ones) vastly underestimate…
-
Jump! Shout! World Record Event Business Contributors
by
Are you ready to help us help kids with cancer? On Sept. 27, 2014, Skydive Spaceland-Houston and Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation (CCRF) are attempting to break the current Guinness World Record of 251 tandem skydives completed in a single location in one day by doing 400 or more! The proceeds from this event benefit CCRF, which supports children under…
-
Jump! Shout! World Record Promotion Information
by
Are you ready to help us help kids with cancer? On Sept. 27, 2014, Skydive Spaceland-Houston and Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation (CCRF) are attempting to break the current Guinness World Record of 251 tandem skydives completed in a single location in one day by doing 400 or more! The proceeds from this event benefit CCRF, which supports children under…
-
Jump! Shout! World Record Event Fundraising Information
by
Are you ready to help us help kids with cancer? On Sept. 27, 2014, Skydive Spaceland-Houston and Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation (CCRF) are attempting to break the current Guinness World Record of 251 tandem skydives completed in a single location in one day by doing 400 or more! The proceeds from this event benefit CCRF, which supports children under…
-
Jump! Shout! World Record Tandem Skydiver Information
by
Ready for the thrill of a lifetime with the added thrill of helping a seriously good cause? On Sept. 27, 2014, Skydive Spaceland-Houston and Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation (CCRF) are attempting to break the current Guinness World Record of 251 tandem skydives completed in a single location in one day by doing 400 or more! The proceeds from this…
-
Jump! Shout! World Record Tandem Skydive for Kids With Cancer
by
Want to get in the Guinness World Record Book while helping out a great cause and having the time of your life for free?! It’s a trifecta of awesomeness! On Sept. 27, 2014, Skydive Spaceland-Houston and Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation (CCRF) are attempting to break the current record of 251 tandem skydives completed in a…
-
Hop and Pop Skydiving Smarts
If you’re a people watcher, observing skydivers preparing for hop and pop skydives (low-altitude exits) is a lot of fun. You see everything from cool-cat, ho-hum, highly experienced swoopers practicing their craft to jumpy first-timers doing their first exits below full altitude, hoping with all their hearts to be stable enough to deploy within the…
-
Women Set New Skydiving World Record at Skydive Spaceland During Jump for the Rose Breast Cancer Fundraiser
by
Contact (Skydive Spaceland): Christy West, Marketing Director 281-369-3337; Christy@SkydiveSpaceland.com Contact (Jump for the Rose): Marian Sparks, 713-816-0185, marian@jumpfortherose.org Rosharon, Texas (Aug. 11)—On Aug. 10, 2014, four female skydivers set a new world record for largest vertical skydiving formation performed in a head-up orientation (also known as sit-flying or feet-first flying) at Skydive Spaceland-Houston in Rosharon,…
-
Skydive Spaceland Hosts First Transitions 3-Way Speed Star Competition
by
On August 3, 2014, Skydive Spaceland added friendly competition to its Transitions program for recent graduates of any skydiving program. Skydivers with A licenses up to around 100 jumps enjoy free coaching from two available USPA Coaches/experienced jumpers every weekend. Also, during the first weekend of every month there is an event with additional mentors…