The Plane Makes All The Difference

Since you’re only hopping on to jump out, you might think that the skydiving aircraft doesn’t matter when searching for where to make your first jump. But, here’s a little secret: in truth, the skydiving plane makes all the difference. 

It is not just about looks, although there are certainly some pretty skydiving aircraft out there (ours included). Rather, the skydiving plane affects several key touchpoints of the skydiving experience. 

We don’t expect you to become aviation experts overnight, so lean in close, we’ll give you the cliff notes: this is why the skydiving aircraft matters. 

Skydiving Aircraft & Altitude

Aside from the weather, the primary factor that determines the altitude you skydive from is the type of skydiving plane.

Across the industry, the average skydiving altitude is around 10,000 feet. As you may have read in our article covering skydiving altitude and airplanes, this is because of the popularity of a skydiving aircraft called the Cessna 182 (or C-182 for short). The workhorse of the industry, we have the C-182 to thank for the accessibility of skydiving, and so there’s certainly no shame in the C-182 game. 

Within our elite fleet, we have two turbo-charged C-182’s with high horsepower conversions (we’ll get into that a bit more later) as well as a Cessna 208 (C-208 or Caravan). It’s the latter that allows us to step away from the pack and add a little extra. With the added power of the C-208, we are pleased to be able to offer skydives from 14,000 feet!

Time’s a Tickin …

There’s a saying: time is money. While we don’t break it down to dollars and cents, we do understand that time is a valuable resource and that every second counts. In our mind, this applies to time spent in the aircraft too. Especially for licensed skydivers, less time in the plane means more time to play in the air!

In addition to the high horsepower conversions mentioned above, our two C-182’s also have wing tip extensions and a leading-edge kit. So, what’s all that technical speak mean? Well, while typically the normal climb time to altitude for a C-182 would be about 25 minutes, ours makes quick work of the climb and shaves 10 minutes off, often getting our jumpers to altitude in about 15 minutes. Our Cessna 208 sports a PT6-114A turboprop aircraft engine up front and cruises up to altitude in an easy, breezy 15 minutes flat. 

A shortened ride to altitude also offers an added bonus for tandem skydivers making their first jumps: less time to get nervous! Before you know it, it’s time to exit and all those worries will be lost in the fun of freefall!

Difference Between Cramped & Comfy

While many skydivers have paid their dues spending untold hours squished into uncomfortable skydiving aircraft, at WNY Skydiving we have selected roomy skydiving aircraft so that you don’t have to. The skydiving aircraft in our fleet doesn’t just get you to altitude more quickly, they do it comfortably as well! 

Our spacious C-208 holds 15 jumpers, and both of our Cessna 182s have a wide-body design that makes the ride to altitude significantly more comfortable than the standard C-182. Just relax and enjoy the ride!

At WNY Skydiving, we know how pivotal proper skydiving aircraft are to the experience of our customers. This is why we pride ourselves on providing some of the best skydiving planes in the region. 

You won’t regret picking the perfect pair of propellers for your first skydiving experience. The only thing better than riding to altitude in one of our skydiving aircraft is jumping out of one! Call us today to schedule your jump!