Skydive Hibaldstow has been running as a sports parachute centre since 1992 at its present location on the Hibaldstow airfield in Lincolnshire. The dropzone serves the main jumping populations of Leeds, York, Manchester, Hull, Sheffield, Nottingham and Lincoln.

The dropzone specialises in experienced qualified skydivers often hosting large events and competitions such as:

• The 2010 National Championships in Formation Skydiving, Artistics, Canopy Formation and Speed Skydiving.
• Hosted the European Skydiving League finals in September 2009.
• Grand Prix and UKSL competitions
• Annual 28-way sequential skydiving competition. In 2009, we had five 28-way teams including 1 from Ireland.
• An attempt every year to make a large formation record. In 2008 the first 50-way was succesfully completed. This year sees an attempt on a 60-way.
• Freefly, FS, CF and Canopy coaching weekend's.
• Boogie weekends.
• Team training weeks with cheap altitude jump tickets and high volume jumping.
• The annual Frostbite Friendly 10-way Speed competition.
• Packing, JM1, CH1, CH2 and safety days.
• Instructor examination courses for AFF, Tandem and BI.

As you would imagine from a full time parachuting centre, we offer a range of facilities:

• Cafe offering hot drinks, breakfasts, snacks, warm prepared food, salads in the summer and evening meals.
• BBQ's in the evening during events and competitions.
• A games room with DVD projector facilities, free internet, WIFI spots and table football.
• A large camping field where sports can also be played.
• 14 room bunkhouse with free hot showers.
• Debriefing and team rooms.
• Equipment stored which is locked and alarmed overnight.
• Large packing hangar.
• Large creeper area capable of allowing five 4-way teams to dirtdive at the same time.
• Dropzone shop and measuring facilities. We posses dealerships with most of the main skydiving gear manufacturers.
• Full rigging facilities located on the airfield.

Learning to skydive at our British Parachute Association affiliated centre can be done in one of 3 ways:

Tandem Skydiving

• 20 minutes instruction in a classroom. This course is designed for those who simply want to try it and are not interested in learning how skydive.
• A jump from up to 15,000ft harnessed to your instructor.
• Freefall for up to a minutes reaching an average speed of 120 mph.
• The instructor leads the skydive, opens and lands the parachute for you.
• Suitable for large groups such as charities, birthday's, corporate events or stag / hen does.
• Learn more about tandem skydiving.

Accelerated Freefall (AFF)

• A more intensive course designed for those who want to be more involved in their jump.
• Jump from 15,000ft with 2 instructors holding on to you in freefall.
• Open your own parachute, land your own parachute.
• Spend a full day learning about freefall, body positions, communicating with your instructors, practice pulls, reading your altimeter, opening your parachute, navigation and landing.
• Make a choice of either doing level 1 AFF, or doing a full 8 level course.
• Take a UK AFF course.

Static Line Parachute course

• A full day course culminating in a static-line parachute jump from 4000ft.
• Your parachute opens automatically as you fall away from the aircraft.
• One instructor despatches you from the aircraft.
• Great for large groups.
• Exit by yourself on the first jump and then land your own parachute.
• The cost of future jumps is much cheaper typically being under £40 per decent. All lessons are free after this.
• Find out more about Static Line skydiving.

 

Skydive Hibaldstow owns the largest fleet of skydiving aircraft in the UK. At present this consists of:

• 4 x Dornier Skyservant G-92. 15 place twin-turbine aircraft with left-hand door very similar to the size of a Twin Otter door. The aircraft climbs to altitude in 13 minutes.
• 2 x Finist SMG-92. 10 place single turbine aircraft also with a left-hand door. It is possible to get 8 people on the float rail. The SMG climbs also climbs to altitude in 13 minutes.
• Piper Cherokee 6. Our only piston aircraft in the fleet which takes 5 jumpers. This aircraft is commonly used for first jump students on static-line and hop'n'pops.

The fleet are not always based at the airfield due to some of them being leased to other dropzones in the UK and some operating from our sister centre near Sevilla, Spain. See below for more information.

 

Skydive Hibaldstow also has a sister dropzone known as Skydive Spain. This centre is located in Sevilla, southern Spain. Located in the warmest part Europe, this is an ideal autumn, winter and spring team training location. Skydive Spain is also used to handling large AFF groups in particular UK military skydiving courses.

The dropzone uses the same aircraft and a British instructional system, thus students who learn out there can continue without problem back in the UK.