Terms and Conditions - Skydive Kentucky

! Please read and agree to the following terms and conditions before proceeding to the next step.

CAPTCHA

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Cancellation Policy

You may make any changes to your reservations more than 7-days before your appointment with no penalty.
If you reschedule or cancel your reservation(s) with less than 7-days’ notice we will retain your deposits at fifty dollars per person and issue a “rain check” for any funds remaining.
If Skydive KY must reschedule your reservation due to circumstances beyond our control we will issue you a “rain check”.

Weather Policy

First, “You can’t skydive if you aren’t at the parachute center.”
How is the decision made if the weather is suitable for skydiving? At the airport we walk outside and look up just before we gear up to jump. If you aren’t at the parachute center for your planned jump(s) you won’t know if the weather at the parachute center is suitable for jumping
Please, don’t waste your time or ours looking at long range weather forecasts. Due to considerable inaccuracy of extended weather forecasts we rarely take into consideration any weather ‘forecast’ (guess) beyond four hours into the future.
If you are concerned the weather may interfere with your reservations to skydive you may call ten or twenty minutes before you begin your drive to the skydiving center. At that time one of our staff will walk outside, and LOOK UP to see what the weather ‘IS’! Ultimately, our staff will make the final decision if it is appropriate to issue a rain check and/or reschedule your jump for another time due to weather or other circumstances beyond the control of Skydive KY®.
If you do not come to the skydiving center because “you” think the weather is not good and, we jump that day you will forfeit your deposit for each person in your group who did not come to jump.
Skydive Kentucky® is a year-round (52-weeks a year) drop zone. However, if the 24-hour forecast high temperature for the day is less than 45 degrees (source WHAS-84) and you prefer to wait for a warmer day call us and we issue “rain check”. Be sure to call.

Gift Certificates & Rain Checks

Only original gift certificates will be honored and MUST be presented to redeem for products or services. Lost or destroyed gift certificates cannot be replaced.
Gift Certificates are void after the expiration date on the certificate.
Restrictions apply; age, weight, cancellation, pricing.
May be redeemed only at skydiving centers operated by Skydive Kentucky®.
Call ahead, reservation required to redeem certificate and rain checks.
Rain Checks are void after 60 days from date of issuance.
Certificates and rain checks are not refundable.
Gift certificates are transferable for a fee of fifty dollars and any price increases, fees will be collected before your jump.
Certificates which have expired less than thirty days may be reactivated for thirty days for a fee, plus any price increases.

Refunds

Refunds are available to:
- Persons or groups who change their mind or reschedule with more than 7-days’ notice.
- Persons who have received all their training are on the manifest to board the plane and then change their mind at the last minute.
- We want to accommodate our customers. Call us! We will do our best to work with you within reasonable situations. Please understand we may ask you to prove you case as we don’t know you.
Refunds are NOT available to;
- Persons or groups who do not show up or cancel and give less than 7-days’ notice.
- Persons who board the plane and after the plane taxis away changes their mind and does not jump.
- Persons or groups who arrive late. We will not extend the stay of our customers who are on-time because a person or group arrived late. If you or your group arrives late we will do our very best to get you in.
- Persons who are at the opinion of SDKY staff (or suspected to be) under the influence.
- Customers with gift certificates or rain checks.

Discounts

To receive discounts or to be eligible for promotions deposits must be received more than 7-days before you initial reservation and, the deposit must in one payment, or one source of payment. Deposits received less than 7-days will not be eligible for discounts, promotions or inclusion into existing group.
To receive the student discount you must present your student ID before the payment for the balance of you jump(s). You must request the discount before you pay the balance remaining after consideration of your deposit.
To receive Military discount present your ID at the parachute center when you arrive and before you render the balance of your payment at the parachute center.

Rules

The first rule: **HAVE FUN! **
Parking:
- In the parking lot at the end of Kitty Hawk Drive.
- Near our gate in the fence with wooden walk ramp before you get to the first building on your left as you drive in on Kitty Hawk Drive. Do not park on the grass.
Absolutely no skydiver’s or spectators vehicles beyond the ramp gate. The ramp area is off limits except for those with written permission from airport management.
A minimum of three gear checks every jump.
Left hand landing pattern (exceptions will be announced and clearly posted).
No intentional landing on or within 20 feet of any paved area.
Do not cross over runway under 500 feet center of runway or 1500 over ends.
High performance landings must be preplanned and communicated to all jumpers prior to boarding the aircraft. Plan the jump, jump the plan.
Do not swoop the buildings or planes.
No spectators outside of designated areas. No spectators in boarding area. No spectators in landing area.
Smoking in designated areas only. No smoking within 20′ of doors, 200 feet of truck, propane tanks or airplanes.
Absolutely no open alcoholic beverages during business hours or until management has designated, “the light is on”.
No Drugs.
No loitering in the airport lobby.
No one allowed within the roped area inside the large hanger.
Children are welcome and must be supervised at all times.
Pets must be well behaved and in your control at all times. You are responsible for any damages and or clean up associated with your pet.
Items or funds left inactive at the parachute center for one year will be considered abandoned and forfeited. Such items or funds will be sold and monies donated to a charity of our choice.

Weight Restrictions, and why.

The manufacturers of parachute equipment and the Federal Aviation Administration have set stringent requirements on the operating limits under which parachutes are designed to work. Specific testing of how parachutes are tested had how much weight they can safely support and at what speeds they are designed to open are detailed in FAA Technical Service Order (TSO) 23B, C&D. To make a very long story short a parachute system is designed for a maximum exit weight (the weight of the parachute, jumpers, and gear as they exit the plane).

Let’s make an example of a tandem; the parachute itself weighs about 65 pounds, your tandem instructor might weigh 210 pounds leaving room for a student to weigh up to 225 pounds. “WAIT A MINUTE, I thought it was about 210 pounds was the limit?” OK, you’re right, let me explain more… If we have an instructor who weighs less can they can in theory take a larger student, but, the instructor must be physically capable of controlling the student in the airplane, in free fall, under canopy and landing. We reach a point where the smaller instructor just can’t safely manage the larger student. OK, but in your example above you could take a 225 pound student. Yes, in theory that is correct, but, that is under optimal conditions. OK, what are those conditions? Temperature, humidity, density altitude, wind speed and direction, elevation above sea level where the parachute center is. Weather – On a cool day with weather in the mid 70’s and a steady breeze blowing from an open and clear direction at a parachute center which is at sea level, sure, no-problem with taking a 225# student. As air gets warmer and the humidity increases so does the density altitude. Density altitude is a term that places a value on how dense the atmosphere is. Just to use round numbers and not get too technical, if we were at an airport which was at sea level on a 95 degree day and the humidity in the 80’s the density altitude might be something like 2,500 feet. What that means is that something that flies, airplanes, balloons, and yes, parachutes fly like they were actually at 2500 feet above sea level. They are just less efficient at higher altitudes and don’t work as well. What does all that mean? Exit weight 500 pounds, 70 degrees, 20% humidity, steady 12 M.P.H. winds to land into, landing area at sea level, NO PROBLEM, I would expect to be able to give you a very soft stand up landing. BUT, Exit weight 500 pounds, 90 degrees, 85% humidity, no wind, at an airport say 1500 feet above sea level, NO WAY, the possibility of a harder landing just isn’t worth it…

Also each major component of a parachute has a placard on it stating it maximum suspended weight and the maximum speed the parachute components are designed to withstand.

If you still have questions, please call and we will be happy to provide more information.

Miscellaneous

Persons over 50 years old – We prefer you bring a statement from your doctor attesting to your fitness to participate in skydiving (jumping out of airplanes).