Find your thrill this season with skydiving centers in northern Illinois

Skydiving involves more than simply jumping from an airplane, embracing the free fall and deploying a parachute.

Of course, its inclusion of precisely those things keeps enough people away from the thrilling pastime.

Doug Smith ensures you don’t have to stay grounded, though. The owner of Chicagoland Skydiving Center, 1207 W. Gurler Road, Rochelle, often sees the arc of a first-time skydiver find the path of a seasoned one.

“We’re getting people up in the air that have said, ‘I would never jump out of an airplane,’” Smith said. “And we get them there. And not only do we do it, they love it, and a lot of times, they’ll do it again.”

Is skydiving on your bucket list? With peak outdoor season approaching, let’s learn more about where you can go and how to prepare.

Checking the calendar

Even longtime practitioners would call skydiving a niche sport. As such, you can’t exactly find drop zones in those rare open fields between suburban strip malls. Before taking the plunge, expect to go for a drive away from the suburbs.

Opening day at Skydive Chicago, 3215 E 1969th Road, Ottawa, www.skydivechicago.com, is April 5.

Chicagoland Skydiving Center (www.skydivesc.com) takes its first dives of the season on April 18.

Just over the border in Wisconsin is Skydive Midwest (www.skydivemidwest.com), located at 13851 56th Road, Sturtevant.

“It’s a small industry,” Smith said. “So we all know each other quite well. If we have any issues, typically, we can pick up the phone and support one another.”

Open year-round, indoor skydiving center iFLY (www.iflyworld.com) operates facilities in Naperville (1752 Freedom Drive) and Rosemont (5520 Park Place) that allow guests to enjoy the feeling of skydiving without the deplaning and parachuting.

According to its website, iFLY’s “state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnels” are “safe for all ages, experience levels and abilities,” and the activity is a frequent spot for children’s birthday parties and team-building events.

Check the websites of your preferred destination for pricing and booking information.

What’s a diver to wear?

Skydive Chicago advises guests to wear non-restrictive clothing such as cargo pants, athletic apparel, leggings and jeggings.

Make sure to have close-toed shoes. Boots, heels and sandals need not apply.

Is your hair long? Wear it up – and in braids, if you can.

Also, eat a nutritious meal that isn’t too light or too heavy to give your body proper fuel for the dive. Refrain from drug and alcohol use.

Staying safe

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates skydiving while the United States Parachute Association upholds agency safety standards and issues skydiving certifications.

If you’re feeling unsure about the skydiving experience, ask questions of center personnel or instructors when scheduling a dive. Guests commonly review safety protocol and complete an orientation program before gathering equipment and going in the air.

To ensure first-time and jumpers won’t be alone, most centers, including CSC, arrange tandem skydives. Guests are attached to a certified instructor via equipment and remain with them throughout the jump.

“We don’t jump in dangerous winds, clouds or any conditions that push the limits of completing a jump safely,” the CSC website states. “We can’t control the weather, but we can make good decisions about the conditions in which we choose to conduct operations.”

Beginning jumps at CSC are from 9,000 feet, with 14,000-foot jumps also available. Skydive Chicago jumps are from 13,500 feet; the center says a free fall of about one minute follows before 5-7 minutes of tandem canopy flight.

Citing a member survey, USPA says 5.6% of members sustained a skydiving-related injury that required medical treatment in 2024. Ankle injuries from landings were the most common injury.

No more jitters

Remember the inference about how jumping from airplanes might make some people uneasy?

Let’s revisit that, if only to empathize. Because you are just about ready to give this sport a go.

“When people walk in, you can see it, right? As soon as they walk in, they’re nervous. Not only are they nervous about the actual jump, it’s more a fear of the unknown,” Smith said. “They don’t know anything about what they’re about to embark upon. They don’t know about the process. They don’t know who they’re going to be jumping with. They don’t know what kind of company we are. They don’t know any of that. So, it’s like they walk in, there’s a lot of trepidation there.

“We have worked really hard to create a system, a process, of shedding the fear at every touchpoint that we have with our guests as they show up. And even before that. When we’re on the phone with them and on our website, our job is to ratchet down the fear so that by the time they actually get to the airplane, there’s no fear; it’s just raw excitement.”