03/20/2018
Skydive Grand Haven actually started out in 2012 at Calkins Field in Wayland, MI, as Skydive Wayland. Calkins Field is a beautiful airport with super friendly people! We had a great first season there as it was the closest place to Grand Rapids to make a skydive. However, as our business grew, the need for expanded facilities and onsite fuel became apparent.
In 2013 we were invited to the Hastings Airport and we became Skydive Hastings. Along with it's beautifully maintained runways and convenient fueling station on the field, our new home also boasted a 2,000 sq ft classroom and training facility with enough room for a full service rigging loft. The wide open 400 acre airport is surrounded by open fields, making it the perfect place for student training operations.
In July of 2015, we were invited to bring skydiving to the lake shore at Park Township Airport in Holland, MI. Jumping by the beach turned out to be a complete game changer. Over the 3 years that we jumped in Holland our business tripled in size as jumpers from across the region came to experience the view of one of Michigan's most beautiful shorelines while free falling from 10,000 feet. Unfortunately, the beautiful view came at a cost. The airport's size and location surrounded by 100 foot tall trees made it unfit for newer jumpers and students. This was a huge downside to operating out of Holland because we love teaching people to skydive and we recognize that training students to jump by themselves and become skydivers is the only way to keep our sport alive. Today's students are tomorrow's instructors, riggers, and pilots.
At the end of our 2017 season the solution to our problem presented itself when we were invited to move our operation to the Grand Haven Memorial Airpark. Even closer to the beach than Holland was, the long runways and open grassy landing areas make Skydive Grand Haven the perfect place to do your first jump or your 10,000th. With a 60x60 hangar and separate classroom and office space there's plenty of room for everyone whether you're there for your first jump, enrolled in our student program, or an experienced jumper looking for a beach jump. Or even if you're just there to hang out and watch!
While some skydiving businesses in our area claim to offer a view of Lake Michigan from the air, it usually ends up being "that blue line out on the horizon". Not so at Skydive Grand Haven! Here, the climb to altitude takes you directly out over the water and up and down one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline on the planet! If you're lucky enough to get on one of the last loads of the day, the outline of the buildings on the Chicago skyline can often be seen in front of the orange sun setting on the water. It's this view that has made Skydive Grand Haven the most popular place in West Michigan and the Greater Grand Rapids area to make a tandem skydive.
