Chicagoland Skydiving Center

I went skydiving here from 14 000 feet for my first time and it was the best decision I’ve made! The staff there is unbelievably friendly. Beau was my tandem instructor and he made me feel incredibly safe. Beautiful campus and awesome restaurant attached.

Still buzzing about my first tandem jump at 14,000 feet at CSC! Great facility, professional staff, and a memory that will last a lifetime. If you have never done this before, without question, you MUST, and make CSC the place to go!
I had Leonard as my tandem instructor and he was extremely professional during the entire process. Even though I had never jumped before, he talked me through exactly what was going to happen, from breathing correctly to instructing me how to watch the altimeter, pull my own chute, and drive the parachute for a while. I can absolutely understand why people do this and become addicted to it. I cannot begin to explain the feeling and perspective you get when you initially jump out of the plane, watch the underside of it, and see it fly away above you in the distance.
Our time was scheduled for 9:00am which is when the disclaimer video is shown, we then went into the hanger to suit up. About 15 minutes after that, we were boarding the plane and off. No delays, no drama, ALL INTENSE FUN, with good burgers as well at The Flight Deck bar and grill.
I will be going back for sure, and I would strongly recommend that if anyone is looking for a top notch professional facility to go to CSC.

The faculty at this location are perfection! I popped the question in the landing zone and it could not have gone better. From the very beginning they were extremely helpful in answering all of my questions and helping me arrange this special occasion; they were very discrete in order for it be a surprise. All of the three professional jumper we went with made you feel comfortable, secure, and have a lot of fun. They walk you through step by step and make you aware of everything that’s going to happen. I am definitely coming back sometime in the near future. Thank you to all for this wonderful and memorable experience.
–Future bride and groom–

Skydiving was something I thought I’d never do and if I did, would probably chicken out at the last second. Well, I went with a group of other sky diving newbies and loved it! Surprisingly, the only time I was just a bit nervous was the initial jumping out of the door. You get over that instantly! We opted for the 14K foot jump, which I recommend over the 9K foot option.
Starting off, you go through a briefing on what to do and sign your life away before you jump. Just a note: they’ve never had a fatality, which is quite important. You are assigned to an experienced sky diver, which they explain safety, what to do and when. I was paired with Len and he did a great job explaining. After the initial «Oh sh! t, I’m jumping…» you are out the door and free falling, which was awesome and loved the fall through the clouds.
The only thing I can suggest is be aware of any issues in regards to ear issues. Going down, the ear pressure in my right ear was rather intense and hurt quite a bit. For a week, I had a hard time hearing out of my right ear and there was a constant clicking in my ear, with the additional feeling of having a bubble in my ear and unbalanced feeling.
I can’t wait to do it again and hopefully jump solo some day. Go do it!

I had a great experience and it is a great atmosphere. Make sure you budget in enough time! As the Company points out on its website, there is a fair bit of time spent waiting around. Overall, it was a great place to go for a first timer like myself!

I went early July, weather was perfect, the perfect day to jump out of a plane. My instructor led me through every step carefully and delicately. Everything went smoothly and we made it out the 14 000 jump. Now I got the video I paid for, the videos are all more or less the same if you check them out on YouTube. During my video there were no less then 3 verbal plugs and 2 written plugs for Chicagoland skydiving which I didn’t appreciate. I paid 99 dollars to catch my excitement not advertise your company. Whatever. My guy was nice to me and miraculously let me skydive with a walking boot on which I had approved the dive with prior to the trip by my doctor. Overall good jump with good people.

My second tandem jump was this week — and I loved it, even more than the first! My instructor, Beau Riebe, was professional, competent, friendly, and helpful in explaining each step of the process. The facility was lovely, and the restaurant and patio provided a good waiting and watching venue until it was my turn. I purchased the photo/​video option, and love the memories that this provided! I’d use them again and again and again!

I was somehow convinced by a group of friends to go skydiving with them for fun. To say I was nervous would be the understatement of the year.
We scheduled an early jump and live about 2 hours away so we decided to camp out the night before. They allow you to pitch a tent near the parking lot area which made the experience that much cooler. The restaurant/​bar had a bunch of locals and was fairly popin’ on a Friday night! They even had live music which was awesome.
My instructor Mikey was the absolute best! He made me feel comfortable and confident even though I probably didn’t show it! Getting on the plane was probably the scariest part but the ride was smooth and Mikey explained everything I’d need to do during our ride. I purchased the video package which I would highly recommend for a first time jumper. There was something very comforting about having another person jumping with you, making faces and having the time of his life! Josh, my videographer was equally as awesome.
I have to say the ENTIRE staff made me feel very special, I was clearly nervous from the second I walked in and even the «fun» jumpers were telling me what to expect and calming my nerves. I freaking love this place and will definitely be back.
Thanks Mikey and Josh!

Skydived for my first time yesterday with CSC and what an experience it was! Everyone here made our group feel comfortable and excited from the moment we stepped in. I did a tandem jump with Len, and he made it memorable from first stepping in the hanger to getting two feet back on the ground.
I jumped with 2 others, but we our group included three children under 10 and my girlfriend who has jumped twice before and stayed with the kids so their mom could enjoy the jump. CSC was great with plenty of space for the kids to run around and play in the volley ball court and keep them entertained.
Having a bar and restaurant to enjoy immediately after the jump is fantastic, and the first beer free didn’t hurt anything either. You know it’s a good sign when locals are coming on a Saturday to hang and enjoy the bar and food. We enjoyed a good portion of our day at CSC after we jumped at 10 am.
Can’t wait to go back and jump again and continue this amazing experience!

OMG best experience ever. Thanks CSK team for making my day. Feel good environment n staff.

This place is not only a rush, but the hospitality of the staff and amenities of the location are top-​tier. I made my first tandem jump here and am planning my second jump now.

At age 63 with a friend’s coaxing I did my first tandem jump with CSC. The next week I was back to take the ground school class and to start the Accelerated Freefall (AFF) training. I am now a licensed skydiver.
In my opinion CSC is the place to go if you want to jump out of a plane. The owner is a perfectionist, always concerned with improving the customer’s experience and the aircraft and equipment are meticulously maintained.
The facilities are new and there is an attached restaurant with an outdoor patio where you can relax after your skydive.

I did not jump but my wife and cousin did.
I love my pizza too much so I tipped the scales and that’s ok with me. I see no reason for me to jump out of a perfectly good plane but I admire the sport and my wife does it.
With that said, we have been to different places but I felt this one was more professional than the rest. Everything was smooth and safe. My wife said she would come back next time and not go to any of the previous ones. They have a bar and restaurant attached for the on lookers.
The staff was friendly and fun and everything was great.
I took a star off because of the way weather cancellations were handled. We had to reschedule about 4 times. After the first time, we decided to call ahead next time. We showed on the radar and maps that it was definitely raining there. They still made us come in. So we made the hour drive and sure enough, full on storm, which we seen on the computers. So we rescheduled. The part that pissed me off is they tried everything they could to get us to come in and hold the date. I understand reschedules suck for them but use that bait and switch on the closer guests. They knew we had a long drive there and back, an hour each way, and they could have saved us the wasted trip, time and gas. We even kept saying «Are you sure it isn’t raining?» and they said «Yea we are sure and our maps say it will be clear. Showed up to full on storms and people saying they couldn’t camp out in the lot because of the continuous storms.
That was just shady and we didn’t like that part. Other than that everything was perfect. So for anybody in the same situation, if the weather shows bad online, just reschedule and save the headache.

HOLY SHIT!
So i decided to surprise my husband for his birthday and take me and 3 friends to skydive. Best decision i ever made. When we arrived it wasnt crowded and we went straight in to get suited up. We opted for the videos for both of us. Total we were 4 people. They Explained the process really well and were helpful the entire time. I was so impressed to see a gentleman well into his 50+ jumping before us. It gave me a little security while scaring the shit outta me. Being a tandem jumper you have to be strapped to one of the employees, but it sounds worse then it is.
The plane ride up is amazing and smooth. Then. You get to the point where its time to jump. Of course being my husbands birthday i MADE him jump first.
As he sailed outta the air plane and into the sky i wondered about the companies saying. Why WOULD you jump put of a perfectly good airplane.
For the experience and rush it brought i would do it again in a heartbeat!!!
First off you fall for about 15 feet and that it sooo intense. Its the feeling that i left my heart in the plane and my stomach would meet me on the ground.
They tell you you have to pay attention to your watch to know when to pull the cord for your shoot. If you forget to look at your watch (a gadget that marks the height) The guy will pull it in front of your face. Watching my husbands video he couldn’t find the cord and you see the guy pull it for it. It was hilarious to watch afterwards!
Here is one thing i will warn you about. If you opt for a video, they will tell you to laugh and wave and say hi to everyone in the video. The thing is, you feel like if you open your mouth your teeth will fall out and your tongue is sliding in your throat. Its impossible to try to say anything. All i did was smile huge and give a thumbs up.
My husband opted to do spins and twirls and he landed a lot faster then i anticipated. So While He was on the ground watching, i got to fly! The dude let me take almost full rein of the controls and what an amazing feeling!
Now… Landing is a bit different! As you rush to the ground, your supposed to put your feet. up, i assume this is why they insure the guy behind you is taller. It doesn’t work just as you expect. AS we came rushing to the ground and i had to put my feet out and i almost landed on my butt!
WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
If we had the money, we would of done a helicopter jump as well.
FYI they make you sign a wavier that states once you enter the plane, you can decide not to jump but you will loose your money. Getting everyone’s signature, one of our friends took a very expensive plane ride once we got in the air. He turned as white as a ghost and we have it all on video! They were great with him and he met us on the ground! Make sure you are ready to jump!
Until Next summer… THANKS!

For my latest birthday my brother and sister in law gave me a gift certificate for a tandem 14,000 foot jump out of an airplane. Looking back on the other gifts they’ve given me (flying lessons, helicopter flying lessons, driving a stock car at 150 mph) it seems they might be trying to kill me.
The staff doing the jumping and videography were all great. I must be a special kind of stupid because I wasn’t nervous at all about jumping out of a plane. My instructor did a good job telling me what to expect, making sure I was comfortable, and then throwing us out of the plane. It was possibly the most amazing experience I’ve had yet. Seriously, absolutely amazing. I would give that part of CSC 10 stars if I could.
So why only 4 stars? Because the customer service staff are absolutely horrible. The first reservation I made (or thought I made) I had to reschedule. Good thing, because they didn’t actually make a reservation for me when I called. The second time I didn’t get the confirmation email they said they’d sent, so I emailed asking for it. Took days and multiple emails to finally get a confirmation of my reservation. They ask you to show up 30 minutes early, then why not just make that my reservation time? My «class» was supposed to start at 1, I was told I was to be in load 20. At 1:20 the «class» started. It was the woman from the front desk starting a video for us to watch. A video that went over the waiver we had already signed and telling us to read it carefully, maybe that should happen before we sign the waiver? Then there was no further instruction. So a couple of us went to the desk to ask «what’s next?». Lucky we did because they told us when to show up in the hangar. When I agreed to and paid for their video option they didn’t tell me to pick it up after my jump. In fact, they didn’t say anything about picking it up until 3 hours after I left and they called me to see if I was still there to pick up my video.
The other reviews I read talked about the wait between your reservation time and your jump… they were spot on. About 4 hours between your «class» and actually going up in the plane. But, they do have some things to keep you occupied, it’s a very nice place, there’s a restaurant attached with outdoor seating. Also, you can check the load times on a website so you can leave CSC if you want and come back in time for your jump. Of course, the only sign I saw for this website was in the bathroom.
Seriously, get your act together at the front desk and on the phone. I’d love to go skydiving again, but they’d have to pay me to go back to CSC. There are other options an equal drive from Chicago.

I decided to do something different for my 80^th birthday so I picked skydiving. CSC was the best choice for me, my instructor Paul was great we got all hooked up and he explained what would happen and it was all true. Steve our videographer was unbelievable he flew through the air like a bird and got great pictures.
This was the most exciting thing I have ever done and want to go back again soon why I waited 80 years I will never know.
WHAT A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

I took my wife here because she wanted to have an exciting and memorable birthday and we certainly had that! Even three days later I’m still feeling the effects of the adrenaline rush. Nothing can prepare you for this experience. While jumping out of the plane was scary as all getout, the confidence and professionalism of my instructor, Chris, took away any real worries I had. My photo/​videographer, Buzz, did an awesome job capturing this experience. Both Chris and Buzz made this really a very fun experience that I highly recommend even if you are terrified of heights like I am.
This is my first skydive and it won’t be my last! Thanks CSC!

I had the ULTIMATE pleasure of experiencing my first and second tandem jump out of a perfectly good airplane with Chicagoland Skydiving Center. Let me tell you, what an experience.
Luckily, they are the best when it comes to offering Groupon and Livingsocial deals, because (as I’ve stated in other reviews) I’m a poor college kid. So, thank God for Chicagoland Skydiving which offered me an affordable option to experience the best adrenaline rush everrrr!
As others have stated in their reviews, book for the earliest jumps. My first jump was at 12:00 noon, and my friend and I didn’t jump until 4:30pm. Fortunately, everyone was nice enough and talked to us to help the time pass. My second jump I booked for 8am. We were out of there by 9:45 am. It was perfect.
Overall, this place is legitimate. They have a great staff, good prices, and a nice location to skydive. I had the BEST time with this company. My tandem’s were hilarious, and I had such a blast.
I would highly recommend this to anyone to wants a cheap thrill & a great experience. :)
Oh, and ladies, please don’t make the mistake I did by wearing a low cut shirt and jeans on your skydive. I’ve got to say, it made the pictures somewhat suggestive and the jeans were not comfortable at all!

My boyfriend got us the Living Social deal to jump here. It was my first time and I cannot say how essential the staff was to my experience. They were extremely laid back without sacrificing any level of professionalism. We went thoroughly over safety procedures so we all felt confident going up. They kept everyone calm but still stoked to jump as we got ready and ascended in the plane. Turns out we jumped, landed and I’m going back for more! After you first jump, you can put $ 25 down and then jump again for just $ 100.
I think I’m addicted. Thank you CSC!

My friend and I went there a couple days ago and it was absolutely the best experience of our lives! Everybody that works there was so nice and extremely good looking! They were so accommodating, knowledgeable, and encouraging.
Their set up is incredible! Soon there will be a great restaurant, beach volleyball, and fire place. Everything there is top notch! I am so addicted to skydiving now and can not wait to go again.