Skydive Palatka

What Skydive Palatka does

Skydive Palatka is a privately held, single-site skydiving dropzone operating at Lieutenant Kay Larkin Field in Palatka, Florida, serving North Central Florida and southern Georgia. Founded in 1995 with the first skydive at the airport recorded in 1972, the business has operated continuously for 30+ years and was acquired by current owner Art Shaffer in 2005. The company is staffed by approximately 18 personnel including the owner, a dropzone manager, pilot, USPA examiners and instructors, S&TA (Safety and Training Advisor), FAA-certified senior riggers, videographers, and coaches. Operations run Thursday through Sunday with seasonal variation.

The company sells three core product lines: tandem skydiving for first-time jumpers at $195-$220 per jumper (group-discounted) with optional media packages ($70-$134); the USPA-aligned AFF certification program, an 8-jump progression priced at $29-$355 per jump with a $1,500 AFF Package; and services for licensed skydivers including hop 'n' pops ($27/jump), 10,500 ft jumps ($29-$31/jump), gear and altimeter rental, and rigging services. Underlying technology is primarily physical: a Cessna 182 (full-time) and a Cessna Caravan (up to 12 jumpers/load, 13,500 ft altitude), supplemented by parachute equipment, two on-staff FAA-certified senior riggers, and a Squarespace website with online booking.

Skydive Palatka generates revenue through unit-pricing, pay-as-you-go transactions (one-time license and usage-based), with no subscription or enterprise contract model. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via website, phone reservations, social media, email newsletter, blog content, and events/boogies, with strong reliance on word-of-mouth and customer testimonials. Add-on revenue streams include advanced canopy courses (Flight-1 101/102/103, Beginner/Intermediate/Pro Parachute Flight), USPA Coach Rating Course, wingsuit training, and on-site camping/RV accommodations. Military and group-of-5+ discounts incentivize volume bookings, and the dropzone is the preferred facility for the University of Florida Falling Gators skydiving club.

Name

Skydive Palatka

Legal name

Skydive Palatka

Website

https://skydivepalatka.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skydive Palatka is a 30+ year USPA-member skydiving dropzone in Palatka, Florida offering tandem jumps, AFF certification, and services for licensed jumpers from a single-site operation at Kay Larkin Field serving North Central Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recreational Skydiving Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Skydiving Centers & Drop Zones (Tandem, AFF Training) (THAAAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerial Adventure & Flight Schools (Paragliding, Hang Gliding, Paramotoring) (THAAAKAA), Skydiving Experiences (Tandem, AFF, Scenic Jumps) (THAAAMAA)

Keywords

• Tandem skydiving
• Skydiving instruction
• Parachute training
• Recreational skydiving
• Skydiving certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Palatka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tandem Skydiving: One-time tandem skydiving experiences with certified instructors. Revenue varies by group size ($195-$220 per jumper) with additional revenue from video/photo packages.
2. AFF Certification Training: Accelerated Freefall training program with 8 jumps including ground school. Jump costs range from $29-$355 depending on progression level. AFF Package available for $1,500.
3. Licensed Jumper Services: Recurring jump fees for experienced skydivers including altitude options ($27-$31/jump), gear rental, altimeter rental, and rigging services.
4. Advanced Training Courses: Canopy flight courses (Flight-1 101/102/103), USPA Coach Rating Course ($275), water training, and wingsuit training programs.
5. Gear Rental and Rigging Services: Equipment rental (gear $35/jump or $70/day, altimeters $5/day), reserve repacks ($80-90/pack), and parachute assembly/inspection services.
6. Accommodation Services: On-site camping and RV hook-ups with power ($10/day) or without ($5/day), providing ancillary revenue for visiting skydivers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Skydive Palatka operates a full-service skydiving dropzone at Lieutenant Kay Larkin Field in Palatka, Florida, offering tandem skydiving experiences from 10,500 feet with certified instructors, a 7-jump Accelerated Freefall (AFF) certification program for student skydivers, and ongoing jump services, gear rental, rigging, and advanced training for licensed skydivers. The company also hosts themed events, boogies, and provides on-site camping and RV hook-ups for visiting skydivers.

Product overview

Skydive Palatka operates as a full-service skydiving dropzone offering tandem skydiving experiences, AFF certification training, and services for experienced licensed jumpers. The core offerings include tandem jumps (from 10,500 feet with 60+ seconds of freefall) and the 7-jump AFF program for certification. For licensed jumpers, they provide hop 'n' pops, all-the-way-up jumps, gear rental, and rigging services. Add-on products include video/media packages (handcam, professional videography, combo packages), advanced canopy flight courses (Beginner, Intermediate, Pro Parachute Flight; Flight-1 101/102/103 series), USPA Coach Rating Course, and First Flight School for wingsuit training. The dropzone hosts regular events including themed boogies, beach jumps, night jumps, and holiday celebrations. Located at Kay Larkin Field in Palatka, FL, they fly Cessna 182 aircraft full-time and serve skydivers from Jacksonville, Gainesville, and throughout North Central Florida.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tandem Skydiving First-time skydiving experience from 10,500 feet with a certified tandem instructor, featuring approximately 60 seconds of freefall at 120+ mph followed by parachute flight. Group pricing ranges from $195-$220 per jumper based on party size.
• AFF (Accelerated Freefall) Certification Program Structured 7-jump skydiving certification program including 6-8 hour ground school and progressive jumps with instructor support. Full AFF Package priced at $1,500.
• Experienced Jumper Jump Services Recreational skydiving services for licensed jumpers including hop 'n' pops from 5,500 feet and full altitude jumps from 10,500 feet, priced at $27-$31 per jump.
• Gear Rental Skydiving equipment rental for licensed jumpers including parachutes, harnesses, and altimeters at $35/jump or $70/day, with altimeter rental at $5/day.
• Rigging Services Professional parachute rigging services including reserve repacks ($90), main/reserve assembly ($25), parachute inspection ($25), and pilot emergency parachute repacks ($80).
• Beginner Parachute Flight Course Basic canopy flight skills course covering parachute history, terminology, design characteristics, and rig maintenance with four hop 'n' pops.
• Intermediate Parachute Flight Course Advanced canopy skills course teaching stalling, long spot recovery, relative flying, and water landing procedures with practical pool training.
• Advanced/Pro Parachute Flight Course Professional-level canopy piloting course for C License holders covering stadium jumps, crowd control, and advanced flight maneuvers.
• USPA Coach Rating Course Three-day instructor training course covering teaching methods, lesson planning, and evaluation requirements for aspiring USPA instructors, priced at $275.
• First Flight School (Wingsuit Training) Wingsuit training program requiring 200+ jumps and 2 tracking dives, covering gear requirements, exit procedures, emergency procedures, and flight patterns.
• Flight-1 Canopy Course Series Professional canopy piloting courses (101, 102, 103) taught by Cara King covering accuracy, flight planning, stall recovery, and advanced landing techniques.
• Video & Photo Package Professional videography and photography service capturing tandem jumps, including outside videographer footage and edited content for $99/jumper.
• Handcam Service GoPro-based video capture during tandem jumps, mounted to the instructor's hand/helmet for first-person perspective footage at $70/jumper.
• Combo Media Package Combined video and photo package offering both handcam and outside videographer footage at a discounted rate of $134/jumper.
• Camping & RV Hook-ups On-site camping accommodations for skydivers with RV hook-ups (power $10/day, without power $5/day) and hot water shower facilities.
• Skydiving Events & Boogies Organized skydiving events including themed boogies, beach jumps, night jumps, holiday celebrations, and competitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ years of continuous dropzone operations in North Central Florida
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Skydive DeLand: Established Florida dropzone offering tandem, AFF, and licensed-jumper services in Central Florida. Directly competes with Skydive Palatka for the same regional tandem and student skydiver market within driving distance of Orlando and Daytona.
• Skydive Arizona: Long-established Arizona dropzone serving Phoenix metro with tandem, AFF, and advanced skydiving disciplines. Similar multi-decade operating history and full-stack service offering (training, gear, rigging, events) as Skydive Palatka.
• Skydive Space Center: Titusville, Florida dropzone providing tandem skydiving, AFF training, and experienced jumper services on Florida's Space Coast. Overlaps with Skydive Palatka's Central/North Florida catchment and offers similar product mix including group bookings and media packages.
• Skydive Sebastian: Florida dropzone on the Atlantic coast offering tandem jumps, AFF certification, and licensed jumper services. Competes with Skydive Palatka for Florida tourism and regional student skydivers, with comparable pricing and aircraft capabilities.
• Start Skydiving: Ohio-based dropzone offering tandem, AFF, and experienced jumper services with affiliated rigging and gear rental. Comparable mid-sized regional dropzone with similar product stack and direct-to-consumer booking model.
• Skydive Perris: One of the largest and longest-running dropzones in the U.S., located in Southern California. Offers the full stack of tandem, AFF, advanced training, and event hosting (boogies) that Skydive Palatka provides, and serves as a useful operational benchmark for dropzone scale and service breadth.
• Skydive Miami: South Florida skydiving operation offering tandem and AFF training. Geographic reach differs from Skydive Palatka, but the product mix, target customer (first-time and student jumpers), and direct-to-consumer GTM closely mirror Palatka's model.

Broad incumbents

• iFLY Indoor Skydiving: National indoor skydiving franchise network offering vertical wind tunnel experiences. Represents a broader, capitalized incumbent in the introductory 'first flight' experience market that competes for the same first-time customer dollars as Skydive Palatka's tandem offerings.
• Paraclete XP SkyVenture: Largest wind tunnel operation in North Carolina offering indoor skydiving training and tunnel time. Adjacent to Skydive Palatka's AFF training in that tunnel time complements freefall training, and serves as a broader skydiving-training incumbent rather than a direct outdoor competitor.

Others

• United States Parachute Association (USPA): National governing body for skydiving that sets safety standards and certifies instructors referenced throughout Skydive Palatka's operations. Not a competitor but a regulatory/standards ecosystem participant whose Group Member designation is central to the company's market positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/skydivepalatka
• Instagraminstagram.com/skydivepalatka
• Xx.com/skydivepalatka
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skydive-palatka

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Skydive Palatka