What Skydive Carolina does

Skydive Carolina is a private, founder-owned USPA Group Member skydiving dropzone founded in 1986 by Danny Smith and based at Chester County Regional Airport in Chester, South Carolina. The company operates from a 600+ acre landing area with three 5,000-foot runways and a fleet of two Cessna 208 Supervan turbine aircraft, each capable of carrying up to 15 jumpers to 14,000 feet in 10-12 minutes. The business supports roughly 30,000 annual jumps across tandem skydiving, the Accelerated Freefall (AFF) training program progressing students through Categories A-H to a USPA A License, and recurring services for licensed fun jumpers (lift tickets, gear rental, refresher courses). It is also home to competitive skydivers including an FS 8-Way World Champion.

The company's revenue model is a direct-to-consumer experience-retail operation with one-time per-jump and per-course pricing: tandem jumps at $229 weekday / $269 weekend, AFF packages from $349 to $2,119, video/photo attachments from $109 to $199, and licensed-skydiver lift tickets at $33 plus $85/day gear rental. Distribution is primarily online booking (bookings.burblesoft.com), supplemented by phone, walk-in, and a digital gift-certificate store. The company serves three primary customer personas — first-time tandem skydivers, AFF students pursuing licensure, and licensed fun jumpers — supplemented by group celebrations, corporate outings, and film production clients. Supporting sub-brand Xtreme Video Services provides integrated media capture, and the annual CarolinaFest boogie event anchors community engagement.

Marketing is multi-channel and experience-driven: local SEO landing pages for Charlotte/Columbia/Greenville/Charleston/Asheville/Spartanburg, an extensive blog, organic social (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube), Google/Yelp/TripAdvisor reviews, email newsletters, and special-occasion packages. The company is entirely bootstrapped with no external institutional funding, no subsidiaries, and no parent company; founder Danny Smith remains the sole owner and transitioned to full-time operator in 1994.

Name

Skydive Carolina

Legal name

Skydive Carolina

Website

https://skydivecarolina.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skydive Carolina is a founder-owned USPA-affiliated skydiving dropzone in Chester, South Carolina, founded in 1986, serving first-time tandem skydivers, AFF students, and licensed jumpers across the Carolinas via a 2-aircraft Cessna Supervan fleet and a 600+ acre landing area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Skydiving Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Other (487990), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Skydiving Experiences (Tandem, AFF, Scenic Jumps) (THAAAMAA), Extreme Sports Training, Certification & Coaching (Skydiving/Bungee Safety Courses) (THAAAMAJ), Paragliding, Skydiving & Airborne Adventure Sports (THAJABAJ)

Keywords

• Tandem skydiving services
• Skydiving training programs
• Adventure experience services
• Licensed skydiver facilities
• Skydiving media services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chester

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tandem Skydiving: Core revenue stream from first-time skydivers jumping tandem with certified instructors. Weekday pricing at $229, weekend at $269. Includes 14,000 ft jump with ~60 seconds of freefall.
2. Video & Photography Services: Professional media capture including video, stills, and social media packages ranging from $109-$199. Onsite Xtreme Video Services team provides editing and delivery.
3. AFF Training Programs: Accelerated Freefall training courses. First Jump Course at $349, Phase 1 package at $2,119 (save $200), Phase 2 package at $1,150 (save $60). Includes gear rental for required 25 jumps.
4. Licensed Skydiver Services: Lift tickets at $33 and gear rental at $85/day for experienced, licensed skydivers. Refresher courses available at varying rates.
5. Celebration Packages: Special occasion packages including proposals, birthdays, gender reveals, corporate outings, film production support, and ash dives.
6. Gift Certificates: Digital gift certificates sold through their store, valid for 5 years from purchase date.
7. Group Packages: Discounted pricing for groups of 6+ (save $10/person) and 11+ (save $20/person). Attracts corporate groups, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and friend groups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Skydive Carolina operates a skydiving dropzone at Chester County Regional Airport offering tandem skydiving experiences from 14,000 feet with USPA-certified instructors, Accelerated Freefall (AFF) training programs leading to a USPA A License, services for licensed skydivers including lift tickets and gear rental, and professional video/photo capture of jumps. Ancillary offerings include celebration packages, group discounts, gift certificates, and the annual CarolinaFest community boogie event.

Product overview

Skydive Carolina offers a comprehensive skydiving service portfolio centered around tandem skydiving experiences, professional training programs, and services for licensed skydivers. The core offerings include tandem skydiving ($229-$269) where first-timers jump attached to certified instructors from 14,000 feet, the Accelerated Freefall (AFF) training program for those earning their skydiving license through progressive categories A-H, and services for licensed fun jumpers including lift tickets and gear rental. Add-on services include Xtreme Video Services for professional media capture, Celebration Packages for special occasions (proposals, birthdays, gender reveals), Group Packages with volume discounts, Gift Certificates, and the annual CarolinaFest boogie event. The company operates from Chester, SC near Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC, serving the Carolinas region since 1986.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Xtreme Video Services: The professional onsite media/videography team at Skydive Carolina that captures tandem skydiving videos and photos for customers.

Products and services

• Tandem Skydiving
• Accelerated Freefall (AFF) Training Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,000 feet altitude, 120 mph freefall speed, 60+ seconds of freefall time
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• USPA (United States Parachute Association)coreOthersUSPA Group Member dropzone. All tandem instructors are USPA-certified. The dropzone operates under USPA safety requirements and recommendations including USPA Membership requirements for all skydivers, AAD requirements, reserve inspection protocols, and wind limits for AFF students (14 mph).

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Paraclete XP Skydiving: North Carolina-based dropzone (Raeford, NC) offering tandem, AFF training, and licensed-jumper services. Geographic overlap in the Carolinas/SE US market and identical product structure, making it the most direct intra-state competitor.
• Skydive Sebastian: Florida dropzone offering tandem skydiving, AFF training, and licensed-jumper services. Same product mix and customer segments, primarily serving a regional population plus seasonal tourist demand.
• Skydive Chicago: Midwest dropzone with Cessna turbine fleet, AFF training, video services, and group packages. Operates a comparable full-service model (tandem, training, video, café, gear store) in a different but analogous regional market.
• Skydive Perris: One of the largest US dropzones, offering tandem, AFF, video, and large-scale boogie events (Perris Boogie). Comparable operating model and revenue streams, but at materially larger scale and with a more international event footprint.
• Skydive Spaceland: Texas-based dropzone group with multiple aircraft, AFF training, video services, and large event programming. Directly comparable business model with same product mix (tandem, AFF, video, gear, events) at higher scale.
• Skydive Arizona: Arizona-based dropzone operating turbine aircraft for tandem, AFF, and licensed jumpers. Comparable operating model, premium regional positioning, and reliance on tourist and student segments — competing for similar experience-seeking customers in a different geography.
• Skydive Atlanta: Southeast US dropzone offering tandem skydiving, AFF training, and licensed-jumper services from a single airport location. Comparable in scale, mix of first-timers and community, and event-driven marketing — the closest geographic peer to Skydive Carolina in the Southeast.

Regional players

• GoSkydive: UK-based tandem skydiving operator. Comparable product offering (tandem, video, training) but operating in a different geographic market with different regulatory regime; useful as a non-US comparable for the tandem experience model.

Others

• USPA (United States Parachute Association): National governing body for skydiving in the US. Not a commercial peer but a critical industry infrastructure partner whose membership, instructor certifications, and safety standards underpin Skydive Carolina's operations and licensing pathway (USPA A License).

Broad incumbents

• iFLY Indoor Skydiving: Larger, multi-location indoor skydiving operator with corporate backing and 70+ locations globally. Competes for first-time 'skydiving' experiences and group/corporate events, but with a fundamentally different delivery model (wind tunnel vs. aircraft) and broader customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/skydivecarolina
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SkydiveCarolina
• Facebookfacebook.com/skydivecarolina
• Instagraminstagram.com/skydivecarolina
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skydive-carolina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Carolina