Tandem Jump in Virginia

Virginia gives a jumper a lot to look at on the way down. The ground runs from the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge in the west to the flat coastal plain along the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic in the east. Drop zones are scattered to make the most of it, inland forest one place, the far shimmer of the ocean another. Sitting where it does on the East Coast, the state is an easy drive for both licensed fun jumpers and first-time tandem students out of Richmond, Washington D.C., and Norfolk.

For a first jump, Virginia's DZs keep it simple: a short ground school, then a jump harnessed to an experienced instructor so you can put your attention where it belongs, on the fall and the view. The climate cooperates through much of the year, which keeps the season long and the openings for a first tandem plentiful.