Daycation: Go sky high with skydiving in Mercer
Jun. 4—A high-flying adventure awaits those brave enough to jump out of an airplane in rural Mercer.
Skydive Pennsylvania is the only full-service skydiving facility in Western Pennsylvania, located at the Grove City Airport.
Owner Cecil Smith, 66, has logged more than 5,912 jumps in his 49 years of skydiving.
Smith grew up around his skydiving father and brother and recalled practicing patience before experiencing his first jump in 1974.
"I had to wait until I was 18 — my mother wouldn't sign for me — and I jumped out of a Cessna at 2,800 feet in Culmerville, Pa.," Smith recalled. "It's my passion."
Smith retired when he was 54 and purchased Skydive Pennsylvania 14 years ago.
"I enjoy what I'm doing and sharing it with others," said Smith of Carnegie.
Teen tandem jumpers
"I didn't tell my mother that I was doing this," a smiling 18-year-old Casey Williams of Altoona said as she donned a bright pink jumpsuit and waited for her instructor to lead her to a waiting plane for her second tandem (with an instructor) jump May 14.
Williams was accompanied by her father, Rob Williams, and sister Emily Garman.
"I love it. My first jump I thought I was going to pass out I was so scared. But it was amazing, and this has been something to do off my bucket list for my whole life," Williams said.
All three enjoy skydiving together and mom stays home, Rob Williams said.
Tandem skydiving allows first-time jumpers to experience the sport by making a jump with an experienced instructor using a parachute system designed for two people.
"I was always interested, and, for their 18th birthdays, I had them agree they would skydive with me," Rob Williams said.
Garman kept both feet on the ground watching her sister jump for the second time but said she scheduled a second jump for early summer.
"I'm deathly afraid of heights, but it's a good experience to have. When I was in the plane, I knew it was going to happen and it was paid for. But after you jump out, you see everything on the ground and it's really pretty," Garman said.
Jumpers must be 18, but there is no maximum age limit.
The jumps are conducted at about 13,000 feet, and participants are attached to their instructor.
"We had a 93-year-old man jump and a lady in her 80s," Smith said. "As long as a person is healthy and ambulatory and can lift their legs up, we'll take them."
Refunds are not issued once a jumper boards the plane.
During a tandem skydive, a jumper will free fall for up to 60 seconds and enjoy a four- to five-minute canopy ride before landing back at the airport in a large, grassy landing zone.
Tandem rates are $279 for the first jump and $259 for a second jump in the same season.
Prices are inclusive and there are no hidden fees.
Smith's son, Cory, 31, manages the family business and started skydiving seven years ago.
"For the most part, everyone comes down smiling. In the season, maybe we will have two to five people back out and not jump. If they don't want to go, nobody forces anybody," Cory Smith said.
Deer Lakes High School senior Selah Love was all smiles as she took off her jumpsuit and debriefed after her first tandem jump May 14.
Love had just experienced 154 mph speeds and had a free fall that lasted 52 seconds.
She was clutching her sport parachutist log book as her instructor recorded her inaugural jump.
"I can't wait to do this again," said Love of East Deer. "It was kind of on a whim. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I laughed a lot. I kept my eyes open."
Love said she crossed her arms, kicked her feet up and "had a blast" jumping out of the plane.
The entire skydiving experience from check-in to landing is about two hours.
Participants watch a short video and listen to a 10-minute tutorial from a skydiving instructor that instructs on body position, free fall and what to do on landing.
The instructors are certified by the United States Parachute Association, and each has logged thousands of jumps.
"A lot of people think you can't breathe when you jump out — not true — but you have to force the breathing because you're going 130 mph," Cory Smith said. "We tell jumpers to look out and enjoy the view and keep your head up."
Tandem skydivers don a soft helmet and wear a supplied jumpsuit, sneakers and all must sign an online release of liability.
Buddies Brian Burek, Nathan Coley and Bill Hardy, all of North Huntingdon, took a daycation to skydive together May 14.
It was Coley's first time skydiving.
"I need some Dramamine. I had a little nausea — maybe I didn't eat enough," Coley said. "The jump was great though. It's like everything coming at you, all at once. I'll do it again. Absolutely. I always wanted to feel like I was gonna die without actually dying and that'll do it."
Coley, 40, is married.
"She's not collecting life insurance today," Coley joked on his successful jump.
His advice for others considering a skydiving adventure: "Just jump. Just do it."
Skydive Pittsburgh is closed on Tuesdays and operates seasonally.
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Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .
