By: Douglas A. Van Sant
Published: Friday, November 19, 2004, Tampa Tribune

ZEPHYRHILLS — Another golden sun is rising. Morning dew glistens on the grass, while a light breeze skims the tarmac. A group of friends squeezes into the tight confines of a twin-prop airplane, which will soon climb to 13,500 feet above southeastern Pasco County.

The flight is calm and serene, prompting some to lay back and take a nap. But when they reach their altitude, everything changes. Suddenly the scene shifts to a fever pitch. Someone opens a door near the rear of the plane. Gear is tightened. Eyes brim with excitement.

Adrenaline courses through their veins as, one by one, they rush to the open door and fly away.

Now it's your turn.

You're harnessed into place and your goggles are tightened as your muscles quiver in anticipation. As you move toward the door, you feel the cool wind of high altitude. Before you can think, before you can say no, you're thrust from the plane. You're flying. You're soaring. You're plummeting toward the earth at 120 mph.

And you're having the time of your life.

Welcome to Skydive City, a world away from the 9-to-5, stuck-in-traffic, pick-up-the-kids-from-soccer-practice lifestyle. It's a lifestyle that brings together people from around the world. It defies logic (you're jumping out of a perfectly safe airplane!) and keeps you coming back for more.

Johnny Gates of Lakeland has been coming back for more than 26 years. He's laid-back and loyal, qualities you'll find in abundance at drop zones across the country.

"I've been coming to Z'hills for the camaraderie and good vibes for as long as I can remember. It's a [drop zone] you just want to hang out at," he says.

Gates has made more than 3,500 jumps and owns a trailer at the facility, where he spends four to six days a week sharing his passion with friends such as Kelly Tongol. An officer in the Coast Guard, Tongol joined the Z'hills family after her assignment to St. Petersburg in 2003.

"Everyone took me in from the beginning, like I was family," says Tongol, 23, who chose to serve in Florida partly because of its plethora of drop zones.

Located at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, Skydive City has been a haven for recreational skydivers for 15 years. But folks have been jumping from planes in the area at least since the early '60s. Zephyrhills grew into a major skydiving center when skydivers, many of whom got their start in military airborne units, migrated to the area because its climate is favorable to skydiving year-round. At one point in the '80s, two skydive facilities were operating at the small airport, but the sport was losing ground and they closed near the end of the decade.

Skydive City opened in 1989 to fill the void and quickly revived interest in the sport. David "TK" Hayes, manager of the facility, says that was the turning point.

Soon, "[Zephyrhills] had three large [skydiving] rig manufacturers, two [parachute] canopy manufacturers and over 100 employees because of the sport. After a few short years, Skydive City became a mecca within the sport.

"We've always been known as the "fun' [drop zone] in the industry," says Hayes, who moved to Florida in 1995.

There are currently 22 drop zones in Florida. Skydive City averages more than 700 jumps on weekends and 1,000 on holidays. Each year, more than 2,500 skydivers call the facility home and more than 3,000 make their first tandem jump there.

Kelly Wilson recently made her first jump at the facility and was hooked for life.

"I was totally excited about jumping, but now that I have been, I'm going back in to buy another tandem [jump]," Wilson says. "Freefall was simply intense."

But there's more to the sport than flying through the air. Skydivers develop a bond from the moment they take the first plunge. Although they may not speak the same language, there's no communication barrier — your skydiving rig says it all.

James Shotton, visiting Skydive City on vacation from England, says he felt that bond while skydiving in France.

"We showed up to a [drop zone] where everyone spoke French. They saw our parachute and set us up with a camper and dinner."

Shotton, 28, is like many in the skydiving community. He's taking a nine-month travel vacation, visiting drop zones all over the world. His next destination is Eastern Asia, then Brisbane, Australia. No matter where he is, Shotton says he always feels at home.

Igor Mazia came to Skydive City in 2000 after having served in the Russian Air Force. He sold his home, bought a trailer at Skydive City, and is now a tandem instructor, AFF (Accelerated Freefall) instructor and a freefall videographer.

"I didn't like jumping in Russia because of the [unsafe] equipment. After coming to United States, I fell back in love with the sport."

Mazia now has made more than 3,000 jumps in the United States and spends almost every day at the drop zone.

Skydive City regular Jan Wang, 51, followed a similar path to the United States. On assignment to CentCom at MacDill Air Force Base, he came to the area in 2003 from Oslo, Norway, where he got his start in the Norwegian Army Airborne unit. ("Skydiving in Norway was very cold.")

During his 31 years of jumping, Wang has built some lasting friendships.

"We are all family. If you are a skydiver, or just interested, we'll take you in," Wang says.

But to truly understand the essence of the sport, you must spend an afternoon at the drop zone. Globe-trotting veterans walk over from their trailers to share their passion, and offer encouragement to first-timers.

In terms of experience, skydive videographer Billy Porter reigns supreme. Porter, a veteran of more than 10,000 jumps, has taught skydiving for 20-some years. Now he spends his days hanging with friends at the drop zone, shooting video of tandem jumpers.

Porter worked a normal 9-to-5 job at one point, but when the career field in skydiving opened up, he jumped at the chance.

"My father was Airborne in Korea and it was something I just knew I would do," Porter says. "You can't really describe jumping out of a plane. But once you do [jump], you'll know where your heart lies."

Porter believes everyone at Skydive City was born a skydiver.

"All of these people were born to do this, they just didn't know until they jumped."