About

Skydive Arizona™ is located in the heart of the scenic Sonoran Desert midway between Phoenix & Tucson, Arizona’s two largest cities. 

In 1967, drop zone owners Larry and Liliane Hill met the night of Larry’s first skydive in Spa, Belgium. (Lil had been skydiving for two years already!) They married and moved around a lot as a young military family, skydiving when they could. Finally arriving at Luke Air Force Base in 1976 with their two young boys, Larry opted to retire from the Air Force. 

The family landed at a short gravel runway behind a bar in northwest Phoenix, and in January of 1978 the Wild Horse West Parachute Center was founded. Larry & Lil’s love for the sport of skydiving was infectious, and they soon needed more space.

In 1986, an opportunity arose to purchase the Coolidge Parachute Club. This was when a new vision struck. They didn’t want to just bring the Wild Horse West brand to Coolidge — they wanted to build a unifying brand for all skydivers.

“We wanted to build somewhere that we would want to skydive.”

Skydive Arizona™ was born. 

As the new Skydive Arizona began operating, tragedy struck. One day that same year, a late afternoon thunderstorm ripped across the desert. While hunkered down in small trailers, the Skydive Arizona team watched helplessly as their aircraft were wrecked.

The only remaining airplane, a Westwind Beech, began moving backwards in the wind — nearly taking flight. Rain sheeted down the taxiway. The team rushed out and jumped on top of the airplane to weigh it down. In the end, it was the only airplane they were able to save.

By focusing on delivering a high-quality experience for skydivers, and reinvesting everything back into the business, Skydive Arizona™ grew their fleet to four Cessnas, four Beeches, and two DC-3s.

“You should have a passion for what you do.”

In 1990, Skydive Arizona™ bought their first twin-turbine aircraft, a Westwind Beech 18. But Coolidge was becoming a cramped space because of the airport’s lease with the Air Force. So, in 1990, the City Manager of Eloy was brought in — there were no facilities, but there was 90 acres of available land right next to the Eloy Airport.

Work started on the new location and in April of 1991, the new facility opened its doors at Eloy Municipal Airport.

Skydivers all over the world began to recognize that Skydive Arizona™ was different from any other drop zone. Although close to major highways, there is vast, open desert all around, providing for ample landing zones. There are three well-maintained grass landing areas to make life easier on our skydivers and their gear. 

There’s a restaurant, team rooms, RV hookups, and a pool. 

Since then, Skydive Arizona™ has invested heavily in the sport of competitive skydiving, and are proud to sponsor Arizona Airspeed — the winningest skydiving team in history. We’ve built a swoop pond to attract canopy piloting. 

Multiple world records are held here, and we’ve built out facilities for bringing the film industry & military training to Skydive Arizona™. We’ve also been fortunate enough to host every major world skydiving competition.