Chicagoland Skydiving Center Swooping of the Ribbon Event
ROCHELLE, IL…The Rochelle Area Chamber of Commerce & Business Development and the City of Rochelle are pleased to welcome the Chicagoland Skydiving Center (CSC) to the Rochelle Municipal Airport – Koritz Field campus with a ceremonial Swooping of the Ribbon by experienced divers at CSC. The event will be held on Friday July 8 at 1:00 p.m. and commemorate the opening of the 2011 season and dropzone. City officials and business leaders will be on-hand to welcome the unique enterprise to the Hub City. The public is also invited to attend.
(To see some videos from the Chicagoland Skydiving Center Swooping of the Ribbon Event visit WREX and MyStateline.)
The Chicagoland Skydiving Center has been in business for over 43 years. In 1968 the center opened in Hinckley, Illinois where it operated until 2010 when it became too large for the facilities. CSC is one of the oldest skydiving centers in the United States and boasts the highest skydive in the Midwest at 18,000 feet. The Center has earned the distinction of being one of the top rated skydiving schools in the world because of its commitment to safety and the skill of its skydiving instructors. Several world-class divers train at the site while offering the benefits of their skill and experience to others in the sport.
Doug Smith, Owner of CSC is pleased to be operating from the Rochelle Airport. “We’re thrilled with our relocation to the City of Rochelle. Everywhere we go and every person we meet welcomes us with open arms. It has been amazing how receptive the community has been so far”, said Smith. Smith is proud of the fact that the Center has employed over fifty employees including local excavators and contractors. Hotel, food vendors and retail stores are also benefiting from the project.
Anyone is welcome to visit the Center and encouraged to meet the team and learn more about the sport. The Center is open seven days a week, weather permitting. As many as 500 jumpers a day can be accommodated on the weekends. CSC is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offers competitive pricing for tandem, solo, and licensed skydivers.
CSC has plans to construct a permanent facility which will include a restaurant, viewing area, welcome center, a new aircraft hangar, and an RV and camping site. Two turbine aircraft, a Super Otter and/or a PAC 750XL are flying daily as colorful parachutes can been seen in the skies above Rochelle.
Sydney Owen is Director of Marketing, PR, and Events at CSC. “We recently moved from the community hangar to our property on the east side of the airport. We’re in temporary facilities while we construct our hangar and welcome center, but it’s finally starting to feel like home here”, she said. “Skydiving is a very social activity and one of my favorite parts of the sport is the community at the dropzone. We’re very excited to have that aspect of what we do coming together as we build what will be a world-class facility when it’s all said and done”, Sydney added. High-speed broadband internet access is available on-site as well as full-service RV hook-ups including electric, sewer, and water services. Over $250,000 has been invested in the planning and construction of the RV park.
Chicagoland Skydiving Center has a number of great events planned for the 2011 season. The Independence Boogie will be held on July 1-10. The 10-day skydiving event attracts jumpers from all over the region to enjoy the CSC aircraft, nightly activities, and displays from skydiving manufacturers of the latest equipment. They also have their 14th Annual Skydiving for MS, a fundraiser for the National MS Society. For more information about events at CSC visit https://perfectlygoodairplane.com or https://facebook.com/CSCskydiving.
About the Rochelle Municipal Airport
The Rochelle Municipal Airport was recently named 2011 Airport of the Year by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Division of Aeronautics. The Airport of the Year Award is given to an airport that meets all standards with regard to safety, maintenance and operations and has the ability to work within the guidelines and regulations indicated by the IDOT Division of Aeronautics. Other factors used to determine the award recipient include long term strategic plans for expansion and the level of local support of projects. The Rochelle Municipal Airport has been fortunate to have the support of the Airport Advisory Board, Planning & Zoning Commission, City Council, the IDOT Division of Aeronautics, and the FAA. The addition of the Chicagoland Skydiving Center will enhance airport operations, generate additional traffic, and stimulate the Rochelle economy.