Skydive Empuriabrava

Skydive Empuriabrava is the brand that has been commercially operating Empuriabrava Aerodrome (on the Empuriabrava residential estate of the town of Castelló d'Empúries, Costa Brava, Girona province, Catalonia, Spain) since 1985. Since it began operating its main activity has been skydiving although it also offers photo flights, aerial and tourist advertising, and runs a school of aviation for private pilots.

Since 1973, weekends have been a time for skydiving at Empuriabrava Aerodrome, managed by the ParaClub Girona section of Aeroclub Girona. In 1975, the management of the aerodrome changed hands when it was bought by the company Promotora Deportiva del Ampurdán, which in 1984 was sold to the company Anglo Costa Brava de Inversiones. This company leased the facilities to the company Centro de Paracaidismo Costa Brava, the professional skydiving management firm. The business name of the aerodrome, which until then had been Centro de Paracaidismo Costa Brava, changed to Skydive Empuriabrava in 1985.

In 1987, Anglo Costa Brava de Inversiones sold the concern to the company Fórmula y Propiedades S.L.

Centro de Paracaidismo Costa Brava, the company in charge of the skydiving operations and tenant of Anglo Costa Brava de Inversiones, continued with the same lease arrangement for the facilities. It was in this period that the aerodrome won acclaim in Europe for its work. Centro de Paracaidismo Costa Brava, owned by the American partners Mitch Decoteau, María Peterson and the Swiss Roland Hilfiker, brought the method known as AFF (Accelerated freefall) to the aerodrome. This is an innovative method for teaching skydiving that involves a tandem jump with a professional instructor, which places skydiving within everyone's reach and does not require specific training (it is even available for people with physical disabilities). In 1986, Jaime Comas Espigulé joined the company.

In 1985, work at the aerodrome involved five people and the company did not own any light aircraft: a Cesna 207, the first used at Girona airport, was rented. The first Pilatus was not bought until 1987, two years later.