PERRIS, Calif. -- Adventure and danger come easy for Marines — it’s part of the job. But that does leave a problem; where does a hard-nosed Marine go to push himself to the limit and experience the ultimate in exhilaration?
How about Perris?
Dressed in rather flashy nylon jumpsuits, the few and the proud of Perris Sky Venture, in Perris, just a few miles north of Temecula, have been teaching people to skydive for more than 32 years.
“We train professional teams from all over the world, but we have also introduced many people to the sport,” said Stewart M. McArthur, chief instructor of Perris SkyVenture and a 12-year-skydiver from Corby, England. “It’s something everyone should try at least once in their life to say they did it.”
Beginning jumpers, with no prior experience, have two options at the jump center: a tandem jump and the state-of-the-art wind tunnel.
“The wind tunnel serves two purposes,” said Kris D. Reynolds, chief instructor of the Perris SkyVenture wind tunnel. “The wind tunnel is designed to either introduce beginners to the fundamentals of skydiving and it also trains experienced divers in a controlled environment.”
Although the minimum age for skydiving in the state of California is 18 years old, the jump center has trained dare devils as young as three in their state-of-the-art wind tunnel.
The wind velocity in the tunnel, typically set at 120 miles per hour, is nearly the same as jumping out of a plane.
“Every time you come to the wind tunnel, you will be learning new diving techniques,” said Reynolds. “Just be careful not to get too addicted, this is a real adrenaline rush.”
During a tandem jump, the customer is secured to an experienced jump master. The customer has no responsibility other than enjoying the ride and making the initial leap out of the plane.
“First-time jumpers always feel a mix of excitement and nervous once they get close to the door,” said Jimmy C. Updike, a jump master who has completed more than 1,200 tandem jumps at the center. “After the jump, they’re extremely pumped up and never leave disappointed, it’s great sharing the experience with the first-timers.”
For the jumpers who would like to go the extra mile and jump without a jump master strapped to their back, they can opt to take Accelerated Free Fall lessons after their tandem jump.
Accelerated Free Fall program is an eight-jump program that is designed to teach jumpers every aspect of skydiving. At the conclusion of the program, graduates with their United States Parachute Association ‘A’ licenses can jump solo.
“It would be much more exciting to go out by yourself,” said Cpl. Jason E. Worthington, aviation ordnance technician, Marine Air Logistics Squadron 39, after his first tandem jump. “When you go tandem, you don’t really do anything besides enjoy the ride. When you add to the responsibility, you add to the adrenaline rush.”
Perris Sky Venture is at Perris Valley Airport, 2091 Goetz Road, about 40 miles southeast of Ontario Airport. For more information call (951) 657-3904.