“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”
Frank Herbert, “Dune”

So much gets in the way of the “I” that remains after you’ve done something that truly, deeply scares you.

If you don’t grapple with actual-factual fear very often, there’s a chance that you’ve lost the knack for it. We all used to be little badasses, after all; in youth, we tackled the scary stuff head-on all the time. We stood up on the weird stilts attached to the bottoms of our torsos and figured out how to use them to get to mom, crouched several feet away with an encouraging look on her face. We showed up to the first day of school. We sat next to the grumpy old guy from the DMV and parallel-parked. We went for the kiss. We earned bar after bar; stripe after stripe in the war against No-You-Can’t.

But it was hard. Fighting that war is tough, tiring stuff. So when we got to adulthood and could build a little fortress to hide from fear, we damn well did it. Right? You control the variables. You rest.

Resting ain’t good for you. Not for long.

A lot of people, when they frame up the idea of skydiving, bubble up with a nervous laugh and talk about how “they could never do that.” When you press a little to see what they’re afraid of, they’ll usually tell you that they’re afraid of dying…but in a world where making a skydive is a heck of a lot less risky than driving to work in the morning, that statement doesn’t really hold up.

Dig deeper. “Fear is the mind-killer,” after all, and this is a spiritual problem that leans on the intellectual side. Why are you afraid? Keep tapping away at the question, and you start to get it out of your system: you’re afraid of unfulfilled potential; you’re afraid of trashing your reputation if people find out about it and think you’re reckless; you’re afraid you won’t be able to get yourself to leave the plane. You’re not afraid of death. You’re afraid of failure.

This might spoil the surprise, but here it is: You’re not going to fail. If you get on that plane, you’re going to, unequivocally, win.

Skydiving is such a powerful tool for personal development that we meet therapists all the time who would love to prescribe it. Tandem skydiving, after all, mixes two elements that almost nothing else on the planet does: it’s scary, but it’s also–from the statistical point of view—very safe. Making a skydive reaps all the benefits of pushing practically pretty much every fear button in your body without the much-more-significant danger presented by other activities.

Doing things you’re afraid of–like skydiving–will pull you from that comfortable rut you’ve built for yourself and inspire you to keep moving. You’ll start making plans to do other things that leave you vulnerable but present a reward for their risk. Over time and repetition, your comfort zone will grow. It won’t be long before you’re regularly doing things you never thought yourself capable of doing.

So, to go back to the original question: Why should you do things you’re afraid of? Well: When you “turn your inner eye to see its path,” as Frank Herbert sagely notes, you’ll see that the path your fear leaves behind leads straight to your best self.

The post Why You Should Do Things You’re Afraid Of appeared first on Skydive Perris.

When people find out that it is possible to skydive with your own parachute without first having done a tandem, they’re often very surprised. A tandem skydive and an AFF skydive, of course, are mighty different. Here, we’ll take a look at the main differences between the two experiences–and help you work out for yourself the one that’s best for you.

AFF Students Get Their Own Parachute

The biggest difference between an AFF jump and a tandem jump is perhaps the most obvious one: a tandem student shares his/her parachute with a tandem instructor, whereas an AFF student jumps on his/her own.

An AFF Student Jumps With Two Instructors, Not Just One

An accredited AFF training program like ours puts three pro skydivers on each AFF jump with the student: two licensed, professional, experienced skydiving instructors, one on each side of the student, and a professional skydiving cameraperson. A tandem student enjoys the company of just two pros, not three: the tandem instructor with whom he/she shares a parachute, and the lucky pro jumper who gets to capture it all for posterity.

Tandem Is A Lesser Commitment

A tandem skydive places the responsibility for the entire process (directing freefall, then opening and steering the parachute) in the hands of the tandem instructor. The tandem student learns the rudimentary workings of the system, but the training is much simplified. Because of that, the time and training commitment for a tandem student is shorter and simpler than that of AFF. Therefore, it can be less stressful.

AFF Students Learn Much More

An AFF student can expect about six hours of ground school training to begin his/her journey. That time is spent learning about the gear and practicing emergency procedures on the ground until the student and his/her instructor are confident that a solo parachute jump is appropriate.

Tandem Is A Great Stepping Stone

This much is inarguable: Tandem skydiving is an excellent introduction to the sport. Since it incurs a lower cost and tends to be a less anxious method of introduction to the sky, it’s a lovely taster. If you love it, then, by all means step it up to AFF–which is the clear path for those who wish to begin the process of becoming a skydiver.

Tandem Isn’t For Everyone

If you’re a high-test, all-out adventurer who likes to go for the gold, you may fast-forward through this whole parachute-sharing business and proceed directly to the AFF part, dear reader. It’s not the commonest route, but it’s well within the realm of possibility–and we’ll high five the heck out of you for it!

Both Are Amazing Experiences

No matter which path you choose, you’ll love the sky. We’re thrilled at the prospect of taking you there. Choose the one that calls to you and go, go, go!

Learn more about our AFF Skydiving Program or contact a member of our team with questions about which path is right for you.

The post AFF Skydiving Versus Tandem Skydiving appeared first on Skydive Perris.

Many people don’t think they can skydive because they’re afraid of heights. We’re here to tell you that–as weird as it may sound–fear of heights doesn’t matter a bit on a skydive.

If you’re, like, that’s impossible, then calm down, Wiggum. It’s true! It might surprise you that being on a ladder will always feel more precarious than being in the door of a plane. It might also surprise you that skydiving will do nothing to directly cure your fear of heights–though it will help you address all kinds of fears, albeit in a systemic sense. If you’re ready to enter the weird and wonderful mystery house of skydiving and fear, we’re happy to take you on that journey. Just follow our lead.

1. Confirmed: It’s Not Maybelline. You Were Born With It

Snakes? Circus clowns? Zombies? Presidential candidates? Make no mistake, my friend: those are after-market fears. However, literally, every healthy human being was born with a fear of heights. It’s basic to our makeup. Whereas every other fear (except, interestingly, the dark) was added on afterward, we come out of the womb freaked out about high places. It’s called acrophobia, and the struggle is as natural as breathing. Evolution decided that dark and heights are the two things that humans need to be careful around from day one, hour one of our lives.

How do we know? Because of this classic acrophobia study. In it, scientists perched brand-new crawlers on top of one of two tables. These tables were set up a couple of feet from each other, with a sheet of crystal-clear plexiglass to form a table-wide bridge between them.

The baby’s mom was standing on the other side of the opposite table, encouraging baby to make his/her way across into her waiting arms. Even though the plexi was more than thick and wide enough crawl across, none of the babies were into it. Even that early on in their lives, with no previous experience of the feeling, their little brains already ordered them to stop. Baby ducks, however, didn’t even compute the difference between walking across an opaque solid object and a clear solid object. (Wings, therefore, are apparently the only scientific cure for a fear of heights.)

2. Making A Skydive Is A Lot Like Making That Crawl

Here’s the thing: jumping out of a plane is a lot like taking your place on one table and making your way across the plexiglass. Statistically speaking, even though it doesn’t feel like it when you’re standing in the door, you’re going to be just fine. With that first hesitant step, you’ll literally feel the support under you. And when you land, you’ll look back and think: Wow. That was way easier than I thought it would be. …I wonder what else in my life I’ve been unnecessarily hesitant about?

3. The Fear Isn’t What You Think It’s Going To Be

Think you’re going to freak out and freeze up? If you’re like most folks, no matter how scared you think you’re going to be, you’re not.

You see: From the open door of an aircraft cruising along at 12,500’ above the Southern California skies, the landscape below looks pivotally different than it does from that aforementioned bridge or cliff or building. In actual fact, it looks much like a Google Earth map. Since it’s the sense of depth that triggers acrophobia, and depth doesn’t exist from that angle, your fear of heights is going to remain essentially untriggered.

Make no mistake, however: you’re going to have feels. The sounds and sensations of putting on gear and going to altitude are very powerful!

4. It’s Going To Stay With You–As A Help Rather Than A Hindrance

Guess what? That fear of heights, which was carefully built into the structure of your brain, isn’t going anywhere. And that’s a good thing!

If you start talking to skydivers, you’ll notice that many of them are very keenly “afraid of heights.” These are the guys who can’t comfortably stand at a low bridge railing, who hesitate (or refrain) from walking close to the edge of any cliff, who even think twice before venturing up to the observation deck.

The difference is that the height-spooked skydiver is using their fear as a tool for personal optimization. Every time they walk to the aircraft door, they know that they’re up-leveling their confidence, optimizing their physical response to fear and building healthier perspectives on life’s daily challenges. Add all that up, and you’ll see the massive proportional benefits they’re reaping from their fear of heights.

So–how does all that strike you? Are you ready to strengthen your fear muscle and use it to move your personal mountains? We’re standing by to help! Book a tandem skydive near Los Angeles with the experienced team at Skydive Perris.

The post Should You Go Skydiving If You’re Scared of Heights? appeared first on Skydive Perris.

If you’re going a little bug-eyed researching all this skydiving stuff, believe you me–you’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. First-time skydivers have a steep learning curve! Fear not, though–we’ve got your back.

Here are a few first time skydiving tips that we as long-time skydivers (and skydiving pros) are eager for newbies to know, right out of the gate. Sometimes, these are things that would have vastly improved our own experiences when we were wide-eyed innocents who had never touched a parachute before. Ready for the inside scoop? Here it comes.

1. Not All Dropzones Are The Same

Dropzones share a few characteristics, sure. They’re all composed of at least one building that is located next to an airstrip.* They all have at least one person running the front desk and at least one person running around with a parachute on. Past that, they’re as different as 1963 Volkswagon bugs and 2016 Escalades–which are both technically cars, but offer utterly different experiences.

Some are friendly, mom-and-pop affairs that run as slowly as molasses but get the job done. Some are overwhelmingly enormous, with shuttles and planes and jumpers crisscrossing all over the place. Some are friendly to a fault but clearly shabby and underpowered; others are militarily businesslike and efficient to the detriment of human kindness. There’s a whole world out there, folks. If you call the place, you’ll quickly be able to tell if it’s a good match for you.

Very importantly for you, as a new jumper: Some DZs adhere to basic safety recommendations more than others. Unlike, say, an amusement park, there is risk involved–so doing research is important. To determine if the dropzone you’re researching is keeping pace with the procedures and technology that have been designed for your safety, look for a dropzone on the United States Parachute Association website.

2. The Plane Counts

Remember what we said earlier about the Volkswagen Beetle and the Escalade? That metaphor gets really spot-on when we start talking about aircraft. The type of aircraft does make a difference: from comfort on the ride up to free fall time, and especially when you’re jumping with groups. Look for a dropzone with big, turbine aircraft to go higher, comfier. It’s a game-changer.

3. Use Groupon for Manicures and Sushi, Not Tandem Skydiving

The advent of the daily deal has had an interesting effect on the sport of skydiving. The number of skydiving facilities in America has spiked, and the format of these sites has allowed newcomers to have instant business. Use caution. It’s best to go with a trusted DZ that’s been in the market over an extended period of time. (We’re past the 40-year mark over here at Perris!)

4. Beware the Cheap Skydive

You know this already, in your heart of hearts, but we’ll say it anyway: Skydiving is not the place to shave off a few bucks. After all, running a fun, professional, safety-first skydiving center is expensive. To do it, you’ve got to acquire the best gear, meticulously maintain it and hire the very best, most qualified staff. As a rule, low price models rely on high volume that boots individualized, personal service right out the door. Want the best? Make the investment. You will certainly be glad you did.

*Super hot tip: If you Google Map the address for the dropzone you’re researching and it is not a building next to an airstrip, you are seriously being scammed. Run!

The post What Skydiving Professionals Want The General Public To Know appeared first on Skydive Perris.

Everybody’s got a bucket list, right? Y’know: that maybe-short, maybe-epic-length list of experiences you want to check off before you kick the bucket. These are the landmark experiences that make a life: ride an elephant; see the sun rise over Black Rock City; learn to play the guitar; high-five Samuel L. Jackson.

A huge proportion of first-time tandem skydivers come to us in order to check one of those bucket list items off. Usually, skydiving has pride of place right at the top of the list. It deserves that place! Interestingly, most people find it easier to work through the rest of their carefully-curated lists once the “make skydive” box is checked. (Whether it’s the big confidence boost they get from their jump or because the rest of the list is suddenly scratched and replaced with skydiving-related items, we can’t say.)

Ready to check off classic Bucket List Item Number One? We have our very own “bucket list” to help you with that–and we’re eminently qualified to have written it up. After all, the skydiving scene from The Bucket List movie itself was filmed here, and we’ve been serving the Los Angeles skydiving community for almost half a century!

1. Acknowledge Your Bucket

You’ve wanted to do this as long as you can remember, but you keep postponing it. Acknowledge the bucket that’s been sitting there, waiting for you, for years. Ain’t gonna fill itself. The time is now.

2. Check Your Bucket For Holes

If that bucket is going to carry the good stuff, you have to make sure it’s in good shape. Safety first, after all!

No matter where you are in the world, the best place to find the safest, most professional, most up-to-date skydiving dropzone is by far the dropzone listing maintained by the United States Parachute Association. The USPA has been the organization advancing the policies, technology and training of safer skydiving since the sport was founded, so it’s information you can trust. Why? USPA members pledge to uphold the organization’s strict requirements regarding safety, instructor training and maintenance. Skydive Perris is proud to be a USPA member, but beware, not all drop zones are! Always check the USPA listings first.

As a sidenote: Don’t book based on price. You knew this already: but for this kind of activity, cheaper doesn’t mean better.

3. Fill Your Bucket

Most people choose a tandem jump as their first step into the skydiving world. It’s a great starting point! Thanks to the tireless work of the USPA and the greater skydiving community, tandem skydiving is safer now than it has ever been. (It’s safer, in fact, than riding your bike through a lightning storm–or driving to work!)

There are innumerable variations on the theme, but there are ways you can set yourself up for the best possible experience. First, we recommend booking your tandem for the morning. It tends to be a more peaceful experience that way, and weather is less of a factor. Secondly, eat normally and stay hydrated. That’ll help you feel your best.

Third, get photos and video! This is your very first skydive, after all. No matter how many more you do after this one, there’s only one first time. And we’re lucky, here at Perris; after all, we don’t just boast the very best tandem skydiving instructors in the world–we have the best videographers, too! (It stands to reason, this close to Hollywood, but it’s still something to shout about.) Bottom line: Make sure you get the record.

4. Share The Contents Of Your Bucket With The World!

Those photos and videos are going to blow up your social feeds, of course…but that’s not all it’s about. It’s about motivating your friends and loved ones to step up to the plate and go after their goals! Who knows–maybe you’re the inspiration they need to make something happen for themselves.

Now get out there and start throwin’ high-fives!

Ready to cross skydiving off your bucket list? Book your tandem skydive online with Skydive Perris, the premier destination for skydiving Los Angeles!

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A plane is a plane is a plane, right?

If you’re a first-time tandem skydiver, you probably haven’t given much thought to the vehicle that carries you to your jump altitude. You’ll probably “meet” it just at the moment you’re geared up and heading nervously to its waiting steps.

We’re here to tell you that it’s a good thing to think about what kind of skydiving plane you’re going to be in, as it has a direct relationship to the general awesomeness of your jump. Here’s what every tandem skydiver should know about skydiving aircraft, in a nutshell, to be armed for good smart shopping.

The Good Old Cessna 182

The Cessna 182 has been the workhorse of the skydiving community since the early days of the sport of skydiving–and, incredibly, plenty of those first planes are still in the air! The 182 has been in production since Elvis Presley released his first hit (1956, if you’re curious).

This jump plane can carry a pilot, four jumpers and climbs to 10,000 feet, and putters along with the reliable O-470 engine. It doesn’t go very high, and it doesn’t go very fast. Usually, it takes about half an hour for a 182 to make its way to exit altitude–and the four-person seating situation on the floor in there is, um, cozy. Exit looks like a two-human version of a dog scruffling its posterior along a carpet, at the end of which the tandem pair kinda rolls out the door. It’s undignified, but it’s still fun.*

The raging popularity of Cessna aircraft remains unsurprising. The aircraft are relatively inexpensive to purchase and maintain, compared to their bigger cousins, so the dropzone’s profit margins are better. That works well for the beloved mom-and-pop operations that form the backbone of America’s skydiving landscape, but the plane situation changes significantly when you get to a bigger dropzone (like ours).

SC-7 Skyvan Skydiving Aircraft

Ah, the mighty Skyvan.

The Skyvan has earned plenty of affectionate nicknames since its introduction to dropzone life: “the shed,” “the schoolbus” and “the beast” among them. This boxy brute was built rugged, meant to haul bulky loads out of short, unimproved airstrips deep in the bush–and now, it often hauls bulky loads of 22 skydivers plus a pilot up to 18,000’ (usually 12,500’) into the air. The Skyvan is significantly bigger than the 182–18’7” long, 6’6” high and 6’6” wide. Our favorite feature, however, is the exit door: a rear exit cargo door that cranks open so you can leap right out the back, just like in the movies.

It’s comfier than a Cessna, too: Skydivers sit on benches inside, like civilized people, to wait for the green light to go. (Pinkies out, everyone.) The Skyvan’s signature roar and slow-ish–but not Cessna-slow–ascent can sometimes annoy fussy lifer skydivers, but everyone generally agrees that the Skyvan’s appeal far outweighs those two little nitpicks.

At Perris, we love our Skyvans. When it goes up on the manifest list, you can see the tail wags starting up all over the place.

DeHavilland Twin Otter

Then, of course, there’s our daily driver, and what we consider to be the best skydiving aircraft of all time–the Twin Otter. This beauty of an airplane carries one pilot and up to 22 skydivers up to our standard 12,500’ exit altitude lickity-split.

Probably the most versatile skydiving plane in the turbine world, the Twin Otter, a fixed gear aircraft that boasts predictable flying characteristics and engine redundancy (i.e., if an engine goes out, there’s another engine to keep the plane flying), is one of the safest options in the air. Ours is kitted out to be extra-fast. Oh! And it’s also one of the comfiest, with interior benches, plenty of windows and a nice, big door for exit. (One that you don’t have to carpet-skootch up to, natch.)

The moral of the story, of course, is that everybody loves otters–so much–for excellent reason.

Ready for a world-class experience skydiving Los Angeles? Skydive Perris offers first-time and experienced skydivers a wide range of capabilities with our fleet of 7 twin aircraft (3 Twin Otters and 4 Skyvans). Learn more about our skydiving planes or come on out! We’ll introduce you.

*Because all skydiving is fun.

The post Does The Type of Skydiving Plane You Jump From Affect Your Skydive? appeared first on Skydive Perris.

If you have booked your first skydive, or are thinking about making one, the fear factor is probably playing on your mind. We get asked “Is skydiving scary?” all of the time. The answer is yes… and no. Here, we take you through the process from booking your first skydive to landing and some of the fears you’ll face during the process. We also offer some tips to help overcome your fears. 

Booking Your Skydive

The moment you hit the ‘book now’ button is when things start to get real and you experience that first rush of butterflies. You’re going skydiving! You’ll be thinking about it every day until you arrive at the drop zone, which only exacerbates your feelings of apprehension. 

Arriving at the Dropzone

Once you pull into the parking lot, the reality of what you’re about to do hits you. It’s really happening! Your ambition to be a skydiver is about to be fulfilled. Feeling excited and nervous, you approach registration with your heart rate more elevated than it’s been since you made your booking. 

Seeing People Land

As you await your jump, you will see people landing their parachutes. They are on the other side of their skydives. Soon, you will be under canopy as well navigating back to the landing area. There go those butterflies again!

Gearing Up

Now it’s feeling VERY real. Your tandem skydiving instructor is adjusting your harness and giving a final talk through of the jump. Your mind is racing. You get on the plane and it takes off.

Moving Towards the Plane Door

This is it. The moment has arrived. In a matter of seconds, you will be outside that door, and there will be no floor beneath your feet. As you approach the door, your fight-or-flight instincts are on full tilt. You’ve been trained and you know this is part of the challenge, but this will be the most nerve-racking moment of the entire experience. Deep breath… it’s time to skydive! 

Is Skydiving Scary?

As you leave that plane, something magical happens. Your fear stays in the plane and you are free of it. In fact, you feel the most freedom you have ever felt in your life.

You are totally in the moment and it feels amazing.

Your instructor deploys the parachute and it all slows down. You come into land and all your friends and family are cheering you on. With so much build up to the jump, you realize that the scariest part of skydiving was anticipating it rather than actually doing it. 

You defeated your fear of skydiving and you are exuberant because you know what it feels like to fly.

Tips for Reducing Your Fear

Here are some top tips, from a regular skydiver, for managing your fear of skydiving:

Knowledge is Power

Peruse our FAQs page. These are the most common questions we receive. They are a great source of information to better educate yourself about the experience and to allay your fears.

Arrive Early

Your first skydive is not an experience you want to rush. Make a day of it. Chat to locals about why they love skydiving. Enjoy the atmosphere. Watch who is jumping. You’ll see that those who jump regularly are just like you and you’ll see them loving the experience! It will build your confidence! 

Accept Your Nervousness

Skydiving will induce fear, it’s natural, so embrace it. We all feel it, even after thousands of jumps. Accepting that you will be nervous gives you one less thing to worry about.

So, is skydiving scary? In the end you’ll have to be the judge, but if all the smiles are any indication, our guests tell us the same thing… everything that leads up to it can be scary, but the skydive itself is amazing!

Still have questions? Give us a call! We’d be more than happy to share what you can expect in greater detail. You can reach us at +1 (951) 657-1664.

If you are looking to make your first skydive near Los Angeles, Skydive Perris is the premier destination for LA skydiving and Southern California. 

With the best coaches and staff, best planes, onsite bar, and our own indoor skydiving facilities, we are the dropzone of choice for Hollywood movies and production and skydiving champions alike.

We hope to see you soon!

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