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.

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Thinking of skydiving near Los Angeles? If you’re ready to take the plunge, we invite you to consider us! Skydive Perris has been serving the Los Angles area for 40 years and through that time we’ve built one of the premier facilities in the world.

As all experienced skydivers know, the dropzone you choose can have a huge influence on your skydiving experience. Don’t let shoddy service or poor facilities tarnish yours. Here’s why Skydive Perris is the best dropzone for Orange County and Los Angeles skydivers, new or experienced.

Proximity to Los Angeles

This is your first consideration – nobody wants to spend most of a day traveling if it can be avoided. Skydive Perris is only 70 miles outside of LA and you can reach us by car in just over an hour.

Hollywood’s Preferred Skydiving Center

Celebrities are notoriously demanding – they only want the best. That’s why Skydive Perris is the chosen skydiving center for Hollywood’s A-list stars and movie productions! We’ve hosted some of the biggest names in entertainment from Miley Cyrus to members of Megadeth and our staff and skydivers have actively worked on aerial scenes as cameramen and stuntmen in several blockbuster movies.

You don’t have to be famous to skydive here though. Our focus is to deliver the very best customer service regardless of who you are. We’re confident you’ll have an amazing time!

Onsite Indoor Skydiving 

An amenity that makes Skydive Perris particularly special is our own indoor skydiving wind tunnel. The tunnel allows you to practice for freefall. It is a fun and useful tool for experienced, beginner, and tandem skydivers. Here, you could indoor skydive and actually skydive within the same hour! The tunnel is child-friendly, so your kids can get in on the fun too.

Fleet of Aircraft

Skydive Perris has an impressive range of jump aircraft, the largest in SoCal. Spacious and powerful, our aircraft will whip you to altitude for your skydive quickly and in comfort. When booking your jump, it’s important to find out what aircraft and from what altitude you’ll be jumping from. These two factors will affect your experience greatly!

Massive Landing Area 

You’re not going to miss Skydive Perris from the air! We have an enormous parachute landing area, with plenty of space for everyone. There’s a grass strip out front for experienced and tandems, and lots of land for newbies to touch down comfortably.

World’s Best Skydiving Staff

We can big-up our facilities all day long, but we know that it’s the people who make a dropzone great. We employ heros of the sport, real innovators and world champions. Skydive Perris is managed by speaker, author, coach, and formation skydiving world champion Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld. Looking after our wingsuit school, you’ll find world record organizer Taya Weiss among other notable names in the sport.

All of our staff are top-quality, highly qualified USPA skydivers, coaches, and instructors. We are rigorous about who we hire ensuring that safety is always our number one priority.

Awesome Restaurant and Bar

So, you’ve popped over from Los Angeles and had an awesome day of indoor skydiving and actual skydiving from excellent aircraft onto a huge landing area, met some skydiving superstars and maybe even some celebrities… What now?

Time for a beer.

Celebrate with a cold one and refuel with some quality food. We have an onsite bar and restaurant with an extensive menu of delicious cuisine. You can enjoy your food and beverage indoors or on our poolside patio, with a view of the landing area!

Skydiving LA? Choose Skydive Perris! 

Have questions about tandem skydiving near Los Angeles? Contact us at (951) 657-1664 or read our frequently asked questions. We’d love to host you for your skydive!

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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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