Read on to learn about the crown jewel of our fleet, including her history and journey back to the skies, what it’s like to skydive from a jet plane, and how YOU can have a piece of the action. It is the closest you can come to skydiving out of a 747!

How It All Started 

First, a little back story on our magnificent DC-9.

Just 10 of these aircraft were built for Scandinavian Airlines for use at airports at high elevations with short runways. These “Series 21” models entered service in 1969 but, due to their highly specialized design, were discontinued for lack of additional orders. The Douglas Aircraft Company went on to focus on other variants of the DC-9 family that had broader market demand, leaving most of these perfect-for-Perris aircraft to aviation history.

In the case of our DC-9-21, it was destined to a scrapheap in Victorville, California after facing an expensive engine repair – a fate DZOs Ben and Diane Conatser couldn’t bear to accept. With the Perris Valley Airport located at an elevation of 1,420 feet and featuring a 5,100-foot runway, the aircraft had the potential to offer a novel experience of absolutely epic proportions.

Bennie purchased it in 2003, bought QEC engines, brought it to Perris, and began to work with the Douglas Aircraft Company and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prepare it for skydiving operations.

Unprecedented Modifications

To ready our DC-9 for human flight, Bennie implemented several modifications, including:

• Removal of Ventral Stair Steps
  The aircraft’s rear ventral airstair, originally designed for passenger boarding and deplaning, was removed to create a clear and unobstructed exit path for skydivers.

• Structural & Safety Enhancements
  The fuselage was reinforced around the exit area to withstand multiple jumpers exiting in quick succession. Additionally, safety features such as handrails and non-slip surfaces were installed near the exit to assist jumpers during egress.

Once modified, all that was left was FAA approval. As luck would have it, there was an FAA inspector in Windover, Illinois who had experience with flying a commercial jet with the rear staircase open! Approval in hand, we proudly flew jumpers at the 2006 World Freefall Convention in Rantoul, Illinois. 

And the rest, as they say, is history. 

The Specs

For those who can’t get enough of our jumping jet plane, check out these facts and stats about our Douglas Commercial Subvariant Series 21:

• Tail number N127NK (“November Kilo”)
  
• Birthday was April 15, 1969
  
• Holds up to 80 skydivers; maximum take-off weight of 100,000 lbs
  
• Shorter fuselage; larger, improved wings than earlier versions of the DC-9 body

• JT8D Pratt & Whitney improved engines

• Latest, heaviest landing gear produced by Douglas for the DC-9
  
• Similar plane to the one hijacker D.B. Cooper infamously jumped from with today’s equivalent of $1,500,000 in ransom money, never to be seen again!

Labor of Love

Owning a skydiving jet isn’t all fun and games. Despite the hefty investment required to save our DC-9 from the scrap yard and equip it for greatness, she’s had her ups and downs. After helping to deliver supplies and evacuate victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (while we were hosting the 2005 Nationals!), N127NK was put in storage, not to reemerge until 2024.

In the intervening years, the best-of-the-best airplane mechanics – including Bennie, his son Patrick, grandson Ryan, and the Skydive Perris maintenance crew – worked tirelessly to get our jet back in the air. This effort cannot be quantified as it involves hundreds of maintenance hours and a significant financial investment. 

What’s more, the parts needed for our specialty aircraft are nearly impossible to find in the US because of her age and country of origin. So, between the new engines, a radio, escape slides, tires, and the ADSB (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) technology mandated by the FAA, let’s just say that we operate our beloved jet more for love than money! 

But we think it’s worth it, and here’s why …

Jumping a Jet

Skydiving from a DC-9 Jet is unlike any experience on the planet! Everything from the ride up and the exit to the freefall is different from your typical skydive. In truth, our amazing pilots and happy-go-lucky skydivers have a mutual admiration society!  

First of all, sitting in an airplane with 79 other skydivers is incredible! All of that anticipation and excited energy swirling around the cabin before the door even opens sets the stage for the jump of a lifetime. Imagine being in a room with 80 people … now fly that room into the sky and start a skydiving party! 

From there, things only get better. The rear door of the jet opens and it’s all systems go! Whether you want to pretend you’re on a secret mission, pulling a heist like D.B. Cooper, or are just jonesing for a whole new perspective of our sport, this door is nothing short of a dream come true!

Even the transition into freefall is unlike any other skydive you can make. The extreme speed of the DC-9 means that you DECELERATE to terminal velocity! 

Jet-Setting Events

If you’re a member of our DZ family, you know full well that Skydive Perris knows how to throw a party. What planes do we use for skydiving? All of them! And now that our game-changing DC-9 is a permanent fixture, our events are the talk of the town. (Humble brag: by town, we actually mean globe.) 

We are proud to have recently hosted some phenomenal female skydivers from the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s – giants in the sport, all three – who did tandems from the jet on the same pass: Kim Emmons Knor, Donna Wardean Dann, and Nancy Gruttman Tyler. In fact, International Skydiving Hall of Fame inductee, Kim Knor, is currently on a quest to make tandems all over the country as she strives for her 1,000th jump and her Gold Wings distinction! 

And that’s what having a skydiving jet will bring you: camaraderie, community, and heaping helpings of adrenaline and excitement. Every ounce of love we put into the DC-9 is our way ofpkeeping a legacy alive. 

So, if you’ve ever wondered if you can skydive from a jet plane, the answer is YES! And you don’t have to be a licensed skydiver to do it – you can join us for a Jet Tandem!! Our upcoming Holiday Boogie is a perfect opportunity to hitch a ride to altitude in the DC-9, and then we’ll start our cycle of jet-worthy boogies again in 2025. Blue skies, jet setters!

The post Skydiving from a Jet (DC-9) at Skydive Perris appeared first on Skydive Perris.

By Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld

In my 40+ years of skydiving I’ve realized that there are two reasons why every skydiver I’ve ever known jumps.
1) They love having turned their fantasy of human flight into reality.
2) They treasure being a part of our very special skydiving family.

After quarantining for a few months I appreciate and value these things more than ever and promise to never take them for granted again. It’s a privilege to get to play like we do.

Skydive Perris is a premier DZ for holding large National and International events. P3 (Perris Performance Plus) organizes many of these events. So far in 2020 all of these had to be canceled. But as June was approaching and restrictions were being lifted we decided to try and salvage some kind of P3 Power Play. The Power Play is an annual event that normally welcomes 48 to 64 very experienced FS jumpers who come from around the world to get together and do some incredible skydives.

In May we sent an email out to the Power Play gang asking who wanted to come if we held the event. One third said if we held it they would absolutely be there. One third said there was no way they would come no matter what. The last third said it was too early for them to decide.

In June we sent another email telling everyone we were hoping to try to do something. We didn’t know what “something” was going to be. It might be a 13way or 30way. It could be one group or two. We told everyone, “we need to know if you’ll come no matter what we do.”

As it turned out we had a 20way. And I can honestly say it was the happiest group of 20 skydivers I’ve ever seen! They were all just SO GLAD to see each other. SO HAPPY to get to jump together. We had an amazing time and did some fantastic jumps.

We all followed the Skydive Perris COVID 19 Protocols. Yeah, it’s a bit of a pain in the ass to wear masks, sanitize our hands before we board the plane, leave the door open and take everyone’s temperature before they come on the DZ. But it’s just not that big of a deal. A small price to pay for all of us to be able to comfortably get together and play games with our friends in the skies!

A BIG thanks to Dr. Bob Domeier for helping us figure out a good plan and Dr. Steve Briggs for the great post copied below:

“Dan – Thanks for all the work that you and the Perris Valley Skydiving staff put in to make this happen, and for doing it with scientifically based viral defense protocols that ensured our jumps – including those from 18,000 ft above sea level – were all we had to worry about. You and Skydive Perris have always been champions of safety for our sport and incorporating best practices to prevent viral infections into your drop zone operations has set the standard for the skydiving world.”
-Steve Briggs

It is so great to have Skydive Perris open!! We’re being Covid careful AND having a blast seeing the gang back at the DZ, sharing the skies and appreciating our friends and amazing sport more than ever!!

The post 2020: The Year We’ll Never Forget (No matter how hard we try) appeared first on Skydive Perris.

Skydive Perris has handled its fair share of preeminent events in the skydiving industry, from world records to the 2017 USPA Skydiving Nationals. But, in just a few short weeks, October 17-19 to be exact, Skydive Perris will be tackling something as, if not more, spectacular.

This year Skydive Perris will be the site of the 10th anniversary of the International Skydiving Museum Hall of Fame Celebration: an esteemed event Skydive Perris is proud and excited to host.

What Guests Can Look Forward To:

The week at Skydive Perris will be filled with spectacular events. During the Hall of Fame Celebration weekend, Skydive Perris will host the first Sequential World Record utilizing the new IPC rules, wind tunnel competitions, a ten-way speed star competition, and XRW Tribute Jumps.

Aside from skydiving, there will be forums presented by several skydiving legends: Alan Eustace, featuring a reproduction of the spacesuit he used for his high-altitude skydive from the stratosphere, and Luke Aikens regarding his world renowned skydive without a parachute. The event will also give participants the opportunity to view skydiving equipment and gear throughout the years and the opportunity for skydivers of all ages and experience levels to mingle elbow to elbow with skydiving legends and pioneers.

Skydive Perris manager, and 2014 Skydiving Hall of Fame inductee, Dan Brodsky-Chenfield had this to say about Perris California skydiving and the 2019 Hall of Fame Celebration taking place at Skydive Perris: “It’s a fabulous event, especially, having it here at Skydive Perris. We have so many new young jumpers here. One of the things I’m most proud of at the dropzone is our retention rate: how many of our students actually become skydivers. We had 12 teams at the Nationals this year, who travelled across the country, between the hurricanes, to attend nationals. Most of them are people who have only been jumping a few years. To have an opportunity for them to spend a few days with the true, true pioneers of this sport, the people who started it and launched it back in the 50’s and 60’s and 70’s, and to see them, meet them, hang out with them, appreciate what they did and how they did it, and for those pioneers to be able to see the path they’ve paved for these jumpers now, it’s quite a special time”

The weekend will conclude with the induction of 10 prominent members of our skydiving community, representing several countries including Australia, France, Great Britain, Slovenia and the United States, at a banquet and induction ceremony presented by the Parachute Industry Association.

The inductees to the Hall of Fame represent coaches and members of our community who through leadership, innovation and/or accomplishments have greatly benefited the skydiving community and skydiving as a whole. Members to be inducted will be Irena Avbelj, Chuck Collingwood, Kate Cooper-Jensen, Alan Eustace, John P. Higgins, Andy Keech Tom Sanders, Deke Sonnichsen, and John “Lofty” Thomas.

The Hall of Fame Reception, Banquet, and Induction Ceremony to honor these esteemed members of our community will be held at the Field Air Museum, which provides guests the opportunity to view nearly 80 historic aircraft spanning roughly 100 years of aviation. Who can think of a more fitting venue than that?

Join us at Skydive Perris for a time of reflection to honor those that have served our community well and a time of looking forward to the heights our sport can reach. Needless to say, with all of these events on the bill, it’ll be a legendary celebration you definitely don’t want to miss.

The post 2019 International Skydiving Hall of Fame Celebration appeared first on Skydive Perris.

Are you excited and ready to be a part of history? For as long as anyone could remember, Skydive Perris and Skydive Elsinore hosted the legendary event called the Dueling DZ’s. Although the event took a hiatus, it’s back and better than ever!

The Dueling DZ’s is a friendly formation skydiving competition between jumpers of the two dropzones. The event’s aim is to help continue to build camaraderie between the two DZ’s  in this fun event.

Skydive Perris dropzone manager, and legend himself, Dan BC said, “In my long experience, for some absolutely stupid reason, most DZs which are near by each other have a very bad relationship. They are more out to cut each other’s throats than to support each other.  I’ve always thought this was ridiculous, unproductive and actually bad business. When I moved to California there was a very bad relationship with Elsinore and one of the first things I did was try to change that. Restarting Dueling DZs was part of that change and proof that the jumpers want nothing to do with the bad vibes the DZOs might have.”

Last year’s event was incredibly intense as a hilariously fun rivalry ensued between the teams, making the event incredibly fun and successful. So this year we’re ramping up for another great event this July 20th, 2019! Ready for more details?

Dueling DZ’s is a 6-Way event and teams will depart from Skydive Elsinore and Skydive Perris and land at the other dropzone. Each team will choose a dropzone to represent. There will be four rounds of randoms and blocks, exiting from 12,500’ with a working time of 50 seconds.

All licensed jumpers of any skill levels are welcome to attend! The scoring system will be of averages so it’s anyone’s game – plus, it’s going to be an incredible amount of fun! The reward is the award ceremony and celebration after the competition is complete at Sports Stop in Canyon Lake. Medals will be awarded along with bragging rights.

Be sure to follow the Facebook event page for real time updates, get in touch with members, look for teammates, and more! We also have more housekeeping details here for newer jumpers, visiting jumpers, and the curious.

Don’t delay friends! Get your team assembled, choose a DZ to represent and get registered!

Are you reading this and think, that sounds awesome! Your first steps to becoming a licensed skydivers are just a few clicks and a drive away! To whet your appetite more, check out a few articles on learning how to skydive to be able to participate in events like this!

How To Skydive Like a Boss

Skydive Perris – From Rook to Pro

The post Get Ready for the Dueling DZ’s! appeared first on Skydive Perris.

Ask any skydiver, anywhere: Skydive Perris has the hecka-best events in the sky. And now, we have one just for you! We created a whole new event to get our awesome community of newbies involved. It’s called Fresh Meet, and it’s going to be amazing. We designed Fresh Meet to be the perfect skills-camp-style fit for anyone that is A or B and who got certified within the last 18 months. Less than 150 jumps? This event is for you!

What Can I Expect from Fresh Meet?

Our event is designed to give you a targeted goal to train towards, involve you with our experienced local community, and promote knowledge and safety. The main event is a short FS competition alongside engaging side contests, games, and coaching throughout. The meet will also include a ‘Manufacturers Day’ (on Sunday) with a series of short clinics about gear and accessories as well as mini-seminars on the different avenues you can take (e.g. freefly, wingsuit, big ways, competition, boogies, base etc), and a Bar Trivia style party on Saturday evening.

The main event (will happen on a Saturday) – 3-WAY COMPETITION: each team would be composed of 2 young jumpers and an experienced mentor. 4 jumps, but the competition won’t be only about the jumps! Points will be earned on the ground as well, with a series of games in the scavenger hunt spirit.

The $160 registration fee covers the inaugural Fresh Meet T-Shirt and participation in the competition (4 jumps from 12,500′). Please note that registration fees DO NOT include rental gear.

From Fresh Meet To Jumping With Freshly-Met Organizers

One of the great things about participating in a skydiving event is that you’ll naturally connect with the people who will next-level your skydiving — especially, the local load organizers whose job it is to create skills-appropriate jumps that will challenge you in just the right ways. After all: another great way for newbies to get involved is by getting to know the load organizers who turn Perris’s amazeballs loads.

Not Yet A Sport Skydiver?

No worries! If you haven’t yet earned your solo skydiving license, participating in Fresh Meet — and jumping with load organizers — can provide just the incentive you’re looking for to commit to that AFF course. Participating in skydiving events starts with a first jump — so make that reservation today, and let’s get you on your way!

The post Are You a Newly Licensed Skydiver? We Have a New Event for You! appeared first on Skydive Perris.