Skydiving has evolved significantly since the first parachute was designed back in the 1480s. Today, sport skydiving exists as a hobby, participated in by thousands of skydivers across the globe, and tandem skydiving appears on most people’s bucket lists.

Here are ten key moments in skydiving history that brought us to where we are today.

1483: Leonardo Da Vinci and the World’s First Parachute

Leonardo Da Vinci (Leo to his friends) was an incredibly talented artist with an eye for detail. But even more than that, he was an exceptional scientist and engineer.

His intricate study of the world around him led him to create great works of art. It also led him to theorize much about the human anatomy, architecture, sculpture, music, engineering, geology, hydraulics and the military arts.

He took a keen interest in flight and sketched a conical parachute design in 1483, which is recognized as the first parachute. An accompanying note read: “If a man is provided with a length of gummed linen cloth with a length of 12 yards on each side and 12 yards high, he can jump from any great height whatsoever without injury.”

In the year 2,000, Adrian Nicholas became the first man to jump with the Da Vinci parachute, proving that it was, in fact, the first working parachute ever designed.

1911: The World’s First ‘Skydiver.

It was sometime between Da Vinci’s sketch and the first skydive as we know it today (though some scripture suggests parachute descents were made in China in the interim). Credit for the first modern skydive is split between Grant Morten and Albert Berry, with controversy rife to this day over who actually jumped first.

Morten was reportedly the first skydiver when he jumped from a Wright Model B airplane over Venice Beach, California using a folded silk parachute. It has been argued that he was actually beaten to it by Berry, a US Army Captain, who jumped in March 1912. Records aren’t clear, meaning we’ll probably never know – but suffice to say, the first skydive was made sometime around 1911-1912!

1914-1945: Skydiving and the Military

Much of skydiving’s development from that point on can be attributed to the use of parachutes in the World Wars. During this time, it was widely recognized that parachutes served a great purpose as a life saving device. It was first proposed by American General Billy Mitchell that parachute troops be used in 1917, with the Italian military credited with the first combat jump in 1918.

In 1933, the Soviets staged the first mass parachute drop when they dropped 62 parachutists from three bombers. They greatly expanded their parachute units and in 1936 dropped 1,800. Parachute regiments became commonplace in World War II, and many armies still retain their parachuting arms to this day.

With parachutes used so much in war, their development was accelerated. When the war ended, the parachutes became available for non-military use, helping to bring parachuting to the masses.

1946: USPA (United States Parachute Association) founded

The USPA is the governing body for the sport of skydiving in the USA. The USPA provides guidance and sets rules in place to keep the sport safe, and oversees its ongoing progression. Today, the USPA is a huge part of skydiving in this country and is the body which awards instructor ratings and skydiving qualifications.

The USPA was founded in 1946, in Mineola, New York, as the National Parachute Jumpers-Riggers, Incorporated. At the time, it represented around 100 members. It was renamed the Parachute Club of America in 1957 and renamed itself again to the United States Parachute Association in 1967. Its inception was an important point in skydiving as it marked the recognition of skydiving as a sport and hobby.

The 1960s: First Ram-Air Parachute Design

The first parachutes were round in shape. This meant they could pivot on their centre, but controlling their speed, direction, and glide ratio was pretty much impossible.

This led to the invention of the first ram-air parachute design by Domina Jalbert in the 1960s. Jalbert was a kite maker, who recognised that the kite shape was much more efficient as a wing. This is because the ram-air (or parafoil) design allows air in through the front ‘cells’ and then retains that air, forming a rigid wing that can be controlled by its pilot much more effectively than round parachutes ever could.

Today, the vast majority of skydivers use ram-air parachutes, with which they perform high-performance ‘swoop’ landings as well as being able to adjust their speed and descent.

1964: First Vertical Wind Tunnel Flight

Skydiving wind tunnels are what we call vertical wind tunnels (VWT). These differ from traditional horizontal wind tunnels which are used to test the aerodynamics of planes or cars.

The first person to fly in a vertical wind tunnel did so in 1964 in Ohio. It was a flight that started a new era for indoor body flight. The first wind tunnel intended for people to fly in was built in 1978 by John St Germain who wanted his children to experience freefall in what he considered being a safer environment.

Since then, indoor skydiving has progressed significantly. Dozens of wind tunnels now exist in the world and many of those are intended solely for the use of skydivers and those who want to experience body flight. Skyventure at Skydive Perris was one of the first wind tunnels for skydivers and remains one of the only wind tunnels situated on a skydiving drop zone. You can find out more about our wind tunnel here.

1978: The Three Ring Release System

The three-ring release system was invented by Bill Booth and patented in 1978 as a means of attaching (and detaching) a canopy from its harness.

It is accepted by skydivers that their main parachute doesn’t always work. This is why modern skydivers jump with a spare, or reserve parachute. But in order to use their reserve, skydivers must first detach the malfunctioning main canopy.

Prior to the invention of the three-ring release system, this detachment was done using capewells, which were cumbersome and could malfunction themselves. The three ring system makes cutting away the malfunctioning parachute much quicker and easier; this is because the design of the system means the mechanical advantage is multiplied by each ring in the series, allowing for the force needed to cut away to be greatly reduced.

The 3-ring is widely recognised as one of the greatest safety innovations in the history of skydiving.

1982: AFF Gets Approved by the USPA

Traditionally, skydiving students learned to skydive solo via static line, which meant that their initial jumps did not include any freefall time. Although there are positives to this method, the downfall was that their eventual introduction to freefalling was a bit rocky. The solution to this was allowing instructors and students to jump out solo, but alongside one another. If a student was unable to nail the freefall alone, it was common for an instructor to jump out with them while holding onto their harness. This is essentially what a modern-day Accelerated Freefall (AFF) jump is!

The issue arose because people were doing this despite the Basic Safety Requirements (BSRs) of the USPA. In 1970, Paul Poppenhager was granted a waiver to the BSRs and was permitted to use freefall as a way to train solo skydiving students at his dropzone.

Today, AFF is the primary method of teaching solo skydivers. It is the most comprehensive and efficient way to train new jumpers. And yes, it’s approved by the USPA. Thanks, Paul!

1980s: Tandem Skydiving Receives Sport Status

Tandem skydiving is a type of skydiving where the ‘student’ jumps from a plane attached to a qualified instructor, sharing one set of parachuting equipment between them. These days, tandem skydiving is the most popular way to experience the first jump – but it’s not always been that way!

In the early 80s, tandem skydiving was still in ‘experimental’ status. This means it was being tested but had yet to be classified as a full sport. The FAA (Federation Aviation Administration) waived the experimental status, opening the door for tandem skydiving to grow in popularity.

1989: Invention of the Cypres AAD

As skydiving has progressed, there have been significant improvements in the safety of the sport. The invention of the Cypres AAD is recognized as one of the most important of these safety innovations.

An AAD, or automatic activation device, is a small device which monitors air pressure and speed. It automatically opens the reserve parachute if it finds it is still falling at freefall speeds by a given altitude. This means that it will ensure the skydiver has a parachute over their heads even if they are knocked unconscious or lose altitude awareness during their descent.

Prior to the invention of the CYPRES, there were a number of AADs on the market but none were considered reliable. Today, the majority of skydivers use AADs, primarily from CYPRES and its rival company Vigil.

1991: Point Break Brings Skydiving to the Masses

Point Break was a film first released in 1991 and later remade in 2016. Its storyline revolved around an FBI agent who goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who might be bank robbers.

In a plot similar to that of the later film, Cutaway, the main protagonist finds himself drawn into the adrenaline-fuelled lifestyle of the criminals he has been sent to catch. The group persuades the lead character, played by Keanu Reeves, to ‘jump from a perfectly good airplane’ in a scene which shows the skydivers talking to one another mid jump and having an awesome time!

Point Break was one of the first major box office hits to show skydiving, bringing the sport to the masses (although its viability as a true representation of skydiving is questionable!).

2006: 400-Way Formation Skydiving World Record

On February 8, 2006, 400 skydivers crushed the world record for formation skydiving in Udon Thani, Thailand. This is arguably one of the most important moments in skydiving history, because of the sheer amount of inspiration it spread across the skydiving community.

Records of this nature pose questions like: What else is possible? Can we go even bigger and better? And, how did they achieve something so incredible? This accomplishment wildly inspirational for avid skydivers and novices, alike. Inspiration in the sport is integral for growth, which brings us to the next two notable moments in skydiving history…

2012: Felix Baumgartner Shatters The Sound Barrier

In 2012, Felix Baumgartner was the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall. He jumped from 38,969.4 meters above the earth, meaning his fall from the stratosphere was 24 miles above the earth. We would like to express our deepest condolences to Felix’s loved ones, as he passed away in 2025. Long live the legend!

2014: Alan Eustace Does The Highest Freefall

Alan Eustace holds the record for world highest freefall. He fell from a height of 135,890 feet in 2014. He also shattered records for maximum vertical speed with a drogue (822mph!) and distance of fall with a drogue.

Are you Ready to Skydive?

Skydiving is an amazing experience and one which has evolved over more than 500 years. Each year, approximately 500,000 people in the US try skydiving for the first time. Today, more than 10 million men and women throughout the country can say they’ve made at least one skydive.

If you’re ready to join them, book your tandem skydive today. If you’ve got any questions, our team is here to help – contact us!

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So you have your eyes set on the skies? Congratulations!

Completing your Accelerated Freefall Course is one of the most satisfying, exciting and life-changing experiences you’ll ever have. We know it’s a challenge and we want to help you succeed, so we’ve put together our very best tips to smooth the way.

1. Jump Often.

Get to the drop zone as often as possible. To build skills and feel confident, you’ll need to jump much more than the minimum of once every 30 days. Ideally, you’ll do a couple of jumps a day, at least twice a week.

2. Get Comfortable In The Tunnel.

If you want to fast-track your way to success in an AFF program, be sure to spend as much time in the wind tunnel as humanly possible. At Skydive Perris we include wind tunnel time as part of our ground training for AFF-1 so you’ll already have the basics down by the time you’re crouching in the aircraft door.

3. Review Your AFF Jump Prior To Arriving At The DZ.

Each AFF jump is a little different. To help our students prepare, we made all of our AFF training videos and dive flows available on our website which explains the procedure for each level. We highly recommend that you spend a few minutes of your morning reviewing this information and using it to pre-visualise a successful jump.

4. Don’t Expect Perfection.

Getting your skydiving certification is hard. What you’re asked to do isn’t easy, and there’s a lot of pressure on. If it turns out that you have to repeat an AFF level, don’t beat yourself up. Some of today’s world champions have repeated AFF levels. Just work on it in the tunnel, if you need to, and try again with a smile.

5. Scared? That’s Normal–and Totally Okay.

Every new skydiver is scared, whether it shows or not. This isn’t skee ball, after all–this is a couple miles’ worth of high-speed descent from a flying airplane. The more you do it, the more you’ll learn to take control of the fears you experience. Not acknowledging your fear is a waste, anyway–the bravery lies in the fact that you’re terrified, but work diligently despite your fears.

6. Be Patient.

You’ll experience delays. Weather holds will keep you on the ground. You’ll hang tight for a slow-turning load or two. Remember to keep your sense of humor.

7. Remember To Have Fun!

Along those lines: a smile and a sense of humor will go far to helping you along your path to your A-license stamp. Don’t forget to reach out to the community for encouragement; we’re here for you. Talk to people, ask questions and enjoy the journey!
Learn more about our Accelerated Freefall Course or contact a member of our team with questions about how to become a certified skydiver.

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When you show up at our dropzone to make your first tandem skydive, you might be surprised at how busy the place is. You’ll see dozens of people in custom gear running around, bustling about the business of skydiving–and they’re not working. They’re playing. If you’re intrigued about what it might be like to have skydiving as a hobby, or how to get a skydiving license, you’ve come to the right place. At Skydive Perris, we have a thriving community of experienced skydivers.

There are a few things you’ll be interested to know about the typical life of a skydiver. Curious? Here are a few choice facts.

1. It’s Not Just A Weekend Thing (Depending Where You Go).

If you’re like most tandem passengers, you’ll come out to make a skydive on a weekend day when you have time to do the class and celebrate a job well done after the jump is over. For most sport skydivers, however, weekends are not enough.

“Fun jumpers” in many places are limited to weekends just because of plane availability, or they’re stuck on the ground by bad weather. A big dropzone in a place with mild, consistent weather–like our “home DZ” of Perris–is open all week long, year-round.

Skydive Perris is pretty special, actually. We’re one of the busiest dropzones on the planet, capable of sending up over 100 planes full of skydivers every single day we’re open. Because of that, people come from all over the world to jump here.

2. We Go Again And Again And Again And Again.

The average sport skydiver, on a good day at the dropzone, will jump five or six times over the course of a day, packing his or her parachute in-between jumps. Highly motivated skydivers can double that number–and a member of a team training for a skydiving competition can jump twenty times a day. (Yeah. That’s, like, totally exhausting.)

3. We Have A Bunch Of Different Ways That We Can Go About This “Falling” Business.

When you do a tandem skydive, you exit the plane and freefall in a belly-to-earth configuration. It’s super-rad and works brilliantly. That said–when you get your skydiving license and take it up as a hobby, you’ll find that there are a lot of other ways to skydive.

For example: you can choose to stay belly-to-earth, but get out of the plane in a group and make different formations with each other as you fall. (That’s called “relative work”.) You can freefall in a sitting position, standing up, with your feet pointed up and your head pointed down, or in any number of positions where your belly button isn’t looking down at the dropzone. (That’s called “freeflying”.) You can put on a wingsuit–the proper name for the “flying squirrel” suit you’ve undoubtedly seen on viral videos–or a tracking suit, and zoom along a more horizontal path. You can focus entirely on the many special methodologies of flying a parachute. You can even try indoor skydiving at a vertical wind tunnel like the one we have right on the Perris dropzone. There are so many ways to do it, you can have thousands of jumps and still experience a new skydive every time.

4. We Look At The World A Little Differently.

We think about purchases in the context of how many jump tickets the cost represents. We analyze every flag we see in terms of how windy it is for landing our parachutes. We pray for bad weather on days we can’t make it to the dropzone so the climate can “get it out of its system”. We plan our vacations around skydiving get-togethers (of which there are hundreds, all over the world!) We spend free hours adding new and exciting entries to our logbooks–aircraft types, new dropzones; new jumping buddies; new ways of getting out of the plane; etc. And we can’t think of a better way to relax and let off some steam than falling for 13,500 feet.

Leonardo Da Vinci summarized it best, really. “Once you have tasted flight,” he said, “You will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

Ready to become part of our skydiving community? At Skydive Perris, you can work towards a skydiving license through our accelerated freefall (AFF) course and learn to skydive solo. We look forward to welcoming you into our thriving skydiver community!

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One of the (many) things that make Skydive Perris special is our onsite wind tunnel. We are the only Los Angeles area skydiving center that has one and it’s a true luxury for both skydivers and non-skydivers alike. The wind tunnel serves as an amazing tool for all skydivers wishing to improve their flying skills in a more controlled environment and in less time. New skydivers can gain confidence quickly by learning how their bodies respond to the rush of wind based on their body position and professional skydivers are able to fine tune their skills to compete against the best in the world. Indoor skydiving has literally changed the world of skydiving! 

For people who wish to feel what flying feels like, but don’t think they’re quite ready to jump from an airplane, the wind tunnel is the perfect flying simulator. What many people don’t realize is that different body positions will result in different flight characteristics. When skydiving or flying in the tunnel, it is possible to make different adjustments to one’s body position that allows for turning left or right and to go up and down. Once you figure out the different flight modes, you will feel the amazing thrill of flying and understand why this activity is so addictive.

How Does It Feel?

Being suspended by wind on a column of air is an unusual sensation, somewhere between flying and floating, but it’s not unsettling. With the help of your instructor, you’ll be able to accomplish a lot in a little bit of time. The sensation is very similar to a skydive just without the view, airplane and a 12,500 foot drop! Essentially, it’s a skydive in a controlled environment. 

It is noisy because of the high-speed airflow and for this reason you will be wearing ear plugs and a helmet. The adjustable airspeed is needed to keep you afloat and allow you to learn to fly on the column of air.

What Happens?

Before your flight, your instructor will teach you a stable body position and a series of hand signals for communication before your indoor skydiving flight.

You will be provided with a special flight suit, helmet, goggles, tennis shoes, and earplugs. 

When it comes to getting into the tunnel, your instructor guides you in. You lean forward from the door until supported by the airflow.

At first you’ll feel like a fish out of water (or a human in a wind tunnel) because of the new, unfamiliar environment. You’ll start to gain confidence as you learn that extending your legs will drive you forward and retracting them will have you going backwards. Once your brain puts it altogether… it becomes an amazing experience.

A first time flyer package is two 1-minute flights. It doesn’t sound like much (and you can do more) but you’ll be surprised how two minutes in the wind tunnel will tire you out as you’ll discover you have muscles you didn’t know you had! 

How Do I Prepare?

You do not need to do anything special in preparation for indoor skydiving.

Just eat normally and do not consume any alcohol. Turn up in cool, comfortable clothing that will fit under a jumpsuit. Avoid collars and any loose items. You’ll be asked to remove jewelry, so plan to leave that at home. 

Can Anybody Do It?

Indoor skydiving is an inclusive sport – almost anyone can partake. A quick search online will showcase kids flying with amazing freedom at a very young age. Kids leagues are forming along with instructional camps for every skill level. Flying in a wind tunnel is not exclusively for skydivers or those that desire to become skydivers.
Please call ahead if you do have any health issues or disabilities to discuss your flight and needs with us.

An individual must be over three years of age and more than 36” tall to be an indoor skydiver.

Is It Worth The Money?

Absolutely! People continually return for more flying because it is such an incredible experience. The more time you spend flying, the better you get at it and that can be addictive. Like anything new, you’re out of your comfort zone and it takes a little time to adjust to the new feelings of balancing your body on this column of air. 

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