As hard to believe as it is, Skydive Perris almost didn’t exist. When Bennie and Diane bought the property back in the 70’s, they had a dream of building a flying community where the homeowners could taxi straight from their house to the runway. Unfortunately, their dreams were dashed when he learned that the property that he purchased was actually a flood plain. Therefore, it would be impossible to build houses on them. Saying that Bennie was disappointed would be a massive understatement. Not being a quitter, he switched his plans from a flying community to building the ultimate skydive experience.
There was already some skydivers that were jumping at this location, but the Conatser family wanted to take skydiving to a new level and In 1976, the first plane full of adrenaline junkies left its new and improved runway. Soon, people would be getting the news about the biggest dropzone in the country. People traveled from all corners of the globe to throw themselves out of its perfectly good airplanes. Skydive Perris is Disneyland to skydivers from all over the world.
Speaking of planes, over the years, Skydive Perris has grown to have quite the fleet. At the time of the writing of this article, the list includes three DeHavilland DHC6 Twin Otters, five Shorts SC7 Skyvans, a Douglas DC-3, and the star of the show, The Douglas DC9-2. The DC9-21 is the only skydiving jet IN THE WORLD. This jet was also instrumental in helping to deliver supplies and evacuate the victims of hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Skydive Perris has always been a family business. With their motto “the fun, friendly drop zone that cares,” once again shows their love for the community. These morals have definitely been carried on as their kids Pat and Melanie took over the family business in 1989. This is one family that is hard to keep on the ground. Some family members love skydiving and others love flying, which adds up to a perfect combination because someone needs to fly the plane. The entire drop zone has a strong family feel to it. Pat still flys and maintains all of the planes and you can regularly find Melanie at the Bomb-Shelter restaurant.
The skydiving mecca would once again receive a huge upgrade when the Conatser family got to experience their first indoor tunnel located in Orlando, Florida in 2001. In 2004, the indoor skydive tunnel was built. This was a first of its kind in California. Its classic style is a fan favorite amongst tunnel flyers. It is powered by five 250HP electric engines that are mounted at the top of the nearly 100-foot structure. Soon, both skydivers and thrill-seekers would be able to hone their skills in a completely controlled environment. This was a game-changer in the skydiving community. Check out our blog for more info on indoor skydiving.
One of the many awesome things about Skydive Perris is that it isn’t just a dropzone when you come, jump, and leave. It is an adrenaline-packed resort. Some of the amenities include:
- Bombshelter Bar and Grill – a cool spot to grab lunch and a cold beer after your epic experience. There is also a big screen T.V. where you can pop in your flight video and watch it with your friends and family. The inside of the restaurant is covered with really neat skydiving memorabilia.
- Swimming pool – want a spot to relax and soak in the fact that you just fell from the sky? This is it. There is also covered picnic tables where you can eat your lunch and watch the skydivers land.
- Indoor Skydiving Tunnel– One of our personal favorites. This massive indoor tunnel gives people of all experience levels the chance to experience the sensation of freefall in a controlled environment
- Bunkhouse – If you are traveling from a far distance to experience what Skydive Perris has to offer, they have you covered. You can reserve an overnight stay in the Bunkhouse for just $15 per night per person.
The drop zone has been the site of many world records. One of the most impressive took place around 10 years ago when 181 women from 31 different countries performed the Worlds Largest all-woman formation and raised one Million dollars for Breast Cancer research…and a Documentary was made called “Pink Skies the movie” which will be re-released soon.
In addition to Skydive Perris being the ultimate dropzone, it is a bit of a celebrity as well. T.V. shows, commercials, and movies have all filmed there. A lot of celebrities such as Miley Cyrus, Will Smith, Liam Hemsworth, Patrick Swayze, etc. Here is a list of just some of the noteworthy projects that have filmed there.
Television & Web
- A-Team
- Agents of Shield
- Alaskan Bush People
- Americas Next Top Model
- Animal Kingdom
- Awesomeness TV
- BBC – Earth the Biography
- Bear Grylls Mission Survive (UK TV)
- Buzz Feed
- Cartoon network
- Circus of the Stars
- CSI
- Disney Channel
- Fox News
- Good Morning America
- Inside Edition
- Oprah Winfrey Show
- Road Rules
- Today Show
- Unsolved History-DB Cooper
- X-Games
- Man vs. Wild (3 episodes)
- Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory
- Running Wild with Bear Grylls (3 episodes)
- Stunt junkies (5 episodes)
- Tosh.0
Commercials
- 1-800-SKYDIVE
- American Express
- Amp Energy
- BMW
- Bud Light
- California Lottery
- Chevrolet
- Coca-Cola
- Degree
- Dodge Ram
- Dorritos
- Energizer
- Farmers Insurance
- GMC
- Go Fast Sports
- GoPro
- Jack In The Box
- Land Rover
- Monster Energy
- Mountain Dew
- Nikon
- NOS Energy-George St. Pierre
- Oakley
- Pepsi Maxx
- Samsung S10
- Sprite
- T-Mobile
- Taco Bell
- Verizon
- Verizon Wireless
- Volvo
Feature Films
- Bruce All Mighty
- Bucket list
- Charlie’s Angels
- Godzilla
- Iron Man
- Kingsman
- Point Break
- Red Bull Human Flight – 3D
- Terminal Velocity
- Transformers: The Last Knight
- Triple X
- xXx3
If everything mentioned above wasn’t impressive enough, Skydive Perris has also become a place for paratroopers from countries around the world to come and train both in the tunnel and in by making drops with all of their gear.
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