SKY DIVING'S MAGIC MOMENTS

SKY DIVING'S MAGIC MOMENTS Story and photography by Eric Anderson
The stereotypes suggest skydivers are an odd lot, as if F. Scott Fitzgerald were talking about sport parachutists not the rich when he said, "They are different from you and me."

They are different. Here's one skydiving group boasting the name, the NoT NoRMaL Skydive Team. Another calling itself the Black Death Skydiving Team. And to those who remember God made whisky so the Irish don't rule the world, here's a scary bunch: the Irish Parachute Club. Amongst all those groups, our own Perris Valley Skydiving folk seem fairly normal even thought they do call their field restaurant the Bombshelter Bar & Grill and have signs in an airplane that say "Caution: Hard Surface 12,500 feet Below," and "Airplanes Aren't Safe. Jump!" And on the ground, a mechanic wears a T-shirt that asks: "Do you remember when sex was safe and parachuting was dangerous?"

Perris Valley, now starting its third decade, is the biggest jump center in North America and the world's largest, most comprehensive training center for parachuting students and international high profile skydiving teams. One of its instructors, Arttie Paton, has done 4000 jumps in tandem, more than anyone anywhere, which means he's willingly strapped himself to a sometimes screaming novice making a first jump. After that initial experience which costs about $200 to $254 depending on weight, or a static line jump that costs $160, students can continue through an eight-jump program – with each jump costing less -- the last five costing $165 each.