Skydive Perris

I went there with a big group, and had a great time there. The DZO made sure that we were having plenty of fun, he even fired up the skyvan twice for us (on a wednesday and a thursday no less) so we could get our raft dive in!
Also their pilots had no problems with giving go-arounds if you didn't like the spot... I've had a lot of bad experiences at other DZs where a go-around request meant lots of cursing by the pilots, and this was nice to see them not mind at all.

The windtunnel being 100 yards away was great. They also have a nice bar and grill, a gear store, and a good rigging loft onsite. The bar has a TV linked to the tunnel so you can watch your friends do the tunnel while you drink a beer.

The grass landing area is not particularly big, but its not too terrible.
If you land even 50 yards off though, they have a pickup truck outfitted with a couch to pick up jumpers all day.

We stayed at the house listed on their website... we were incredibly surprised by how nice it was. Well furnished and clean. It's easily worth it to stay there, especially if you are in a big group and can book the entire thing.

The only problem I had with them was the packing area. Its not a waterproof area, so if it rains it means you have to pack around puddles.
If you go, be prepared to get dust or mud all over your gear. The area all around the grass landing strip is dusty, so even if you land on the grass, the dust gets on you. And the outdoor packing area gets pretty dusty because of that. If its raining, the dust becomes mud.

The part of Perris the DZ is in is pretty dismal... no bars, restaurants, or gas stations for miles and miles.

Oh yes, the Load Organizers there were awesome. They always had one or two working, even during the weekdays, and they organized a lot of fun jumps, and gave me some good tips on my freeflying. Thanks again Jon, Alex, Conzalez, and Enrico.

We had a lot of fun there, definetly check them out.

A great dropzone which has just been made fantastic by the addition of the Sky Venture Wind Tunnel, World Champion Freefly Team "Alchemy" and Dan BC. It is truly the Mecca of Freeflying now.
With the tunnel right on the Dropzone, a safe and fast student progression is virtually guaranteed.
The IHOP (International House Of Parachutists) is the best on-dropzone accomodation I have encountered.
Landing off is never a big deal with lots of open space and always someone coming to pick you up. I've made back-up loads after landing out!
Cons are a few people that are Hollywood Stars and a lot of people who think they are. A number of regulars (Not staff) tend to be quite full of themselves and spread some bad vibes.
The main landing area is also quite small and has a lot of holes/bare patches/sprinklers to hurt yourself on. It is extremely slippery in the mornings. If you land off the main landing area, you will have dust on everything.

I was there with a large exped. The owners and management were excellent hosts and very professional. Perris has everthing you need to Skydive and more, at any level!
The organising and coaching are world class and for me especially John Chisolm in the Freefly Mega Centre, a very freindly,relaxed,professional and most importantly FUN learning enviroment.
You cannot ask for a better Manifest the turn around was amazing, thank you all.
Have Fun,Learn and love Perris Valley Skydiving!

tandem, AFF, almost done with my a liscence, all instructors , staff, packers, office personel, tunnel staff , are amazing. if your interest in skydiving go to perris and tip your instructors

I love Perris. They have every amenity to pacify my effeminate trick ass.

It’s even named after my favorite city. They make every other DZ in SoCal look like total crap.

I enjoy repeatedly complaining to manifest and ownership about my yearns and desires for incredible customer service. They love to tell me how sorry they are and if there’s anything they can do to appease me, including free jump tickets and tunnel time!

They are so professional. Many dropzones in the area have banned me. They say I’m creating a bad vibe at their dropzones but not Perris. They treat me like gold and it makes everyone soo jealous!

It's the only dropzone where guys like me can be themselves. Go Perris!

UntamedDOG

... been to Perris twice.

I'd like a little more grass landing area, but overall lots of outs, if sandy. Good freefly coaching and of course... the tunnel.

The good, fantastic facility and awesome aircraft. Great friendly and very professional.

The bad, went there with a friend that had never jumped and was looking to do a tandem, it took 3 hours for us to get on a plane when it wasn't even busy, way too long in my opinion. Needs to be more tandem friendly. There was also too many cliques there. The other jumpers there were not unfriendly just a little too caught up in there own little groups.

The ugly, the scenery is horrible, not much to look at if your jumping solo, it resembles sand paper, brown and flat.

Overall this is a great place to jump if your jumping with a team. if your a walk-up tandem be prepared to wait.

This is a follow up on the following complaint!!
We received a call (in Australia) from Chris on behalf of Perris Valley asking about this review, he welcomed the feedback and let us know about the re-fit to the IHOP, there now seems to be higher concern about the feedback received, we are very impressed and look forward to visiting Perris Valley in the future.
I also forgot to mention the stellar job Eli Thompson did in pulling the Film Festival together in difficult circumstances he definately helped and accomodated us in a professional and friendly way big thumbs up!!!

We had several bad experiences which follow
1. The wind tunnel deleted our footage after months of emailing and trying to get it made, we spent an hour in there each costing us $2200 total, this was complained about & the owners were more than happy to deal with this problem but dont seem to know how the dropzone is being run

2. The bunkhouse flooded so the IHOP was overflowing with people sleeping on the floor and couches, they were still charged full price even though they didnt have a bed. There is one fridge for 30 people which overflowed. There is no fire extinguisher and the DVD player(which didnt work) was replaced just before we all got kicked out for the British military who booked the whole IHOP. They even kicked out one of their full time employees who slept in his car as he had nowhere to go. I don't think the IHOP should ever be fully booked out by one group, it makes other jumpers feel as if they are not a priority for the DZ.

3. They reopened the bunkhouse so we had somewhere to stay which had the carpet removed due to the damp, some rooms still have water in them and the heater didnt work until today. The light in the kitchen doesnt work and no-one is emptying the trash so there is a mouse problem, which no-one seems to be doing anything about. We are being charged full price to stay in this environment.

4. One of the office members was extremely rude to us on a daily basis. It seems she has never heard of customer relations and she definately IS NOT a people person therefore should never deal with the public. She, in particular, has made our stay unpleasant. From my understanding she is paid to look after the customer which she has failed on in all aspects. She should look at how Josh treats people, he is a true assett to this DZ.

5. If they don't really care they could at least pretend to, we spoke with Melanie and Dan BC who helped us with our complaints, i hope one day the cause will be fixed.

Due to this, we will spend our money at Eloy next time, they have just renovated their bunkhouse, the staff was super friendly and helpful and their wind tunnel will be up and running by then.

Was in the area on business trip. Arrived early on a beautiful afternoon and thought I'd make a couple jumps. Went to manifest and learned I had to watch a sign-in video, explained I was an experienced jumper (20 yrs, 2100+ jumps, instructor, S&TA, former DZ owner, etc). Nope, EVERYBODY watches the video. Okay I can do that. Went to the office to complete waiver and watch the video. Nope, didn't have a "signed" jump logged in last 6 months. Didn't matter who signed it (suggestion was made by rude office manager that I go out, forge the signature, and return), but had to be signed!!! And that was final. Perhaps I'll get my good friend, Mr. Meoff to sign my log book next time. My ol' buddy Jack is real good at taking care of this sort of thing. Won't visit that DZ again! They have no clue what customer service means. Too bad, since they had a nice looking place, fresh paint on all the airplanes, and an inviting (green) grass landing area.

most of the people there are cool. they have every thing you could want (food, pool, nice paking area, and most of all they skydive).

An incredible place to skydive so long as you can get over the overwhelming size of the place. The people are very nice, and although some say it's cliquey I've not seen much of that. Incredible world-class coaching (often for free), lots of RW load organizing, never a shortage of people to jump with. Great food, decent bunkhouse, good showers.

And of course, the wonderful Tim who picks you up if you land out, which is a huge bonus for those still working on landing accuracy (or just want to avoid the congestion in the main landing area).

Imagine you get to start fresh and create the perfect DZ. This place comes pretty damn close. Let's look at some of their highlights:

1. They have a wind tunnel. Right there. Not an hour away, in the middle of Tourist Central - right there. Walking distance from Manifest.
2. They have a pool.
3. They have a great restaurant with a real selection of good food, great service, and cool ambience (there's a live video feed from the tunnel so you can laugh at your friends flailing around).
4. Manifest staff were courteous, friendly, and knowledgeable.
5. Ample packing space.
6. Terrific boarding facility with kitchen, several bathrooms, chill room, and real beds with linens and towels provided. Could be a little bit cleaner with respect to cobwebs and insects, but that's what I get for taking the top bunk...they also have a bunkhouse which is a little cheaper than the "IHOP" (International House Of Parachutists) but I haven't seen it so I can't comment.

The only things that were not perfect:
1. The prolonged waiver-signing process (involves being videotaped). Give yourself an hour and a half to get through this. I'm serious.
2. The fact that you're in Perris, CA - the town is pretty useless, the smog is nasty, and when the wind is from the wrong direction, you can smell the sewage treatment plant.
3. Video rooms are good for small groups but not for big-way debriefing.

Otherwise, this is an incredibly kick-ass DZ. If it could be picked up and moved somewhere else, I would take it home with me.

Great DZ; a bit much with the video taped statement you have to undergo, but hey, that's the future of the US right; Big Brother everywhere (for all you conspiracy junkies out there :-)

Packers were GREAT, kept me on every load, and the locals/visitors were very cool. Will be back every time I'm in CA!!

Blue Skies!!

Our 4-way team spent 2 weeks at Perris and had a great time. With Dan BC at the helm, Perris is one awesome operation, with an impressive line-up of aircraft to whisk you up to altitude and a slick manifest to ensure you are not kept waiting around. We had the fun and energetic Pat McGowan as our coach, and we had a blast! Pat was really useful, and nothing was too much trouble.
At the moment Perris is unique to the skydiving world in having the tunnel on site. This is a huge bonus to any jumper and a good incentive to any 4-way team looking around for their next camp location.
I heartily recommend Perris to anyone, and would gladly return in future, for training or just for fun.
If only all DZ's were like this!

Chris Hollis
South Parc 4-way team
www.southparc.co.uk

The amenities, and energy level were the most positive aspects of Perris Valley. It was my second tandem jump, on a Saturday of all days. The place was cracking, packed full of people, and classes going on all over the place. Perris Valley is a huge operation, and they seem to really know their stuff. I felt that my experience there was very fast paced, and almost rushed, compared to my first. I am glad this was not my first jump, and that I already had somewhat of a handle on the process. My instructor was not in the best mood that day either. Not that it is that important to get a happy, cheery person to strap on to, but it really helps to ease tensions for a newbie, and to add to the excitement of the process, as a whole. For an experienced jumper, this is a great place to go. No time wasted, get there, suit up, and jump. Because I am a beginner, I really prefer the more thorough, less rushed instruction. I imagine, when I am more experienced, and need less attention or instruction, I will be very happy to jump there again.

Went to Perris to jump for the day. When getting signed in, they check your log book. The lady that checked myself and JmpnKramer in did not know that once you had a D license, you did not have to have the jumps signed and kept insisting that they had to be signed. Needs to be brought up to speed with USPA requirements for D license holders.

I've heard many good reviews of Perris Valley so I decided to trust them in my girlfriend's and my life for our first jump. we were instatly greeted and were spoken to on very personal level. ive never felt so welcome by any company. everybody got to know you on a personal level. My girlfriend and enjoyed every minute of being at Perris and will definately return! this is the place to skydive!

I heard it was one of the best in the USA, I went for it and I loved it!
It feels like home...

Chris

I have jumped all over this great country ( USA ) and this is the premiere DZ's if not the best than one of the best.
GREAT facillity great staff and it just doesn't get much better than this place.

I would like to recommend Perris Valley Skydiving center to any skydiver visiting the USA. It has a fantastic friendly atmosphere with superb facilities. The ran at least one if not two Super Otters for us on weekdays while we were there, (the have 3 for those 'extra busy' times and Boogies) plus their Skyvan on weekends. Square 1 is located on te DZ for all your gear needs and the Bombshelter restaurant and bar is a great place to socialise (good food as well!). We made loads of friends at Perris very quickly and will be returning to it sometime soon. They managed to get our 7 AFF students qualified in the time we were there. The staff even organised water training and night jumps for us as well as a balloon jump (though it was too windy in the end). The only bad point about this place is the outside packing area (but that's okay as there are usually nil to low winds anyway!)

Dave Lee, SkydiveUWE

I have traveled to a lot of DZ's. some small, some world class! my stay at perris was out of this world, or should I say Off of this planet!

it was a 3 day trip to the "Jack, off to perris" boogie. I walked in feeling like I was home. DROPZONE.com has really helped me out with that feeling,too!
but there was NO wait for jumps; if I wanted to jump there was always a ten minute call. AWESOME!
the I.H.O.P. was cheap enough to keep my skydiving money where it belonged...at manifest!
the landing area was smooth and has many outs if needed. although this wasnt the largest boogie I've been to, it was the most co-ordinated and smooth operating boogie I have been to!
I will, without a doubt, be spending more time at Perris!

I started jumping @ Perris, and recently graduated. The instructors are always pushing you to be better, smoother, and stronger. Not up your ass about it, but they make you want to be better. I found through my AFF classes I was my worst critic. They Gave me suggestions for the next dive and sat with me to watch the videos I got, to help me understand why, on my level 4 I was all over the sky. Needless to say my level 5, smooth like ice.
I am a tall thin guy, (6ft 5in, 150lbs)and I seem to not quite fall as fast as your avarage feather, but the instructors would keep even with me (before I knew how to keep up with them) and when I landed there was no mention of how hard it is for a 5'4" 225 lb instructor to go that slow. untill my level 5, I landed and heard "Gawd Damnit Slim!!!! you just don't fall!!!!"<--- jealousy, he admitted it.

All in all the entire staff from the bar keep, pro-shop people to the instructors and LOs every one there will answer any questions you have and make you feel right at home no matter where you are at in your jumping carreer.

What kind of DZ runs TWO twin turbines on a tuesday morning? This one does, and that's just about enough for me... this place is great. I show up with about 60 jumps on my resume, and they start talking about how they'll put me with a "Load Organizer" (what's this, I'm thinking?) and a "Video Guy".... so I start talking about how I really don't have the money for all that, I just want to make a couple of jumps.... then they start talking about how it's free. That's right, they put me and four other low-time jumpers with a GREAT load organizer AND a video guy, and it cost me 19 bucks. I learned a ton from both the LO and get to review the video anytime.

You can't miss this DZ if you go to the US. The coolest vibes, the most friendly people and the highest level skydiving. Stay at the Ihop and drink at the Bombshelter! Definitely, another home dropzone to me.

Perris Valley has some of the best AFF insturctors around. I just completed my 100th skydive and had the royal treatment. At day end I always relax at the bombshelter with an ice cold beer. There is always people willing to skydive with you and give advice.