Skydiving from a Jet (DC-9) at Skydive Perris

One of the most important, but sometimes overlooked, components of an awesome skydive is the skydiving airplane! For some – especially those accustomed to having a world-class fleet at their home dropzone – jump planes sort of fade into the background. But the most recent addition to the Skydive Perris lineup has everyone’s attention: our SKYDIVING JET!! And she’s not just popular because she’s new on the scene – as the world’s only skydiving jet, our DC-9 is an international sensation!

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!