Inside the Skydive Perris Anniversary Event?
Hundreds of old pictures, some spanning decades, of hundreds of people are tightly collaged and printed onto the tarp walls lining the entry hallway. Some show people laughing, some posed and smiling, and some in their gear with adrenaline riding high. Visitors walk through and stop to look, with an occasional “Oh, that’s me!” echoing down the tunnel.
Marking half a century of aviation history, Skydive Perris drew hundreds of veteran jumpers, families, and aviation enthusiasts last weekend for its 50th Anniversary Love Fest Weekend. Established in 1976, the airfield has grown from a quiet local strip into a world-renowned skydiving hub.
At the end of the tunnel, guests grabbed name tags and entered the main area, where more than 50 chairs were set at tables facing a stage. Over the course of the weekend, more than 20 panelists spoke about their experiences, sharing stories that built the facility’s legacy.
Speakers and guests paused as roaring planes took off on the other side of the vinyl tent wall — the roar so deep and loud that you could feel the rumble in your chest. The runway borders the event space, separated from spectators by a 4-foot high chain-link fence.
A Longtime Jumper Looks Back
For longtime jumpers like Manuel Cabrera, an 84-year-old skydiver with more than 1,700 jumps under his belt, the milestone celebration was a chance to look back.
“I started jumping when I was about 22, and I always had kind of a fear of heights,” said Cabrera, who was part of the Latin Skydivers club, which started in East Los Angeles in 1961. “But I always wondered what it felt like to fall out of a plane, to jump — and, uh, I just did it.”
The Latin Skydivers, all adorned in white jumpsuits and red, white, and green parachutes, skydived all along the West Coast and across North and Central America.
“We jumped in Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Tijuana, you name it,” Cabrera said. “We jumped in Oregon, Washington, the beaches — we jumped in Canada.”
The appeal of the anniversary event was to hear others’ experiences, reconnect with old friends, and honor the milestones Skydive Perris has achieved.
“I’m so, so happy to be here among these people, and I’m sure they all have a story to tell, too,” Cabrera said of fellow attendees he both knew and was meeting for the first time — including Marie Winther.
From a Dare to a World Record
Winther brought a different era of experience to the celebration. She started skydiving in the 1990s and has continued for 32 years.
“I kind of came out on a dare,” Winther laughed. “I had no idea what I was doing.”
Winther said that almost 20 years after she started skydiving, she participated in a historic women's world record attempt.
“In 1999, Kate Cooper started organizing the women’s world record in conjunction with a fundraiser for breast cancer,” Winther said.
While Winther sat out the 1999 formation itself, she joined subsequent record efforts in 2002, 2005, and 2009.
“The 2009 attempt was the last one,” Winther said. “There were 181 women in formation.”
A formation requires a group of skydivers to maneuver and link up in a specific pattern for a few seconds before breaking away to deploy their parachutes — a testament to the high-level coordination celebrated all weekend long.
Skydive Perris Contact Information
To get in touch with Skydive Perris, with questions or to find out more information call (951) 657-1664, Perris Skydive is located at 2091 Goetz Road Perris, CA 92570.