ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those wishing to know what it feels like to fly will soon have just that chance at the Liberal AirFair.
Paradise Skydiving will be offering tandem skydiving Oct. 3 through 5 as part of the Liberal AirFair festivities. There are three packages people can choose from: the Aloha tandem skydive (which includes a jump and freefall from 8,000 feet and costs $245), the Honolulu Package (which includes a jump from 8,000 feet, 200 4K images of the jump, and a professionally edited skydiving video of your jump for a total of $395), and the Waikiki Package (which includes a 10,000 foot jump, the features of the Honolulu Package, and a Paradise Skydiving t-shirt, for a total of $479). There is a $50 deposit required, with the rest of the fee due the day of the jump. People can sign up at paradiseskydiving.com to choose their time, and they must select Liberal for their particular time.
As Paradise Skydiving owner Sean Tillery tells it, skydiving is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say 'I should've done this a LONG time ago!' or something similar. My own grandmother jumped when she was in her 80s, which upset my dad slightly, but when she landed, she was exploding with joy and was saying how much she enjoyed it,” Tillery said with a chuckle. “My dad finally eventually did a jump, and he also had a blast, and so did my mom. It's just an overall great bonding experience, so grab your friends, watch the other jumpers and grab a time. And our setup is absolutely amazing – the parachutes are state of the art, and each tandem rig has two parachutes along with a small computer that opens the parachute if you can't. It's a great experience that's worth every penny. If you know you want to jump, go ahead and sign up, and we'll answer any questions anyone has.”
Tillery said he caught the bug for skydiving himself slightly more than 30 years ago.
“I started skydiving in 1994, I'd gotten brochures from the local radio station and eventually went with a group of friends. I was the only one who bought my particular package, and I remember seeing this guy flying in front of me with cameras on his head, and I remember thinking 'I want that job' and I was basically immediately hooked,” Tillery said. “After landing, I signed up to learn more about skydiving and kept taking groups of people out. It was about 2004 when I went to a college town to do some marketing and research, and I found some people to help with that, including a couple local celebrities. I eventually hired my own plane, which was really exciting, and I had some friends who brought tandem skydiving gear, and we ended up having a lot of fun. We slowly built up the business and we're where we are today by going to events and hosting our own pop-up events. Tandem skydiving is the easiest way to skydive because you're with an instructor and it takes a couple hours from start to finish – you're strapped to the instructor and then you go and land safely on the ground. My favorite part is meeting the first-time jumpers and hearing their reason for jumping, whether it's a birthday or anniversary or other special occasion, and skydiving just gives you that exhilaration and opens your eyes to enjoying life more.”
After a while, Tillery said bringing the opportunity for skydiving to air shows and similar events was the next logical step.
“We had multiple people and groups asking us to come, it was a matter of interest. People are always interested in skydiving, especially if they live in an area where those types of opportunities really aren't available without making a multiple-hour drive,” Tillery said. “We're always happy to sign people up and take them from a ride, and we've visited a handful of those events this year – there was an event we were at earlier this year where the postmaster of that town got the sunrise and sunset jumps, which is always amazing to see. Seeing people before and after the jump is almost like a complete 180 because they're just full of energy and happiness and exhilaration. We get asked a lot about what the landing will be like, and we always tell people to keep their legs up because the instructor will do all of the heavy lifting in that regard, and the landings are always pretty soft. People also ask if they should eat and/or drink before a jump, and it is okay to do so because after the jump is when that adrenaline hits your system, and that's not entirely a pleasant feeling if you're running on an empty stomach. We always advise people, don't eat a huge meal, but definitely have something in your stomach, and definitely be hydrated.”
Tillery said he and his crew are excited to make their Liberal debut and offered encouragement for people to sign up soon.
“We've never been in Liberal before, so it'll be great meeting a new audience and being in a new location, which is always amazing. We also have a sponsorship from IdeaTek, and I can't thank them enough for helping make all of this happen, and we're grateful to them,” Tillery said. “If you know you want to jump, go ahead and sign up and grab the time you want, because that weekend could fill up pretty quickly. Saturday's filling up, and there's still availability that Friday and Sunday, but if you know you want to do a jump, and if there's a time you really want, definitely go ahead and get your name down, because we don't want anyone to miss out.”
Overall, Tillery said, it should be a great experience for those who participate.
“This is your chance to skydive, we're coming to you,” Tillery said. “We're bringing the planes, instructors and gear to you, and the instructors all have many, many hours of experience, so you're in good hands. If you're at all interested, get your name on the schedule and we'll be excited to meet you that weekend!
