Brave adventure seekers throughout the state come to the area to
take advantage of the mild weather that makes for the perfect
skydive or hang glide ride.
Brave adventure seekers throughout the state come to the area to take advantage of the mild weather that makes for the perfect skydive or hang glide ride.
“This is one of the last places in Central California that will shut down in bad weather,” said Adventure Center Skydiving safety and training advisor Kirk Osgood.
Adventure Center, based at the Hollister airport, offers programs for both first-time divers and seasoned professionals.
Although the cost initially can be quite high, it drops after the training is completed. And the price per jump eventually costs about the same as a round of golf.
People looking to go out for the first time are required to attend a four or five hour class.
From there, the person can choose to go out alone with a pair of instructors, who stay with the person for the minute of free fall until the cord is pulled, or go tandem with an instructor, using a two-person parachute.
“A lot of people like to do the tandem because it is more passive,” Osgood said. “They don’t have to worry about pulling the cord at the right time. It takes some of the pressure off.”
Many people view skydiving as a dangerous sport, but if precautions are taken before hand, it can be safe, Osgood said.
“Most of the accidents that occur are on the drive home,” Osgood said. “Skydiving is inherently not as dangerous as people think. The dangers are there, but they can be overcome with proper procedures, training and equipment.”
Tandem jumps start at $139 per jump during the week and are from about 10,000 feet from a Cessna. On the weekends, larger airplanes, which can go up to 15,000 feet, are used. The cost for those jumps is $179.
For those who want to go solo, the first jump is $270 including the instruction and equipment needed for the jump. Students are required to jump with instructors the first seven times. But the price goes down each time.
After the seventh time, the only cost is for renting the equipment and for the airplane ride – each running about $30. Some people will buy their own gear to save money, Osgood said.
Adventure Skydiving is open seven days a week. On some Saturdays, there will be 30 or more people – several doing multiple jumps in one day, Osgood said.
However, some people may prefer a calmer ride.
Mission Soaring Center, based out of Milpitas, offers hang gliding on the hills just outside of Tres Pinos off Quien Sabe Road in the same general area skydivers use.
“It is the perfect location,” said owner Pat Denevan. “It has just the right wind and just the right slope.”
When people first start out, they use training wheels and stay about five feet from the ground, he said.
“We want to keep them ground skimming so they don’t pick up too much speed at first,” Denevan said. “Generally they travel farther than the Wright Brothers did on their first flight.”
Even though beginning flyers are only feet from the ground, the experience can be just as exhilarating as being higher up.
“It keeps the risks low and people learn the excitement of flying without the high altitude,” Denevan said. “It is just like flying in a plane – the takeoffs and landings are always the most exciting.”
Mission Soaring offers about 1,000 lessons each year all over the area. In the South Valley area, there is a private site east of Anderson Reservoir hang gliders use. Negotiations are under way with Santa Clara Parks to open a hill by Coyote Reservoir. People are also starting to glide from near New Idria in the far corner of San Benito county, Denevan said.
Single lessons start at $140 and include the gear, the ground school and the flying lesson.
“It is more reasonable than skydiving,” Denevan said. “Would you rather plummet like a rock or soar like an eagle? It is not the thrill sport people think it is once you get high off the ground. It is really mellow.”
Mission Soaring Center
www.hang-gliding.com
1116 Wrigley Way
Milpitas
(408) 262-1055
Adventure Center Skydiving
55 Mercury Drive
Hollister
(831) 636-0117
