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Freelance freefaller

>> Skydiving instructor helps you enter the drop zone

by CHRIS BARRY

Photo by Jason Felker

Name: Laval Perron

Age: 48

Occupation: Skydiving instructor

Salary: $25,000 per annum

Bio: This strapping Eastern Townships buck has been teaching people to skydive for over 25 years now. Considered to be one of the best skydivers in the world, should you someday find yourself feeling adventurous/suicidal, Laval will gladly take you up into the skies and actually do the dive alongside you, in a two-person parachute, so you don’t have to think about anything other than the Lord’s Prayer as you go hurtling towards the ground. A freelancer, he teaches primarily at Parachutisme Nouvel Air in Farnham and also moonlights as the head skydiving coach for the SQ SWAT team. In the cold winter months, Laval supports himself as a parachute repair man.

Does a person need to be in good shape to skydive? Yes, if you want to get into the sport seriously. No, if you just want to hang on to Laval for a one-time dive.

How much it costs to jump with Laval in a two-man tandem parachute: $250

How long the actual jump lasts: About one minute in free fall and another five minutes in the parachute. “And another 48 hours for people to readjust to normal life because they’re so thrilled.”

How much training is required before taking your first two-man jump: About 15 minutes.

On the thrill of skydiving: “It’s an amazing experience. You are moving so fast. It makes you feel like you’re a bird—or Superman.”

How fast one generally travels in free fall: 200 km/hour.

The percentage of people who continue with the sport after their first jump: About four per cent. “Pretty well the same as with any other sport. A lot of people just want to experience skydiving once in their lives.”

The sound almost everybody makes on their first dive: “Yaaaaaaaa!!!”

The oldest person he has ever jumped with: An 85-year-old man.

The chances of somebody having a heart attack while in free fall: Practically nil.

Does he ever jump with the physically or mentally challenged? Yes.

Have any novices he’s jumped with ever landed on the ground and discovered a few fresh turds in their underwear? Yes.

The number of people who chicken out at the last minute: “Maybe one person every three years. Because once a person has decided to come on a drop zone, they’re ready to jump, the decision has been made. Besides, with the new two-person tandem system, it is especially safe because you are jumping with a professional. You feel confident.”

Has he ever had to rely on his parachute’s emergency cord? “Yes, of course, but I’ve done something like 9,000 jumps in my life. It’s pretty rare, especially with the new technology.”

One recent film he thought was pretty cool: Point Break.

Literary preferences: Skydiving magazine.

Words of wisdom: “If you have a dream, work hard and try to live it. That’s the main reason to be on earth.” :

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca