WILLIAMSBURG, Mo. - Jumping out of an airplane from nearly 13,000 feet with nothing more than a piece of fabric to break your fall is merely a reminder of the necessity to savor life, according to one area skydiver.
"If you don't step out the door, you don't get to experience what's outside," said Van Pray, pilot and skydiving enthusiast. "It's incredible what we get to do. We're falling toward the best planet in the universe. That's a pretty unique experience."
Pray owns and operates Flying V Ranch in Williamsburg, a local skydiving hub where experts and beginners can jump from airplanes and plummet to Earth.
While people admit skydiving is a risky activity, nothing is truly safe, Pray said.
"Part of me doesn't want it to be perceived as perfectly safe," he said. "It isn't perfectly safe, but neither is driving down the highway. We spend money on training and good equipment to minimize risk, but there is still a risk."
Pray recounted one particular event which highlighted the fragility of life and the need to savor it.
"My wife (Emiko) and I were doing a Discovery Channel show and flying close in formation with skydivers," he said. "The guys in squirrel suits are jumping out, and I'm following them. We had just done this program and drove home after doing all this high risk stuff, and our car was almost hit by an SUV."
Van and Emiko Pray both spent their careers in aviation as pilots, and both are skydivers. He also builds modifications for his airplanes, he said. Having grown up on an Air Force base outside Los Angeles, Pray was exposed to aviation at a young age.
"Airplanes are really a business, where skydiving is a hobby," he said. "I'm an enthusiast of the sport."
Having grown up around the sport near Hollywood, California, Pray said he had numerous encounters with some of the best skydivers in the world.
"When I was in Los Angeles, we did a lot of work with Hollywood," he added. "I got to grow up learning from the professionals. It was really neat. We did a bunch of scenes in the movie 'Point Break.'"
Learning to live
Pray said he has had the opportunity throughout his career to see a number of first-time skydivers. Every time, the jump builds confidence, he added.
"Growing up in the sport, I watched so many people make their first jump," he said. "After you jumped from an airplane, the next task in life is going to be easy. By achieving that task, the individual gains confidence for any other task in their life."
With several airplanes and a skill set that allowed it, Van and Emiko decided to start a skydiving business where first-timers and seasoned enthusiasts can skydive.
"The main thing that happens nowadays is people do tandem skydiving," he said. "We take them on their first jump. That's what costs the most money. After that, costs go down."
Teaching the procedures to divers, Pray said, takes about two hours. After learning the procedures, it's time to jump.
"We train them on what's going on," he said. "Then, we take them up. We go up to whatever altitude they want, up to 13,000 feet. We have a yellow light in the plane, and when it turns green, we put our feet out and go."
According to Pray, the free fall lasts about a minute, and the parachute ride down to solid ground will last about four times as long.
"After the parachute is deployed, it's about a 41/2-minute parachute ride," he said. "At that point, you can communicate fine. While under parachute, we do a few spins, and prepare for landing. So far, there've only been good landings; I've never injured a passenger."
Because of a rigorous and informative briefing beforehand, most first-time jumpers are not as terrified of jumping as people generally assume, Pray said.
"To reduce the stress, I try to cover all the information in complete detail and go over procedures," he said. "By the time I'm done with the briefing, they're confident. People ask how many people back out, but by the time we get up there, people aren't terrified. They're nervous but not scared."
Top of the line equipment also plays a role in preserving the accident-free streak, Pray added. Each first-time jumper has the support of an experienced instructor strapped to them. If both fail to pull the parachute ripcord, each chute is equipped with an altitude detector which will automatically deploy the chute.
Maintenance and frequent replacing of the material is costly, Pray said. However, at his business they check equipment more often than recommended, and replace items at the slightest sign of wear.
"Life is fragile, and people sometimes perceive skydivers as being big risk takers," he said. "We actually do a lot to control it. There are procedures to make stuff as safe as possible."
Matthew "Skip" Hansen, a mechanic and ground control worker at the ranch, said there is a certain rush which comes from skydiving.
"It starts out as an adrenaline rush," he said. "As the time goes on, you also get the rush, but it's the thrill of controlling the chaos. You land on the ground, and all of a sudden the grass is greener. That feeling reminds you you're alive and you need to enjoy life. You never know when it's going to end."
Hansen, who is working on various skydiving certifications, is one of Pray's students and admires his teacher.
"The first word that comes to mind is patient," he said. "He has patience for the students. He's really good at telling you what you need to work on and critiquing the individual."
Hansen said while people can initially be fearful, they should just take a leap of faith.
"Try it at least once," he said. "There's too many misconceptions about skydiving. I think everyone should try it at least once."
Para shooter event
Flying V Ranch will host its annual "Para Shooter" event Oct. 8 at the ranch. It will offer an adrenaline-bursting mix of skydiving and guns, said Pray.
"The Para Shoot is a competition with prizes from local gun stores," Pray said. "The competition is about parachute landing accuracy and shooting accuracy with a pistol, rifle and shotgun."
The competition involves three parts, Pray said. A skydive, a short sprint to the on-site shooting range and target shooting.
"The more accurately you land toward the dead center of the landing target, the higher score you accrue," he said. "Then it's a 125-yard run to the shooting table, and your score is added by the number of targets you hit."
While the three activities separately may be easy to complete, Pray said mixing all three adds a level of difficulty.
"You have the adrenaline of jumping out of an airplane," he said. "Mixed with the adrenaline of the short run to the range, it makes it hard to hit the targets. Also, the faster time beats a tie."
The event is generally well attended and has been enjoyed by jumpers of all skill levels.
"We've been doing this about five years," he said. "Usually we get about 20 competitors or so - everything from first-time jumpers to experienced skydivers."
Pray, who is a veteran, said the adrenaline rush also mimics the stress and adrenaline of a battle.
"Some of that simulation if you go to a range and pull a trigger is not representative of what you have to do in a shooting scenario," he said. "When you're in the Special Forces, you're landing a mile away and you have to work your way undetected."
For those people who may be interested in skydiving for the first time, Pray said they should give him a call if they have any concerns.
"Call us and schedule a jump," he said. "We take a $50 deposit to hold the reservation, and they show up at the scheduled time. It takes two to three hours, weather permitting."
For safety reasons, Pray only allows people aged 18-65 years to jump. Women also must weigh less than 165 and men no more than 200.
His prices, Pray said, don't reflect the discounted prices other venues may offer. However, when skydiving it's important to be picky, he added.
"The first tandem jump is $229 per person," he said. "We aren't discounted, but would you want a discounted tattoo or a Groupon knee surgery? There are other places where you can jump for cheap, but you really can't have best and cheapest when it comes to skydiving."
People interested in participating in participating in the Para Shooter event, or in skydiving, can call Flying V Ranch at 888-866-8918.