Veteran Camarillo stunt driver teaches others on an asphalt classroom

Source: Ventura County Star, Calif.self storageSept. 28--Student stunt driver Erica Arrias jammed on the accelerator of the battered Ford Escort and roared toward a cluster of orange cones standing on a remote stretch of runway at Camarillo Airport.Arrias sped several hundred feet, hit the brakes, then snapped the steering wheel to the right. The tires screamed as the Ford slid sideways into the car-sized space marked off by the cones. The car rocked to a stop in a burst of scorched rubber.Veteran stunt driver Jim Wilkey of Camarillo strode over to the car and righted one toppled orange cone."Gotta turn loose of that wheel," he said to Arrias, then motioned for the next student to skid his car into the space.Such is Wilkey's asphalt classroom. A trailer on the runway; an awning shading a table and plastic chairs; a pile of torn tires from the two-day class; and several Ford Escorts he got at a good fleet price."I used to use rental cars," he said. "I don't do that anymore."With a 35-year career of stunts from more than 200 TV shows and movies on his resume, Wilkey is training others how to get behind the wheel and perform stunts in cars and trucks for big and small screen.Wilkey performs other stunts, such as lighting people on fire, jumping from buildings and riding horses, but he's especially good behind the wheel of a car, or a semi-truck. Such as the one he turned end-over-end in the 2008 Batman movie, "The Dark Knight.""It was a little dicey because it had never been done before," Wilkey said. "We did it in downtown Chicago. The street was maybe 60 feet wide between the buildings."Wilkey said he fell into stunt work while growing up around Sacramento. He learned how to ride and wrangle horses when visiting his uncle's ranch in Texas. He also loved to race cars, but it never occurred to him to pursue a career in stunt driving."Back then, most people didn't know what a stunt driver was," he said.Wilkey worked a number of jobs, all of them outdoors -- including a stint as a heavy equipment operator for the Navy Seabees.He was able to break into motion pictures as a wrangler and became friends with stuntman Edward "Tap" Canutt, son of high-profile stuntman Yakima Canutt. A rodeo cowboy, Yakima performed stunts in the silent Westerns and later doubled for stars like Clark Gable and John Wayne."We were really good friends," Wilkey said. "We hung out. He was a huge help to me. He did open a few doors for me."Wilkey married into the Canutt family after meeting and falling in love with Tap's daughter 27 years ago. Wilkey said his father-in-law gave him some of his best advice when Tap sensed a change in the world of movie stunts."He said 'Get rid of the cowboy boots and the hat and a get a pager and a pair of Adidas tennis shoes,'" Wilkey said. "'Westerns are on their way out and you don't want to get locked into that cowboy image.'"Wilkey continued to evolve as a stuntman, incorporating his love of cars and driving into more than three decades of TV and movie work, including "Christine" (1978), "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005), "Space Cowboys" (2000), "2 Fast, 2 Furious" (2003)," "The Fugitive" (1993) and "Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995).""Last year I was in Africa doing 'Mad Max 4'," he said. "The year before that I was in Thailand doing 'The Hangover II.'"About five years ago, Wilkey was asked to teach for Sebring, Fla.-based Bobby Ore Motorsports."I didn't think I'd like it at all at first," Wilkey said. "I had to learn how to teach."Wilkey holds two- to three-day classes in Camarillo for those wishing to learn professional stunt driving. A two-day session costs $1,650 and a three-day session costs $2,500.Which aspiring stunt drivers like Erica Arrias, 35, of Woodland Hills, believes is well worth the money."I'm obsessed with this. This is the most exhilarating thing I've ever done," she said. "It's exciting to sit next to the men who run the world of entertainment car stunts."Wilkey teaches each student some basic elements so that they can maintain control of mini storagehe car while making it perform. The idea, Wilkey said, is to master the steps of stunt driving to live to see another stunt."There is a huge distinction between daredevil and stuntman," Wilkey said. "A daredevil is a guy who wants to take his motorcycle and jump the Salt River or the Grand Canyon. They may make it, they may not make it. We create the illusion of danger. We try and prepare everything so we can walk away. The idea is, I want to be able to get up in the morning and go to work."Staying safe while creating the illusion of danger includes basic steps such as "shuffling" the steering wheel; learning how to negotiate a "Box 90," a "180" and a "Reverse 180.""Shuffling" the steering wheel involves transferring the grip from one hand to the other as the wheel is turned, a technique taught to many law enforcement officers which helps them maintain control of the car at high speeds. A "box 90" is stepping on the brakes and skidding the car 90 degrees into a tight area. A 180 involves skidding the car completely around before screeching to a stop and a "reverse 180" involves driving the car backward and spinning it 180 degrees to a nose-first position."You have to become one with the car," said student Alli Beckman, 24, of Hermosa Beach, when asked what she learned.Stunt driving lessons were a birthday gift to Beckman, whose dad is a stunt man."It's something I've always wanted to do," Beckman said. "I was in 'The Green Lantern' running through alleys and cities throwing myself on top of cars. This is the first time I've done stunt driving. It's awesome. It takes some serious skills. It's such an adrenaline rush."Actor/stuntman Thyme Lewis, 47, of Marina del Rey, wanted to keep his skills fresh by taking a course with Wilkey. Lewis, perhaps best known for his role as Jonah Carver on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives," also appeared in 2011 on "American Horror Story" on FX with Dylan McDermott."Most people just drive, but Jim's thinking about a mile in front of him," Lewis said. "It can make you superior to most people on the road."Circling the cars on a foldable bicycle with his signature Tootsie Pop in his mouth was Wilkey's assistant, veteran stunt man Harry Wowchuk, 64, of Canoga Park, who has worked with Wilkey for years. Now and then, Wilkey would pull out a plastic container of gas and fill up a tank, or replace a blown tire."We're just a little off," Wowchuk said, when asked why stuntmen risk life and limb to do what they do.Wilkey and Wowchuk are often asked about injuries, and both have had their share. Wilkey's meaty hands are rough and scored with scar tissue and there's hardly a bone in his body he hasn't broken, including his arms, legs and back."My foot's been torn off, sewn back on," he said.A stuntwoman taking the class, Jessie Graff of Santa Monica, said stunt people are hesitant to talk about injuries."You don't' want to be seen as fragile," Graff said. "You don't want to be seen as a liability."When Wilkey married Tap's daughter, she was divorced with three children and he had one child, but Wilkey said none of their four children has gone into stuntwork, which ends the legacy at three generations.Wilkey wonders about the overall fate of the stuntman or stuntwoman with the proliferation of computer-generated graphics."The business is changing. (Computers) are encroaching on our end of the business," he said. "Movies will all be cartoons. It's very sad. I like directors like Chris Nolan who insist on having real stunts."As Wilkey trains the next generation, he plans to continue working in movies as long as he can. His most recent work coming out soon is the movie "Mad Max: Fury Road," due out in 2014, and ABC-TV's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."Let's face it, it's a young man's game," Wilkey said, breaking into a grin. "But I've still got some moves in me."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.) Visit Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.) at .vcstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉