WANTAGE -- A 38-year-old skydiver who died a day after he misjudged his landing at Sussex Airport was known in the local skydiving community as a passionate devotee to the sport and a person who was always willing to help newcomers, according to fellow skydivers.

State Police have not yet released the skydiver's name, but Sussex Skydive owner Curt Kellinger said Paul Hayes' death Friday evening had taken a toll on the skydiving community.

"It's a pretty emotional time for everyone here," Kellinger said.

"He's not some zany kid," Kellinger said. "He was a really good man."

Kellinger, who had been in the air behind Hayes on a tandem jump, said they jumped out of the plane at about 14,000 feet with no issues during freefall or when Hayes deployed his parachute at about 3,500 feet.

At about 1,000 feet, Hayes initiated a hard turn but he was unable to level out before landing so he hit the ground at a steep angle, Kellinger said.

As they exited the plane, Hayes was "his normal self," Kellinger said.

"That's how I'm always going to remember him," he said. "Smiling and high-fiving."

Hayes spent a lot of time helping newcomers to the sport and his death is a "heartbreaker" for the small but tight-knit local skydiving community, Kellinger said.

"He was a part of our family and we're all really upset about it," Kellinger said.

Bryce Cole, a fellow skydiver, told the NY Daily News "Paul Hayes was that guy who would walk into a room crack a smile and captivate everyone he came in contact with."

"His passion for life and his genuine care for people was second to none -- skydiving was his passion, his freedom, a connection only others skydivers will ever understand. Today we have all lost a person with values we all wish we could have aspired to," Cole told the newspaper.

As reported by NJ Advance Media, Hayes had more than 750 jumps under his belt and was very experienced and dedicated to the sport, Kellinger said. Over the winter, Hayes passed an Accelerated Freefall training program in Florida, which, Kellinger said, was one of the toughest certifications to receive in the sport.

"(Skydiving is) something he really loved and wanted to pass on," Kellinger said. "People that don't do it will never understand it."

Hayes' Facebook page prominently features pictures of him skydiving. His Vimeo profile includes 85 videos, mostly of jumps, including his 700th.

In 2010, Hayes, who worked as an ironworker, helped place a 50-ton salvaged column from the World Trade Center into the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum then under construction, The Westfield Leader reported.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.