Newbie who just began AFF..

[t2.3aero 0]

Hey there,

some info and questions...

I have only 3 skydives under my belt.. my first was 14,500 ft tandem 2nd was a 18,000 ft tandem. i had an awesome instructor who let me make some turns stopping on heading and let me fly the landing pattern it changed everything. the first jump i felt like i was just along for a ride and had no control. as soon as realized that i could be in control its all i could think about. i signed right up for my first aff class and was back the next weekend. The Dropzone i have been going to is 5 hrs away from my home. after i went through the ground school the instructor said it was way to windy to jump so i drove home and then back the next weekend. finally i got my aff1 in. it went pretty well. no big mistakes... One of the things i making sure to do was my flare later than i think i should. all the instructors i talked with said that most students do it to early and waste all the power. so i had my radio on my chest and listening to the instuctor waited for the count down to flare... i never got one. so at about 4 feet i flared :) obviously not taking to much speed off. i was too pumped up for realize i fractured a knuckle :). so my question is this. i have to drive 5 hrs and spend roughly $2,500 to get my A through aff. or i can go to a DZ thats 2 hrs away( Green Bay, WI) and cost $1,200 but its static line. I know the learning curve is quite slower in static line but i dont mind this..i would rather have more jumps with instruction before im cleared for solo. is there any other cons you guys can think of or any other reason to make the drive and spend the money for aff?

Some people say "The sky is the limit" .... those people must not skydive..

[firemedic 7]

AFF and Static Line are both good methods of instruction. You will get various opinions pro and con as to which is better. My opinion is this. You have a much longer drive to do AFF and have a much higher cost verses SL. On the other hand your going to take longer to progress to an A license. Generally with AFF your freefall skills will develop more quickly than you canopy skills. Generally it is the opposite with SL. There are other factors you may wish to consider as well. Look at your options and decide which one will meet your goals.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

It's your choice, but S/L will get you to being a jumper, and either Green Bay Skydivers (it's actually in Pulaski) or Wolf River Skydivers (Shiocton) are an awful lot closer than Chicago. I am part of Wolf River, and it's a small, but fun DZ. I've jumped at GBSD and they are good people.
There's also Twin Cities or Superior or Wissota, they all offer AFF though not quite as close as GBSD or WRS.

Look in the DZ locator and see what's available.

Just out of curiosity, what made you decide to go all the way to CSC for your first tandem?

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[t2.3aero 0]

Yeah i had heard of WRS but not really a whole lot of info or even a website.. if you have jumped both dz's which would you suggest. i dont care how big or small just want knowledgeable and patient instructors. so where exactly do you live? i chose CSc for my first because i wanted it to be at 14,500 and then i went again for 18K because i got 100$ off :) thanks for your info.

Some people say "The sky is the limit" .... those people must not skydive..

[skymama 35]

Welcome to the forums!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon