To Get a uspa A Licence

[jsreznor 0]

Every place does it differently. My progression was titled "IAF" that entailed 3 tandems, 7 instructor jumps, 3 coached jumps, a hop and pop and then solos up to 25.

I managed to combine two of the instructor jumps and only did two of the coached jumps and got my check dive in on one of them.

I don't think my progression was overbearing nor negligent. I had to take it into my own hands to go over the BSRs, learn to pack, get someone to watch my landings, etc. I'm not sure how I'd react if I was AFF'ed and jumped out of a plane on my own rig on my first jump.

Concerning money, one of the head instructors flat out said that the school will not hold anyone back to make more money.

[pilotdave 0]

Your DZ is basically doing the old AFF program, and adding 3 tandems. Just for a comparison, an ISP AFF program would include more jumps with instructors (I can't remember how many jumps are in each category A through E, but at least 10 total?). Category F ends with two hop n' pops... 5500 and 3500. Then once a student has demonstrated that they can save their own life including in a low exit, they move on to coach jumps. Categories G and H are where they transition from life saving skills to group flying skills. It's usually 5 or 6 jumps... or as many as it takes to demonstrate the skills and fill the 4-page yellow card.

It's easy to see that an ISP AFF student will probably have a bit more experience at 25 jumps than a student that went through an older style AFF program, even though their jump numbers might be the same. They will probably have far fewer solos when they get their license (a good thing, in my opinion).

But all those instructional jumps aren't cheap.

Dave

[kelpdiver 2]

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I don't think my progression was overbearing nor negligent.

At this point, how would you know?

I think one way you know it's the old system is that the student typically does the HnP on jump 25 (or in my case, when I got around to it a few jumps later).

The nice part about the 'graduation' after AFF7 is you get to do a few fun jumps before getting back to the 'work' of doing skills for an instructor/coach. But you are left to your own to get someone to check off the various items on the sheet. While more expensive, a good part about Skydance having AFF-Is doing the coach jumps is that they would actively go through the sheet with you. Can a coach sign off anything, or just the two way skills?

[jsreznor 0]

I guess I should have explained more thoroughly. The instructor jumps go through the core skills of stability, heading, turns in both directions, barrel rolls, tracking, poised exits, etc.. A student has to show proficiency in these areas before being cleared for solos.

The three coach jumps emphasize some of the other requirements on the proficiency card, like two group jumps where docking is required. If I remember correctly, there are front float, rear float, and diving exits, relative upward and downward movements with a coach, plus the check dive. I think there are some other things but they escape me right now.

All the sky skills are spelled out for the student, but things like landing patterns, spotting, safety stuff, packing...the student has to be proactive and learn for themselves from instructors, coaches, packers, etc.

And from my experience, the only thing my coaches signed off on were my log book entries for the umps I did with them. The instructors were the ones to sign off on the card.

[ozzy13 0]

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I don't think my progression was overbearing nor negligent.

Can a coach sign off anything, or just the two way skills?

It depends on the card you are using. If its the 4 part card then Yes a coach can sign off on some parts of that card. If its the two sided card only a instructor can sign off on that card

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[pilotdave 0]

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All the sky skills are spelled out for the student, but things like landing patterns, spotting, safety stuff, packing...the student has to be proactive and learn for themselves from instructors, coaches, packers, etc.

Thanks for reminding me what I left off of my comparison of the AFF programs. EVERY jump in the ISP has particular canopy skills to work on. 6+ coach jumps vs. 3 means an awful lot of difference in required canopy training.

Also, all those required tandems at your DZ have a negative effect that I've seen over and over and over again there. AFF students land on their asses more than on their feet. It's so drilled in on tandems that it becomes natural. It's also a great way to break a tailbone when you don't have an experienced tandem instructor helping out.

Dave