Hey new here and to skydiving..need some advice

[robbielash10 0]

Hey everyone...new to the forums. i have done some reading in the forums and found some helpful advice. i just have a few questions of my own.
I went on my first tandem jump yesterday at skdive new england ...instantly fell in love with it. i have wanted to do it since i heard of skydiving lol. Im only 18 but can tell its something i want to pursue. Only problem is money haha, i had to scrape up enough just to get a tandem dive. I have a part time job and its summer so im trying to get as many hours as possible. Whats my best bet. Go through the AFF program, my only concern is should i save up enough just to pay for it all at once or go through it slowly. Any advice would be great. I just want to get going in the right direction.
Thanks

[dynamicedge 0]

Welcome to the skies! I personally feel that doin the whole shibang at once is better so you stay current. Having everything fresh in your memory will make getting through the AFF easier and develop your skills faster. I threw down the dough and did the whole course in one week and felt it was the best way to go. But that's just my opionion.

[robbielash10 0]

Yea thats what i was thinking lol...its just getting the money...i read in another post that packing chutes at a dz could help? lol i guess depends where you go. so if anyone has the hook-ups in the new england area...let me know lol. keep the advice coming....could use quite a bit

[taylor.freefall 0]

Just to add to that, if you save up and pay all in one go a lot of places will do a discount on a booking like that, so your money will go further.

[brucet7 0]

I did just the opposite and spread mine out over several months (in part due to money and in part due to weather). My friend and I would do one jump a weekend, then go back and read our SIMs, talk about what we learned, what was next, and get prepared.

I have friends who did the quick route. I think either way is a winner. I know I could not have done it if I had to do it in a couple of weeks. Not that rich.

POPS #10623; SOS #1672

[taylor.freefall 0]

Plus it's more exciting to get going sooner

[LongWayToFall 0]

It costs less to do it in one go. Not to mention multiple jumps in a day saves u gas money for driving to the dz....

[popsjumper 2]

You may know that USPA BSRs say that students must jump, at minimum, once every 30 days to maintain their forward progression through the training process.

There's a reason for this. It's all about retention. Both mental and physical.

I am a proponent of doing it all as quickly as possible. To answer your question, I would say save up and do the entire course all at once rather than piecemeal.

In my experience, doing it piecemeal creates problems such as:
a) forgetting what you were taught for the last jump
b) practicing incorrectly at home and developing bad habits which will need to be corrected.
c) getting discouraged and possibly losing interest if things doon't go perfectly well on your last jump
d) significant others undermining your desire to skydive.
...just to name a few.

Doing it bang-bang one behind the other helps you retain information and helps your body develop what we call "muscle memory" at a much quicker rate.

Besides, waiting between jumps creates emotional issues - that antsy anxiety of "dammit I can't wait to get back out there".


Good luck on whichever route you take.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[TheCaptain 2]

Save up your money and tackle AFF in one shot just as others have suggested. If money is an issue and it usually is get a second job, put the money from the second job a side for skydiving. I had a second job until I could earn money skydiving and then that became my second job.

Kirk
He's dead Jim

[robbielash10 0]

yea thats what i think i am going to do. what a reasonable price though for a good aff course. some dzs around here charge like $2350 for A-H and then $1500 for A-E. Also is it likely to fail a jump, or is it easy to go through it without redoing any jumps...is it true tho you can pack at the dzs for extra money or get free jumps or whatever

[wildfan75 1]

If money is an issue, why not check around and see if anyone in your area does static line progression. It will save you quite a bit of money and usually by the time you have 25 jumps, you'll be in the same place but with more money in your pocket for gear. And it costs a heckava lot less if you have to repeat a level.

Also look for club dz's with 182's. Sure you won't get to jump the pretty Otter, but you'll save more money there.

Good luck, have fun and be safe!

[Gato 0]

Quote

If money is an issue, why not check around and see if anyone in your area does static line progression. It will save you quite a bit of money and usually by the time you have 25 jumps, you'll be in the same place but with more money in your pocket for gear. And it costs a heckava lot less if you have to repeat a level.

I'm new to the sport as well, and I agree with this.

Static line progression, although considered out dated by some, is a much less expensive way to go - in the beginning of the progression. At a certain point, most methods are about $70 per jump with an instructor, however, EVERY jump in the S/L method is a "solo" jump - you're never going out the door with someone holding on. Just to give you an idea of what you might spend in the S/L progression, here's what I've spent to-date:

First jump course, including jump: $170
2 Regular S/L jumps @ $55 each: $110
3 Practice Ripcord pulls @ $55 each: $165
Hop & Pop: $55
2 Five second delays: $110
2 Ten second delays @ $70 each: $140 (Instructor jumps with you from this point on.)
20-second delay: $70
Retrains, repeated jumps: Approximately $250 (Due to weather, vehicle issues, etc.)

With all of this, I have spent about $850 - but I have 18 jumps. Compare that with how far you'd be in the AFF program, and you'll see a huge difference in jump numbers.

The phrases used by some folks, "off student status" or "cleared for solo status" are somewhat confusing, and you'll hear this in reference to some DZs progressions. Be aware that this is not the same thing as having an A license. I'm likely to get flamed for this, but as I understand it, you are a student until you're licensed, period. Again, this is how I've come to understand it, and your DZ may handle things differently.

Of course, the debate over whether it's better to go AFF or Static Line will go on for as long as they both exist. It kind-of depends on what's more important to you: Getting your A license, or just jumping. I say this because, in the beginning, I had "A license tunnel vision". That is to say, I was so focused on the idea of being able to jump when and how I want, that I forgot to just have fun on the jumps I made.

This is just my perspective - I'm having a friggin' blast, now, and I'm glad I chose the method I did. Your mileage may vary.

Stay safe and have fun!

T.I.N.S.

[robbielash10 0]

Well thanks everyone for the advice.

I think ill save up for it..ill work all summer and try to get enough so i can take the course towards the end of summer. Money will be my biggest obstacle. ill try and find other odd jobs here and there..maybe my local dz could use some help.

thanks again

[danielcroft 2]

Remembering of course that, as a student, you can't pack for anyone but yourself. Once you're licensed you can pack for others as long as there's a certified rigger watching you. The watching you could mean in the same building or standing over you making sure you're doing it right.

If you do the S/L progression, I'd suggest spending a couple of hundred dollars going to the nearest wind tunnel. That'd probably be Nashua NH but not sure.

Good luck.

[bjjman 0]

Well, I was going to mention that I'm spreading mine out for various reasons and I'm happy with the way I'm doing it, but popsjumper's post hits the nail square on the head. Hmm, maybe I should rethink my plan...

My 2 cents: I would start now if you you could jump every 30 days, rather than postpone it to some unknown time in order to get it all done at once.

edited to add the previous paragraph.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Albert Einstein

[robbielash10 0]

Yea its in Nashua..not to far from me actually 40 mins maybe. Is that just to get used to more freefall? I mostly have my mind set on AFF its just saving up for it thats all. Im working my job right now and doing some odd things here and there. ill get there eventually worse comes to worse i will just save through winter and get in the course next spring...hopefully i will get it this summer tho

[popsjumper 2]

Quote

Remembering of course that, as a student, you can't pack for anyone but yourself. Once you're licensed you can pack for others as long as there's a certified rigger watching you.

Read:
SIM Section 5-3, L.1.a
SIM Section 9-2, 7
FAR 105.43.a-b in the SIM Section 9-1
FAR 105.45.b.1 in the SIM Section 9-1.

Being a student and/or licensing has nothing to do with it.

According to U.S. regulations and requirements, the OP can learn to pack and do so "under supervision" without ever having made a jump...a good, and appreciated, way to make money.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Quote

Remembering of course that, as a student, you can't pack for anyone but yourself. Once you're licensed you can pack for others as long as there's a certified rigger watching you. The watching you could mean in the same building or standing over you making sure you're doing it right.

Nah.

The FAA allows main parachutes to be packed by the person making the jump, a rigger, or any individual supervised by a rigger.

They don't care if the uncertified individual has ever made a skydive.

At my old home DZ they hired a couple of 16 year old kids which they trained as packers. Each had a couple years working as packers under their belts before they made their first jumps.

I've heard stories about grade-school kids walking up to skydivers, asking how they liked their opening, and then informing them they packed the parachute.

The practicality of working as a packer will really vary with the DZ. Some places have lots of lazy jumpers who don't want to pack for themselves. Some places actually stop the plane between loads and wait for people to pack.

[freakflyer9999 1]

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Remembering of course that, as a student, you can't pack for anyone but yourself. Once you're licensed you can pack for others as long as there's a certified rigger watching you.

That is incorrect. You do not need any license to pack for others while under the direct supervision of a certified rigger. I have known packers who had never made a single jump. It is up to the supervising rigger to determine whether you can pack for others.

[Bertt 0]

USPA issues licenses to skydive. FAA issues riggers' certificates. Two completely different qualifications. At our DZ, a 17 year old high school student worked weekends as a packer. When he turned 18, he went thru the AFF course in one weekend. Between jumps, he packed for himself and his AFF instructors - one of whom was a certified rigger.

You don't have to outrun the bear.