How much should I look to expect to pay for this?

[tae 0]

I have just recently started jumping the static line program, and I am up for my first freefall this weekend. But I don't understand all the programs that I have to go through. There's the AFF and the progressive freefall programs, and I don't really understand which ones it is or how much I will have to spend to get my A liscense. So how much should I look to spend before it starts to get any cheaper for me to jump?

[Billy 0]

Well between Beer and jumps,, the program depends on you local DZ,, ask them,, ta get your A license just plan on at least $1000-1500,, but it wont matter,, cuz then ya just spend whatever ya got available and start sellin shit ta jump again,, buy gear,,, start lookin for a job closer ta the DZ,,, sell the house,, run up the credit cards,, ruin your credit,, butt yea,, ya won't regret any of it!! Hope this helps,,,
Blues and Sweet Dreams
B

[lazerq3 0]

Here is my money break down ...hope this helps:
AFP (2 tandems/ 5 solos):910$ (40$discount if paid at once)
Coach Jump: with rental and ticket 54$
Jumps 9-16: with rental and ticket 272$
Bought own gear: A lot of moneyJumps 17-22: own gear 14$ tickets = 84$
A-licence and member ship fees: 66$ (20 for lic 46 for membership)
total to get A-lic : 1383$ WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!!!
Jason

[PalmettoTiger 1]

By rough figuring, I have spent $3600 directly on skydiving since I started a year ago. This doesn't include gas money, lost wages from "sick days," lost future earnings from studying I blew off in favor of skydiving, etc. etc. .
It does include my AFF program (I had 3 repeats, 1 due to brainlock and 2 due to long layoffs), subsequent jump tickets, my gear - all of which I bought used - and the cases of beer I owed. I don't have an A license yet, but expect to get it by the end of the summer for the cost of 8 more jump tixx and a few cases of beer.
WORTH EVERY PENNY.
Blues, Squares,
PTiger
*insert sub-100 character sig here*

[PalmettoTiger 1]

Uh, Jason, you might want to run through that math again. Blues, Squares,
PTiger
*insert sub-100 character sig here*

[lazerq3 0]

Quote

Uh, Jason, you might want to run through that math again.

Whats wrong with the math.....without counting my gear thats what I paid to get up to my A lic
jason

[PalmettoTiger 1]

Quote

without counting my gear thats what I paid to get up to my A lic

Oh, I thought you were including gear. I figured you either made a math error or got a really sweet deal on the gear.
Blues, Squares,
PTiger
*insert sub-100 character sig here*

[mouth 0]

$150 for your first jump and half your paycheck for the rest of your life!
WORTH EVERY PENNY

[PhillyKev 0]

Mine's AFP:
Tandem 1 = 185
Tandems 2 & 3 = $165/each
AFP 1-7 = $165/each
Hi solo = $60
Low solo = $60
I think that's it. Up to AFP 6 right now. Then I'm going to do a few jumps with Skydive U at $70 a pop. Probably do 10 of them. Then there's packing lessons at $12/hour...figuring on 3 hours.
So for all of the above, total is $2526...plus about 4 grand for equipment.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin
Oh yeah...forgot the $100 for ground school, that's $2626, not including gear rental. Putting down $4000 deposit on new gear at Square3 and getting 6 months free rentals.
Edited by PhillyKev on 7/5/01 06:16 PM.

[Michele 1]

AFF to A license at Perris goes like this:
level 1: $309 (includes 4-5 hours ground school)
level 2 & 3: 185.00 each
level 4-8: 165.00 each
USPA membership: $46 (required at level 4)
(Video $75 per jump: optional but seriously recommended -no one believes you unless you have photographic evidence)
Then there's the RW coaching w/Skydive U: 3 jumps at $80 each.
And then an additional 9 jumps at $19 per ticket (weekends. it's $17 on weekdays: $171.00 total for tickets.
Then, since you generally rent gear for a while, it is $65 a day for gear, and then the packing costs (I'm ont there yet, so I don't know, and so I'm not figuring it in). Assuming it takes 3 days to accumulate the additional coaching and required jumps (total of 12 additional jumps), gear rental is +/- $195.
Licensing fees: $20
Grand total: $2176 (no video, no repeat of any AFF level).
And worth a million times as much each time I jump.
ciel bleu -
Michele

[Albatross 0]

Don't forget learning how to pack if you need to pay for that. Having a mal sukc but having a mall that someone else packs is worse.
Ready, Set, GOOOOOOO
Albatross

[Aviatrr 0]

Quote

Don't forget learning how to pack if you need to pay for that. Having a mal sukc but having a mall that someone else packs is worse.

Unfortunately, this is all too common.. Paying for "packing lessons" is a damn joke in my opinion.. People should not be charging for this.. Somebody spends $1000-1500 to get off student status, and then is charged even more to learn a basic fundamental - THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAUGHT IN THE INITIAL STUDENT TRAINING!
Mike

[PhillyKev 0]

I agree about paying for it....but you gotta remember, pretty much everyone at the dz is working for themselves. If it weren't for the bit of extra income that the riggers can make giving packing lessons, then it might not be worthwhile for them to do that job. I'm just assuming, 'cause I really don't know how much they make. But if you can find someone to show you for free, go for it. Otherwise I don't think a few bucks an hour is too much to ask for their time. You could always buy a video, too.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

[wildblue 4]

Quote

Tandem 1 = 185
Tandems 2 & 3 = $165/each
AFP 1-7 = $165/each
Hi solo = $60
Low solo = $60

The feeling you get flying through the sky at over 120 mph = priceless
(someone had to do it)

[lazerq3 0]

Damn ...I must of lucked out. My packing class consisted of me asking one of our packers "hey can you help me"?. she said sure. I went through the motions but she pretty much packed it.I paid her. Then after that my second pack job another guy went over the diff parts of the chute and how to recognize them as I packed it. From there I just packed it and if I had a ??? or a problem one of the packers would come over and help me. Even now 14 pack jobs later (with no mals) I still may have a question once in a while and thats been it. I think a lot of it is just in the confidence you have in your self. The more I pack the more confidence I have just dont just dont confuss confidence with complacencey!!
jason

[JeffGordon 0]

At Skydive Walterboro packing is taught as part of the regular student progression.

[skymedic 0]

I had this guy Mike Mier from sebastian (he's at the ranch now) teach me. when I offered to pay he looked at me funny. this guy had packed chutes for 8 hours then took another three hours of his own time to teach me how to pack this monster 280 navigator. He is a great guy!!! and an example of what skydivers are.
marc
I also agree that this should be taught during progression...
Marc

[spectre230 0]

[mouth 0]

I learned during AFF...everyone would help me and then we would pull it out and do it all over again. Perry T wouldn't sign off until I jumped one I had packed....scary.
Now they are doing a "packing class" that they charge for. If I hadn't packed myself a mal I would take those newbies and show them how to do it, but since I screwed up I don't think I am qualified.

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

This is how club jumpers get over so much more cheaply:
$200- SL FJC (includes USPA membership, goggles, logbook, ALL training, and first weekend's gear rental
$12 each- Jumps A thru E (SL and PRCPs), all freefalls up to the 2nd 15-second delay.
$17- 2nd 15 second delay
$36 each- 2 30-second delays, 3 45-second delays, and the few required "coach jumps" needed for A-license
$35- Gear rental for each ENTIRE weekend (or $10 for a weekday). This includes a brand-new Quasar II rig (with Cypres), Michigan jumpsuit, Alti II, Protec or Aviator helmet, and a kitbag to put it all in.
Not a bad deal, huh?

you decide
That kicks ass! Where do I sign up?
Nice, but I can do better
SL is yucky! I don't care how cheap it is
Whuffo you jump outa airplanes?

Aircraft? C-182 for everything up to and including 15-second delays, then right into the Super Otter and up to 13,000 feet for everything else. Extra costs that most people get hosed with at other DZ's, like packing classes, RW coaching, etc? Free here. Raeford, North Carolina, USA.
Chuck Blue
D-12501
SL-I, TM-I
King of all Skymonkeys

[axe96bam 0]

you are looking at about a grand for the program plus all your gear and plus all the beer you will owe. My take is that the first $5,000 hurt and than it gets easier.

[mountainman 0]

Laura and I just bought the full AFF program plus all coach jumps to equal 20 jumps and the requirements for A license. We paid $1661 each. That includes gear, instructors, and jump tickets for all 20 jumps.
We've only done one jump each so far, but it should SCHWEET!!!
MORE SKYDIVING PHOTOS ADDED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/

[Emma 0]

Huh. Makes me sick. In England you are looking at about £1,300 just for AFF with no rejumps, and then you pay about £16 per jump ticket.
Mind you, I NEVER paid for a packing lesson. I think that's outrageous! We pay £4 for a pack job but our packers are so busy it's worth their while teaching us for free just to get us off their backs!
I must have spent at least £6,000 on skydiving this last year, if you include AFF, gear and jumps. Wow. That scares me because it has now become a cost I have to incorporate into my annual spend plans for THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!! AAAARRRGHHHHHH!!!!!! NO ESCAPE!!!!!!
Have a nice weekend, I'm off to spend lots of money on lots of altitude, hopefully.
Ciao
emma

[Slowfaller 0]

Broken down the AFP program at Skydive Chicago for all of you to see and for my parents not to see how much money I sank into my dream.
1st tandem= $139 ( Organized a group of 8 for a discount )
2nd tandem= $159
Gound School, AFP 1, AFP 2= $390
AFP 3, AFP 4, AFP 5 = $390
AFP 6, AFP 7, AFP 8 = $390
Packing Class = $30
AFP 8, AFP 10, AFP 11 = $390
AFP 12, AFP 13, AFP 14 = $335
AFP 15, AFP 16, AFP 17 = $180 ( 2 LALO, 1 HALO )
AFP 18 ( Graduation jump ) = FREE!!
Membership to U.S.P.A. = $46
A license test = $5
A-38080 = $20 ( In July's Parachutist!!! )
Video of EVERY AFP jump = FREE!!!
For a Grand Total of $2,074 and a helluvalotta fun!!
Blue skies, cold beer
Chris
PS. All in that order
Edited by Slowfaller on 7/6/01 11:03 AM.

[axe96bam 0]

Chris,
your program sounds a lot like the new ISP. Well, I guess Roger did have a big part in developing the new ISP so that explains a lot. I just wonder how much is too much for students to pay in order to get off student status? I think there is a price where we will push lots of people away? What do others think of this?