A-License course in Western Australia - Dropzone Recommendations???

[ruoimama 0]

Hi all,

I am looking for a drop zone in Western Australia (around Perth) for AFF, then the A license.
There are a lot of drop zones in Western Australia. Do you recommend any ones?

Plus, is it possible to get the A license in 2 weeks or 2 weeks is enough for AFF only?

Thanks for your advice.

[ouch 0]

They are all APF drop zones (Australian Parachute Federation) so they all meet the same high standards for safety and training.

Perhaps you could ring them and see what feel you get for the place. How much sport jumping do they do? (A lot of DZs have a very high focus on tandems.) How many student courses do they run? What facilities do they have for students who stay on-site during their training? These answers might help you decide.

You'd also want to consider what happens after you finish your A licence. How far away from your home is this DZ? What priority do they have for continuation students and novices after they have finished the basic AFF course.

If the weather is good and if the DZ has the right aircraft, staff and attitude, you could certainly complete your A licence in 2 weeks. However, be prepared for some variables, like poor weather or your own progression rate not being as fast as you want it to be. You might have to repeat a jump or two to pass the stage.

Picking up the phone might help in this situation. You'll need to get a feel of where you'd fit in best.

[Farva. 0]

York. Pinjarra has all but shut down, Jurien bay will be too windy for you as a beginner. York has a good new crowd coming through, lots of disciplines practiced there, good bunking facilities, and free gear hire til B license if I remember correctly.

"Many of us will die along this path; that is inevitable. As long as we remember the truth, that we all eventually die, such acts are justified in the grand scheme of things. To live is to risk dying"

[hcsvader 1]

Jurien Bay or York are pretty much your only real options if your looking to do your course quickly.
You should be able to complete your AFF in one week at either dropzone if the weather is favourable. Both have facilities where you can stay on the dropzone while you complete your training.
Both dropzones run cessna caravans.

Jurien bay operates 7 days a week, is a beautiful coastal location and is located right in town so getting to the shops etc is easy. They will stop doing AFF training in Oct or Nov as the summer winds are often too high for student training.

York operates 5 days a week, closed tues and wed. Has some of the best facilities in Australia, is located about 7km from the nearest town so its a good idea to have a car available.

Either dropzone is a great option for completing your AFF. Completing your A certificate in 2 weeks is possible but I would depend on a combination of your progression, weather conditions and how busy the DZ happens to be while you are there.

Have you seen my pants?
it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream
>:)

[ruoimama 0]

Thanks for your suggestion.
After doing some careful research on the Internet, I also shorten the list to York & Jurien Bay.
It has been quite difficult to contact York via email recently (I am in Vietnam, hence more convenient to ask about the course via email). It seems that there are no one there to reply to my emails.

Given that Jurien Bay includes more wind tunnel training (20 mins) and 15 jumps in total to get the A certificate, I might go for Jurien Bay.

Just one thing I still consider. 15 jumps for the A certificate is too few.

[hcsvader 1]

Jurien bay is a good choice, but as I said it depends on what time of year you plan on doing the course. Im sure they will let you know about this.
They are very good at catering to international students. Enjoy!

Have you seen my pants?
it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream
>:)