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Mech2321

Metro Detroit Instructors?

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Are there any Metro Detroit instructors that would be willing to work with me one on one for training for the A license? The reason I'm asking is because I'd like to obtain a parachute license but Saturday is the only day I get off work. It's late in the season and all of the drop zones around here stop training in October. From what I understand there are no regulations or rules against training beyond October it's just most people are not interested in doing it because of the cold weather. I'm a truck driver. I'm use to and have driven in all sorts of weird and bizarre weather conditions from category 1 hurricanes, to white out conditions, dust storms, black out conditions out west due to to forest fires, freezing rain, 40 below zero temps in Canada, etc, etc. I'm not worried about cold air. I know it gets cold up there but I'm willing to keep going with the training if someone is also wiling to do it. I will have to go through the entire schooling from ground school through all of the AFF jumps. So I'd need at least the two instructors for the beginning. I'm hoping to get through most of the jumps before October so I can continue with just a coach after that. Thanks

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I am admittedly a bit confused. You're focused on the cold more so than the training. You've acknowledged the main reason why DZs aren't open past October up north and I doubt they're going to open past that for one person. Having said that; It's just July. If you're that motivated - any of the following DZ's will do their best to help you to get your "A" License by the end of the season.

http://www.dropzone.com/dropzone/North_America/United_States/Michigan/index.html
Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

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Had issues with Tecumseh. The entire ground school was nothing but they guy reading the entire 270 plus page USPA manual for 8 hours, which is available for free online from the USPA. I paid $200 for someone to read a book to me, that's available for free? Six hours into the course I started falling asleep. I asked for my money back.

Midwest Free Fall doesn't return calls or emails. I actually finally got through to one guy and he was supposed to call me back. Never did. I call, leave messages with the receptionist, nothing.

The rest of those drop zones are a three hour drive or more.

I was hoping for an independent instructor more less because I'm short $3000 and 2 weeks off work to be able to "cram" the entire course. If weather was perfect, which it's not as this is Michigan, someone could do all 25 jumps in one week. So between the money issue and time constraints, this is something that would take months to finish. It puts it potentially passed October. Every drop zone I've talked to said they shut down in October.

If this is the response I'm going to get from local drop zones in Michigan and I have to save up the money to pay for it all at once and take two weeks off work to do it, then I'll just take the two weeks off next year and go to the Dallas TX Spaceland drop zone as what I've seen looks very impressive.

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Quote

take the two weeks off next year and go to the Dallas TX Spaceland drop zone as what I've seen looks very impressive.



Many have good things to say about both Spacelands. Sounds like a plan.
Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

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There is no such thing as an independent instructor - most work for a dropzone indirectly and therefor only jump when a DZ is open.

Doing student jumps in the winter sucks for the student. The lack of students means that DZ's don't have work so they shut down. They may stay open a few weeks longer if the weather is good but usually at Thanksgiving everything north of the Ohio River is shut down for most meaningful student operations until March or so. You will find some still doing jumps here and there but its more of on an appointment thing only.

If the two DZ's near you are not fitting your needs then you will need to go to the next DZ that works.

The AFF course is long, its boring, but they are there to make sure you actually understand the book and to cover them that they actually taught you those parts so that if you screw up and die on your first jump they are covered more on the liability side that since they followed their standard procedures they are better protected. Average ground course when I taught it was 6+ hours and 80% of it was material in the SIM.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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There are places that will work with ya. However, what yer experiencing (not the 1st time I've heard any of that), is unfortunately, not unusual. There's always 3 sides to any story so, we do need to keep that in mind. SL does a have good program. They copied it from Roger Nelson who built Skydive Chicago. They also use the same A in a week program. That wude be my suggestion rather than traveling all the way to texas. I run a small DZ in that state and I've had students achieve that in less than a week. It helped that they had a full bowl of Wheaties each morning...

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I talked to Bob through email. Bob and Marry, correct? I have no problem with doing the training in Canada. You know, as serious about safety as Canadians are about everything I'd almost feel better about it anyway. Is this Bob or one of his instructors? He told me he didn't know if it would be a good idea because he gets booked up pretty solid and because he has a smaller, slower air plane it can take all day waiting for the jump and with this regions unpredictable weather it could create a lengthy training program.

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I get that. I understand about the liability and etc. There's only so much that the school and instructors can do. This is pretty a much a sport where your fate is 100 percent in your own hands and even with instructor assistance there are many things that can still go wrong that leaves the student to have to take the corrective actions to save themselves.

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Hey Barron. You're right. I know it's been about a week since you replied (busy work schedule on my end) but I looked up Chicago and it's the same program as Spaceland. At this point, every option I'm looking at is going to be a 3 or 4 hour drive anyway so I'll start looking into Chicago. IFLY Chicago is also the closest wind tunnel to me which I wanted to get some practice in on before starting any AFF jumps. I thank you for the information sir.

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