AFF courses abroard

[Genty234 0]

Hello all

I'm looking to do an AFF course abroad (possibly Latvia maybe even Johannesburg SA) however I was wondering if the license I obtain from it is internationally recognized? I know the requirements, ie the amount of jumps needed to be completed, in order to obtain an A license differs from country to country. I am just unsure whether some dropzones, particularly uk ones, are fussy about that kind of thing? Any info would be much appreciated!

[Joellercoaster 6]

In short, they are fussy about that kind of thing. Some of them are fussier than others, but if you intend to jump in the UK and you're a UK resident, you will need a BPA A licence.

A BPA A licence, in turn, needs to be signed off by a BPA Advanced Instructor. You can either convert another association's licence (sometimes painful), or train at a dropzone that has one of these people.

The good news is that there are places around that do, including (but certainly not limited to) Skydive Spain, Skydive Empuriabrava (both Spain), Skydive Algarve (Portugal), Perris (USA)... I am pretty sure that France and Germany also have dropzones with BPA AIs.

There are other options - you can train abroad and then come home to get licenced with your logbook and video (somewhat painful but it's what I did), or get a USPA licence and jump abroad exclusively (there are people who do this, but I feel like they miss out on the local community part).

You'll have to do some research.

[edit: outside the UK, the USPA qualification (and actually most national associations' qualification) is/are generally recognised and you can get one in many places. Even in the UK, USPA members who aren't UK residents can jump. The difficulty starts when you live there; they tend to require you to be in the BPA system. You'll need a good idea from the dropzone you intend to train at, as to what you will end up with. And then you should talk to the DZ you plan to jump at in the UK (if any) and see what they will want. People training overseas is common, don't get me wrong, but in the end it's up to the CI where you'll be jumping.]

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[Genty234 0]

Thanks for the info! Thats a shame but that's exactly what I needed to know. Many thanks[:)

[obelixtim 100]

Don't bother with jumping in the UK.

It is the mission of the old boys club who run jumping there to make skydiving as difficult as possible. They will put as many obstacles as possible in your way to stop you enjoying yourself, as well as extracting as much cash from you as they can.

For skydiving its the most negative place in the world.

Go to Spain.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[skydog 2]

What a load of horse crap....... Don't listen to someone who hasn't been to the uk sInce the late 1800's.

Plenty of places in Spain with bpa AI's. Also look at the FFU at skydive madrid.

Journey not destination.....

[Russell_Jones 0]

If you're really set on doing AFf abroad, and given the weather in the UK , why wouldn't you? I would try to find a UK instructor who takes groups abroad. Even better if that instructor is based at your soon-to-be home DZ. That way you get the benefits of learning in the sun with a good intro back at home.

I did AFf in Spain and had 6 unjumpable days and 5 days that were only for experienced jumpers out of 15 days in the country. In the same time a DZ in the UK had 12 jumpable days. While you have better chances of good weather abroad it's still random wherever you are.

[obelixtim 100]

Yawn.....

I live in London.

Spend a lot of time in Spain. Instructors there I talk to, seem to agree with me.

People go to Spain to jump when its made too difficult to jump in the UK. And meet lots of others who tell the same story. As do lots of UK citizens I've trained outside the UK. I've been watching the BPA for 40 years now. Yet to be impressed.

And I've been to more than a few DZs in the UK and seen the incompetance first hand. It stands out compared to other countries I've jumped in.

Denial is not a river in Africa.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[Joellercoaster 6]

And yet thousands of people jump here for fun (and not profit), despite the obvious nearness and relative cheapness of Spain, Portugal, Czech and so on, and despite the incompetent, officious BPA and the bloodsucking British DZOs.

We must all be insane.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[obelixtim 100]

Joellercoaster

And yet thousands of people jump here for fun (and not profit), despite the obvious nearness and relative cheapness of Spain, Portugal, Czech and so on, and despite the incompetent, officious BPA and the bloodsucking British DZOs.

We must all be insane.

Lions led by donkeys.

There are probably thousands more who don't, but of course you'll never know that, because they vote with their feet.

I'm only saying what I've seen over 40 years. And I'm talking about the BPA specifically. Not British jumpers in general.

What do you think would happen if another entity was approved to conduct skydiving in the UK in opposition to the BPA?

It needs to happen, and there is no reason it couldn't be done.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....