Where to get A-Certified Cheaply

[kgp4death 0]

there is a place around here that has the package for 2800$ but there must be other places that i can do it much cheaper (I am in RI, USA). I have like 4 tandem dives in over years, and would like to take the next step. There is a place in Chicago which is $2,599 to do it in a week with free campsite use for a week......I think i have seen a place that is 1799$ too but can't find it again......any suggestions?......Where would you get your license?

[DeNReN 0]

Why scrimp on learning a sport that will cost you half of your pay check for the rest of your life?

[AggieDave 6]

With the rates all very similar across the country, I would worry more about finding a dropzone that has an instructors that you connect with and a DZ that you feel welcome at. You will be spending a lot of time at that DZ while you get your rating (even with the "in a week" offers, since weather is a factor), so make sure you fit.

Go visit some of the DZs you're interested in and see if you like them, the people, etc.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[kgp4death 0]

hum....maybe i am missing something why would it take so much money to be a member of uspa, thanks for any info you provide.....(to the half of you paycheck for the rest of your life comment)

[Harmless 0]

Check out Skydive the Farm in Rockmart, GA

I believe they have a $1800 AFF A-License package.

If money is really an issue, find someplace that does static-line or IAD instead of AFF. Can usually get your license for around the same cost as 7 AFF jumps. At Skydive Opelika it comes to ~$1200.

"Damn you Gravity, you win again"

[ufk22 32]

If cost is a major factor, find a Static line/Cessna/club drop zone. If you want to come up to Fargo, ND, you can go through our program and get to 30 jumps for about $1500

This is the paradox of skydiving. We do something very dangerous, expose ourselves to a totally unnecesary risk, and then spend our time trying to make it safer.

[Jbag 0]

Lodi, Ca will be your cheapest bet in the country...not sure of the exact rate but it is. the DZ is not a USPA DZ but the instructors are USPA AFF-I rated and thus you are able to take the A-license stamp and send it in for a rating, Bill Dause just doesnt like USPA.

IHYD

[AggieDave 6]

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hum....maybe i am missing something why would it take so much money to be a member of uspa, thanks for any info you provide.....(to the half of you paycheck for the rest of your life comment)

Its a tongue in cheek comment about how much people end up spending on skydiving. That is due to becoming very involved in the sport because of the level of enjoyment it brings to its participants.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[regulator 0]

Skydive Spaceland offers A license in a week for $2,010.00 in 2010. Its an excellent drop zone several very nice aircraft (as in two Super Otters, A C182, and a Skyvan. But I will admit its a bit of a drive from RI.

[diablopilot 2]

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Lodi, Ca will be your cheapest bet in the country...not sure of the exact rate but it is. the DZ is not a USPA DZ but the instructors are USPA AFF-I rated and thus you are able to take the A-license stamp and send it in for a rating, Bill Dause just doesnt like USPA.

Not all of them.

And you could shop around but there is the cost of getting and staying there.....

Of course I always look for budget rates when finding my brain surgeon.....

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[kgp4death 0]

Hum Lodi, CA seems to be by far the cheapest (if i read the website correctly) and I like the against "the man" style. Also got family in Sacramento so if it is close it might be just the right fit.

[scratch69 0]

Sounds like a future candidate for :

1) wingsuiting too early
2) flying camera too early
3) swooping too early
4) bounce bingo

I could be totally wrong and if so then Im just an asshole, but call it a gut feeling.

- - i was sent here to disturb the peace - -

[Andy_Copland 0]

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hum....maybe i am missing something why would it take so much money to be a member of uspa, thanks for any info you provide.....(to the half of you paycheck for the rest of your life comment)

You think USPA is expensive? You should see other countries.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[StangMan90 0]

"Hum Lodi, CA seems to be by far the cheapest (if i read the website correctly) and I like the against 'the man' style. Also got family in Sacramento so if it is close it might be just the right fit. "

_________________________________

Personally, I like where I'm taking instruction: SkyDance Skydiving in Davis (near Sacramento) is USPA Training Center, and when it comes to placing my life in someone's hands, I'll go with "the man" any day. The A-License package there is $2,000. So far, it has been great for me and I always feel safe. I have not had a single problem of any kind with any of my instructors. Somehow, I wouldn't want to compromise that secure feeling just to save a little money. Plus, they fly what has proven to be the most stable platform for skydiving (PAC 750), and I haven't heard of any aircraft incidents or certification problems there. Do a bit more "digging" before you make your decision.

But that's just how I feel. Your need to save money is understandable and some compromises are inevitable (e.g., entry-level versus bells-and-whistles gear). Skydiving isn't cheap, but as with everything, there is no substitute for goods and services that are officially certified for their high quality, especially when one's life is at stake.

Good luck with your final decision.

Joe

simplify

[peek 20]

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...there is no substitute for goods and services that are officially certified for their high quality...

Joe, what goods and services are you referring to that are officially certified?

[skyjumpenfool 2]

If you're looking for cheap, skydiving may not be for you. I hear you can bowl 10 frames for under $3 on Wednesday nites? Or, just do a Yahoo search for "boring shit". Yep that'll work.

Otherwise, find a reputable DZ near your home and take it one jump at a time. Ohh! And, welcome to the sport.

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[StangMan90 0]

"Joe, what goods and services are you referring to that are officially certified?"

__________________________

"Officially certified" is probably the wrong term. Fair enough. But to explain, when I choose a doctor, I go with the best AMA Board-Certified one I can find (credentials). When I choose a vehicle, I check out the official safety ratings. If I need an attorney, I don't do price comparisons and go with the cheapest one, I go with the best I can afford (again, credentials). When I get my taxes done, I don't rely on "professional" tax preparers who work out of their homes, I go with proven professionals with real offices. I go with the best verifiable quality I can afford and I'm rarely disappointed with my choices. But that's just me.

But hopefully this answers your question. From the USPA website: "No organization rates the relative safety of skydiving schools, but USPA Group Member skydiving centers have pledged to follow USPA Basic Safety Requirements, including providing USPA-developed first-jump courses, using current USPA-rated instructors and providing USPA-required skydiving equipment." Do those qualify as goods and services?

USPA Group Membership represents a valid credentialing source for licensing, and whatever you want to call them, their safety and training standards are worthy of a pledge of adherence. I'm not a gambler, I'm a beginner, and even if the "USPA TC" designation is just an unnecessary placebo, as some might believe, so be it. I just know that right now, for me, it helps me feel more secure, comfortable and relaxed with my training. Now, do your best to try to convince me that's a bad thing.

Joe

simplify

[headoverheels 291]

I second the opinion to find a local DZ. There, you can meet jumpers from whom you can continue to learn, and find other jumpers with whom to skydive.

OTOH, maybe you do it as a road trip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J6UgV_ZzJQ&feature=related

[davelepka 4]

There's a few problems with your approach to this. Let's just assume that all DZs are created equal, and that you will recieve the same level of training at any of them.

The travel cost is a big one. From RI, to fly or drive to Chicago, CA, or GA, will cost you a few hundred bucks. On top of that, even with free lodging (or camping) you can add another $100 or so for 'incidentals'.

Next up, the biggie, is the weather. If you plan to finish in a week, one average size low pressure system could shut down the DZ for 2 or 3 days, which is a big hunk of a week. Add to that the busy weekend days, when all the students will be looking to jump, and your 'week' may turn into 12 days, or two weeks. If you have to change a return flight home, that adds to the cost.

Consider the human factor. The training program is not 25 jumps, it's 25 levels, all of which you have to pass. If you fail one, you repeat it until you pass. You will pay the going rate for repeat levels on top of your package price. If you're tyring to finish on a schedule, you're chance for pushing yourself and needing to repeat levels only goes up.

Here's what you really miss, having a home DZ. Once you are a licensed skydiver, you will be spending two or more day a week at a DZ near your home for 8 months out of the year. If you do your training there, the staff will get to know you and be able to help you well beyond your A license. If you show up with an A, you miss out on that relationship with the staff, and the benefits it can bring.

Which brings me to my real point, the package deals are great for local jumpers looking to get a license. You pay for the package up front to get the good deal, and then progress at your pace. If it rains two weekends in a row, no biggie, you'll be there the third weekend (and Wed after work the day the sun shines again).

Visit the local DZs, and see where you think you'd like to spend your future as a skydiver. Pick the one that feels right to you, and then worry about the costs. If they don't want to cut you a deal on a package, just pay as you go. It will take you a month to get through your training, and you can just pay per jump. (Hint - this time of year, up the Northeast, even a DZ that doesn't advertise a package would have a hard time turning down $2K or so in cold hard cash. Seasonal DZ don't make dick in the winter, so if you can get them when the cash flow is a trickle, and shove a lump-sum in their face, you may find that they do indeed have a 'package price'. Try to deal directly with the drop zone owner)

In the skydiving world, the kind of money you might save by finding a 'deal' and traveling to it, is very little. If you can save yourself $300 or $400, you might think you did well, but that kind on money can vanish in an average weekend at the DZ. Figure $20 for gas to drive there and back, $40 bucks for food/beer, and you have enough left for 6 to 7 seven jumps a day for Sat/Sun (about average for the 'weekend warrior'). Add in a couple of pack jobs (jumpers get lazy), and if you factor in the depreciation on your gear, and the maintenence costs, you just spent all the money you 'saved' in 48 hours, and there's another weekend 5 days away.

In the grand scheme of things, you're not going to save much chasing a deal around the country. Stay local, learn at your own pace, make some solid connections at local DZs, and (as previously mentioned) kiss your paycheck goodbye for the near future (once you drop $3k on training, you need min. $3k worth of gear to show up and blow $300/weekend at the DZ). It's worth every penny.

[kgp4death 0]

So finding a home dz is more important than just wacking out the cert at the cheapest place.......It maybe just my "online shopper" coming through always looking for a cheapest place to buy stuff. Has worked out for me in the past, maybe not this time though.....

[AggieDave 6]

Getting your A-license is the beginning of learning. By making it that far you have proven that you can skydive by your self and save your life, that you have some very basic freefall skills and can generally fly your canopy to a landing area.

The real learning begins once you're done with your A. Generating a good relationship with up-jumpers (experienced jumpers) at your home DZ will help you learn and grow in this sport.

This sport is very social (hence the website and huge forums, right) and you'll understand this once you're standing around after the beer light chatting with your fellow jumpers at your home DZ.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[thrillstalker 0]

i just got my a license at skydive the farm. plenty of space to camp on the 55acre farm plus they have a bunk house. 1800$ get you 25 jumps and all gear, including your aff, 4 coach jumps, and pack jobs. all you have to do is show up and be ready to jump.

highly recommended by me and a lot of other people on here.

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."

[ridestrong 1]

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Sounds like a future candidate for :

1) wingsuiting too early
2) flying camera too early
3) swooping too early
4) bounce bingo

I could be totally wrong and if so then Im just an asshole, but call it a gut feeling.

The guy is just looking for an "A" cert course, many of which are offered, but congrats on being the first to have a gut feeling. I'd say you got one thing right tho...

*I am not afraid of dying... I am afraid of missing life.*
----Disclaimer: I don't know shit about skydiving.----

[davelepka 4]

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It maybe just my "online shopper" coming through always looking for a cheapest place to buy stuff. Has worked out for me in the past, maybe not this time though.....

The cheapest is rarely the best. In many cases, you don't need the best, just 'good enough', like a TV, or a DVD player. You're not hosting the opening night for 'Ironman 2', you just want to watch TV at your home. Even then, every Sony XB42 tv is going to be the same, so find the lowest price.

With skydiving training, however, the final product you are seeking is the ability to preserve your life, and in that case you do want the best.

The training you will recieve at most USPA DZs will be very similar and of a high caliber. The difference is that if are trying to catch a deal, and pound out an A license in a week, you're pressured to do so.

Part of the quality of your training will be you. How you feel, how you want to progress, what you are comfortable with. If you're tired one day at the DZ, even if you planned on two jumps, being able to call it a day after the first jump is a big advantage, there's always next week.

Which brings up another point, the more time you spend at the DZ, around skydivers, seeing how the whole thing works, the better off you are. More trips to the DZ equals more exposure to more jumpers, and more unique circumstances. All of these things will benefit you in the end.

Getting the A license is not a 'hurdle' you jump over and now you're a skydiver. It's the first step in a never ending process of learning. It's not something you knock out to get to the good stuff, it is the good stuff.

Take it one jump at a time. If a local DZ wants to cut you a deal, by all means take it and pay for it all up front, but after that forget about anything beyond your next jump. Until you safely complete jump 1, jump #2 is theoretical at best, and not worthy of your time.

Try this - make one AFF jump at a local DZ, and see what you think then. You'll have a much better idea of what's involved, and if you think that hunting down the bottom dollar to punch out the training in a week is a good idea, then go for it. Otherwise, tell the DZO you love it, and haggle yourself a good price on the rest of the A license jumps, and schedule your second jump.

[peek 20]

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"Officially certified" is probably the wrong term.

OK, I was just wanting you to know that the USPA Group Membership program does not assure anything, and that not being a Group Member does not mean a DZ is less safe.