if money was no option

[antifnsocial 0]

My friend wants to start AFF.

I know if I take her to my DZ she'd be well taken care of but is that the best recommendation I could make since money is not an option for her? I am just off of A and don't feel qualified to give an opinion past my own very limited experience.

I've heard of places that offer several types of planes and also tunnel combo aff packages.

From your experiences, if those of you with years of experience could offer me your advice...

if you could go back in time and not worry about either money or time or travel- then what would in your opinion be the best training package to make you a safe/ well trained/ excellent flyer.

Thanks to all who reply.

Please feel free to reply to my posts and pm's, but only if you're smart enough to understand what they really mean.

[kai2k1 0]

Skydive AZ's program, or Perris' Program with tunnel time.

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[Stacy 0]

Honestly I'd tell her to go to the DZ near her she wants to make home. Going through student training somewhere you will jump regularly starts to build friendships, etc there and it ends up being much easier to find people to jump with post-student status. Also in that respect her instructors will be there as a resource for her when those "newbie" questions coem up.

[tdog 0]

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Honestly I'd tell her to go to the DZ near her she wants to make home. Going through student training somewhere you will jump regularly starts to build friendships, etc there and it ends up being much easier to find people to jump with post-student status. Also in that respect her instructors will be there as a resource for her when those "newbie" questions coem up.

I agree, from a newbie perspective... Start at "home" to learn the basics... How to save your life... Many DZs teach that well. Plus, without the local friendships, skydiving will not be rewarding. Plus, entering a DZ at 25 jumps with an "A" will be much harder than if you got your "A" at home.

Then goto Perris or Eloy or someplace like that at around 30 jumps and get world class tunnel coaching one-on-one for 1 hour... Then do a 4way camp to build RW skills and work with a coach in the sky for many jumps. Dan BC's camps come to mind - and Pat at Perris is a wonderful tunnel coach for a newbie, speaking as a customer who used him at 25 jumps. I came home and jumped with a coach who was blown away at my improvement from Pat's coaching and the tunnel - but I just felt more in control and did not realize how much better I was until she said something.

Money IS an option for me, but I saved up, and that is what I did. It worked well and I am flying better than my peers who have not gone to the tunnel or done the camps. Ego check here, please don't think I think I am a great skydiver, I still have so much to learn and plan on going to a tunnel+jump camp at least every 9 months, or sooner if I can get the money.

[Bowen 0]

I dont have years in but this might help. I went to SDU and did the 20min. tunnel time then jumped. by watching my first jump video I think it paid off. I was stable enough for them to let go and no potato chipping. If she wants to form a good friendship with a local DZ buy gear from them and get coached jumps. Don’t forget to buy party supplies for after sunset and just hang out.

-Bowen

Retired Tunnel Instructor, Sky/Tunnel Coach

Former dealer for 2k Composites, Skysystems, Alti-2, Wings

[kelpdiver 2]

that seems like a good plan. Unless weather or the size of the local DZ means it will take longer, stay there, then go traveling!

[FFAddict 0]

I have to agree that doing AFF at your local DZ is a must.

I did AFF in Sebastian and i totally fell in love with it. The DZ is fantastic and i met people who i know would be happy to see me (or my group) come back.
And i would definately advise anybody to go there whether its for AFF if you can already jump.

But since getting back to the UK i definately feel like i have missed out on really getting to know people at my now home DZ (Hinton).
Dont get me wrong everybody i have met there is really nice but it is much harder to make friends as a qualified jumper than it is when everyjump is a beer jump.
In my experience qualifed jumpers (from just off AFF to 'skygods') love talking to excited newbies because it reminds them of when they started and all that newbie excitment definately rubbs of on all those around you.

If i could do it all again i would do AFF at my home DZ then travel, but saying that i dont think i would want to change my experience in sebastian because it was so amazing... i guess its a hard decion

[lowie 0]

IMHO if you live in a Country with dodgey weather like the UK you have to have the patience of a saint to train there so your probably better to go overseas like you did to train. As for getting to meet people there - you just have to put yourself out there. Once you have your own kit and have jumped there for a while it'll definitely seem a lot friendlier.

[riggerrob 561]

As an instructor, I really wish every student could train in the tunnel for a few minutes before doing any freefall.
I would much rather correct body position in the low-stress environment of a tunnel than the high-stress environment of freefall.
What does that make me?
... a lazy freefall instructor?

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Quote

Honestly I'd tell her to go to the DZ near her she wants to make home. Going through student training somewhere you will jump regularly starts to build friendships, etc there and it ends up being much easier to find people to jump with post-student status. Also in that respect her instructors will be there as a resource for her when those "newbie" questions coem up.

I will agree with Stacy, but with a caveat: "if they run a decent student program." There are some very nice dropzones out there, both turbine and otherwise, that run what I consider second-rate schools. "Student mills" if you will. If the school does not have a comprehensive program to take your friend all the way to the A-license level, then they are shorting you. If a school tells you that you are "done" after seven (or nine) AFF levels, then they are bullshitting you. If the school does not explain to you and use (and show you) the USPA A license proficiency card from day one of your training, then they are bullshitting you.

On the "money is no object" note: I would positively take advantage of any program that utilizes the wind tunnel for gaining fundamentals.



Chuck

[freakygirl 0]

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I went to SDU and did the 20min. tunnel time then jumped. by watching my first jump video I think it paid off. I was stable enough for them to let go and no potato chipping.

---------------------
just wondering if it was ONLY tunnel time that helps out that much or if a great tandem would work out that way too?? i did my first jump not too long ago and my TM said that i had one of the best arches he'd ever seen. obviously, that's a good thing, but would that help me progress through AFF better/faster/whatever?? i know now that b/c of that tandem i won't be nearly (if at all) as freaked out as i thought i would have been in FF and doing the tandem helped in that respect also. but my main question is does it help w/ learning stable body position?? i know not as well as the tunnel, but help none-the-less?? just curious....

[Bowen 0]

Hey,

It's not only an arch that makes you stable. you have to have the same amount of input from all limbs in order to stay in line with a good stable free fall. You can be stable (not potatoe chippping) from a good arch but are you tracking forward or back sliding or oscillating? there is more to it. some people are naturals and some never really progress. everyone is unique. I sugguest that if you have the money to travel or live within a days drive of one go. The tunnel is always a good training tool.

-Bowen

Retired Tunnel Instructor, Sky/Tunnel Coach

Former dealer for 2k Composites, Skysystems, Alti-2, Wings

[freakygirl 0]

yeah, i know about the toe taps stuff and all that, i was just curious if, in my case at least, the tandem would have helped w/ the body position stuff. every time i watch my video of it, it looks like i have good arm placement, i know that my arch is fine, and my legs look even.... i guess we'll find out for sure how my body position is when i finally get a chance to start AFF.

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[heidihagen 0]

he is sooooooo right. after getting my arch down, my leg was slightly dipping-- that threw me off. my arms weren't symmetrycal-- and that threw me too! ughhh!

to answer the question:
if money weren't an issue, i would have done aff in perris... they had great weather everyday (while i was there), tunnel if you need it (which i do!!), and harnesses for smaller bodies (another perk that smaller drop zones lack).
perris rigs made it easier to arch (i'm 5'4/100-- they sat higher on my back)... i'm sure eloy can offer the same.

however, i am glad i'm getting my training at my home dz though. i'm learning like everyone else there did at one point while getting to know my people

i didn't lose my mind, i sold it on ebay. .:need a container to fit 5'4", 110 lb. cypres ready & able to fit a 170 main (or slightly smaller):.[/ce

[Avion 0]

I just did AFF. I had five hours in the tunnel first, I got hooked . I've just watched several other people go though AFF too. It seems like a good idea to have at least 10-20 minutes in the tunnel first, because many people have trouble starting at the level 3 release. The tunnel helps them get stability and turns down first. Several people I saw after failing a level or two, went to the tunnel to get stable. I managed to do AFF in 4 jumps. It really is an overwhelming amount of new things to do all at once for a lot of people otherwise. Even with the air time I had, I really had to focus on maintaining altitude awareness, because I was use to playing in the air for 2-3 minutes at a time, 50 seconds seems so fast now The tunnel instructors told me that would happen.

Other than that, I chose the dropzone I thought the best to learn at, rather than the closest one, and will continue jumping there for a while, 30-50 jumps at least.

Cheers

[freakygirl 0]

unfortunately for me, money is a huge limiting factor. i'm finishing up college, and trying to graduate in May and that leaves little to no money for hobbies and "i want's." any opinions on what might be more beneficial?? starting AFF in May and just going through like normal or try to get some tunnel time even though expensive?? the closest tunnel is either TN or PN since i live in IN. (what i mean is factor in what it would cost to travel there and back plus the tunnel time.) i have read how helpful the tunnels can be and would love to try it just for fun, but don't know if i have the money.... :( thanks for any input.

[cbennettjr 0]

Lots of time and money to burn? I'd go to Perris and spend a couple weeks in the tunnel and taking the AFF course. I'd check out the Perris school and Jim Wallace's. Can't say enough about Jim...if I was putting my Mom out the the door, she'd be strapped to Jim. 'Nough said.

The weather in So Cal and out at Eloy is "almost" always great, so no question about getting up, and they both have top rate gear stores to help her burn some more of that cash she isn't short of. Gear that fits is kind of nice.

First things first....get her on a tandem so she can check it out. Locally would probably be a good idea. Hell...she might hate it. Yeah right.

chuck
Canis meus id comedit

[JJEXP 0]

Take her to the home dz (which I assume is cross keys?) If so they have a pretty good student program compared to some other dz's I've seen.

[kallend 1,649]

Which was the program that introduced the heretical idea that students could learn on square canopies?

Which program introduced the heretical idea that students could use a BOC deployment system from jump 1?

Which program introduced the heretical concept that students could learn on modern Zero - P canopies (currently using Sabre 2)?

Which program included serious canopy training BEFORE the ISP was introduced?

Which program introduced sit flying into the student progression?

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.