Does this sound right???

[woodpecker 0]

Friend of mine just got stationed in Florida (LA) and has his British A license. He hasnt done a jump in about 5 months but when he called the nearest DZ to start jumping they told him he has to do ground school, water training, and a check dive before he can jump.

I can understand the check dive but thought the water training was for your B and I'm getting clarification on what they told him the "ground school" would entail. Again, I would understand going over EP's but this is a lincensed jumper.

I'm getting more details and will add to this when I get them from him but does this sound legit or just a way of sucking money out of a new jumper?

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[phoenixlpr 0]

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Friend of mine just got stationed in Florida (LA) and has his British A license.

What does it state or grant?

Quote

I'm getting more details and will add to this when I get them from him but does this sound legit or just a way of sucking money out of a new jumper?

Its just up to him. If those term are not acceptable for him, he is free to find another place.

[DougH 270]

I don't know what the water training is all about. But the refresher training isn't a bad idea.

How many jumps did he get before his lay off, were they in a short amount of time?

It isn't hard to lose importants parts of knowledge, especially when you barely know it in the first place.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[wmw999 2,385]

If a DZ is close enough to water (used to be 1 mile for a significant body, I think), water training is mandatory before jumping, period. Used to be you had to wear flotation gear, too.

Of course, those drop zones at least used to have water training for every new jumper visiting or starting up, and it didn't cost any money. Not sure if that's still the case.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[woodpecker 0]

Just got an email from him and this is what he was told he had to do to jump again.

20 for every hour the guy decides to keep reviewing my EP's and basics. Plus 100 for the recurrency jump.
No price given for water yet.

This just seems a little overboard for a licesned jumper who hasnt jumped in 3-4 months.

Please correct me if my assumptions are wrong or if there is a DZ close to Pensacola that will treat him kindly and get him in the air.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[simplyputsi 0]

I'll bite.
$100 for a recurrecny jump??? What dz is running $50 lift tickets these days???

A coach or someone with a higher rating is all that should be needed on this jump. So pay for a coach jump, or see if a coach will go up with you and you'll buy his ticket.

The real important question though is does he have proof of his prior jumps? And what number of jumps does he have?

Makes a difference in someones mind who is going to go up with you and doesn't know you at all.

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[popsjumper 2]

Just for argument's sake...

According to the USPA SIM, A-license holders in the U.S. are allowed to make water jumps. Water training is not required until B-license.


The OP's situation sounds like blood-sucking to me. My brain cannot recall a DZ within 1 mile of water in FL unless you count lakes and ponds...which, by the way, would make actual, gear-on water training desirable at nearly every DZ in FL.

OTOH, if the OP's friend wants to do beach jumps, which some of the DZs in FL do on a regular basis, then I can surely understand the requirement for the water training AND the requirement for USCG-approved floatation gear.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[woodpecker 0]

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I'll bite.
$100 for a recurrecny jump??? What dz is running $50 lift tickets these days???

A coach or someone with a higher rating is all that should be needed on this jump. So pay for a coach jump, or see if a coach will go up with you and you'll buy his ticket.

The real important question though is does he have proof of his prior jumps? And what number of jumps does he have?

Makes a difference in someones mind who is going to go up with you and doesn't know you at all.

Good, I was starting to think I was the only one who thought this was strange.

Yes, he has his log book of every jump and again....a license.

Last jump was 3-4 months ago and a total of 29 jumps. I'm having him verify these numbers.

I've also started a thread under "places to jump" to see if there might be another DZ in his area that can help him out.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[labrys 0]

Quote

Just for argument's sake...

According to the USPA SIM, A-license holders in the U.S. are allowed to make water jumps. Water training is not required until B-license.

In all fairness, Pops, The USPA SIM also specifies that the A license holder must attend the water training before making the jump. Just because water training isn't required regardless of intent until the B license doesn't mean it isn't required before an intentional water landing.

Owned by Remi #?

[DougH 270]

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Last jump was 3-4 months ago and a total of 29 jumps. I'm having him verify these numbers.

He should get in a hanging harness, go over emergency procedures, obstacle landings, and an overview again.

He shouldn't get raped for it.

I would tell that other dropzone to get fawked. Just as bad as charging a student 80 bucks to learn how to spot, or 7 bucks to supervise their own student pack jobs.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[woodpecker 0]

Agreed! Any recommendations close to pensacola?

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[peregrinerose 0]

With only 29 jumps, he has very little experience, plus no experience at this other DZ, plus he's uncurrent. I don't see the DZs requirements as unreasonable at all. If your friend knows all the information, recurrency training may very well be only an hour. I've had some students that recurrency with even more jump numbers took 2-3 hours, it was more like a first jump course. They didn't remember a damn thing. It's not just EPs that's covered in recurrency, it's landing priorities, tree, water, electric line, etc. I had one guy with 150 jumps and couldn't remember which handle was the cutaway

What's the problem with getting water training, he needs it to get a B anyway, so he kills two birds with one stone there, I'm not sure why that's a big deal.

With only having 29 jumps the individual DZ may want a more experienced coach or AFF instructor do the recurrency jump, so I don't see a huge problem with the price either.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Andy9o8 2]

Sebastian's DZ is less than 2 miles from the Intercoastal.

Anyhow (to the OP), it's a little steep, and a little overboard.

The OP doesn't say which DZ this is; but there is more than one in the area from which to choose. According to DZ.com's dropzone locator (http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/dropzone/finder.cgi?search=mapSearch), there are 3 DZ's w/i 150 miles of Pensacola:
Emerald Coast Skydiving Center, Elberta, Alabama 20.00 miles
Skydive Headland, Headland, Alabama 129.01 miles
Gold Coast Skydivers, Lumberton, Mississippi 140.71 miles

[shropshire 0]

[In Joke] Does he remember what toggles are for

Say hi to the lad.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[SansSuit 1]

Quote

[In Joke] Does he remember what toggles are for

More importantly, does he remember which leg strap they are on?

Peace,
-Jeff.

Peace,
-Dawson.
http://www.SansSuit.com
The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving

[aresye 0]

Emerald Coast Skydiving is about 20min. away from Pensacola, FL. Some great people skydive there, and if I recall, it's a pretty old DZ that's been around for awhile.

Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

[wrightskyguy 1]

What DZ are we talking about?

John Wright

World's most beloved skydiver

[BillyVance 34]

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Emerald Coast Skydiving is about 20min. away from Pensacola, FL. Some great people skydive there, and if I recall, it's a pretty old DZ that's been around for awhile.

It's been several years since I've jumped at Emerald Coast, but I love the place. As for the other poster who put up a short list of DZ's within 200 miles of Pensacola, I don't think Skydive Headland has been open for several years. Sometimes lists don't get updated.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Andy_Copland 0]

Doesn't sound correct at all, let me elaborate.

A.) Hes got his A license
B.) He's BPA
C.) These two things mean that hes been trained by the best skydivers in the world. The prices should never stick because they should give him everything for free as he is British. Especially on a day that marks us Brits giving you your country back willingly.

Good Day.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[Reginald 0]

I just hate these threads that bash DZ’s for “sucking money out of a new jumper”

Geeze, your friend has less than thirty jumps, the ink is barely dry on his A license, and he’s highly un-current for his jump numbers!

As an instructor I would require a refresher course and have him jump with an instructor, not a coach, and honestly if the DZ is close to water it’s not a bad idea to have him do water training. I think this DZ is working along common sense and USPA guidelines.

I do recurrency jumps with people from dozens to thousands of jumps, and it’s shocking how little some people remember after a few months off. If you have any delusions that it’s 5 minutes of “show me your EP’s” and let’s throw you out of a plane with a coach that’s not rated or trained to pull for someone if it goes bad that only speaks to your lack of understanding of the dangers of the sport.

Read the Incident reports it’s sounding like a guy died doing a recurrency jump this week. Even if that one pans out to be something different, don’t think for a second that recurrency jumps should be treated lightly.

IMHO it sounds like this DZ is putting forward a reasonable plan at a decent rate to safely get your friend current. Why people feel the need to bash DZ’s for thinking of safety instead of throwing uncurrent, low-timers out of airplanes with no training or competent supervision is beyond me.

But I guess it’s become fashionable on this board to criticize the amount of training that has become the industry standard in the US.

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

[CSpenceFLY 1]

And if the DZ didn't require recurrency training and this guys friend went in we would have a thread here that read " Look what this DZ let my uncurrent friend do".

[mjosparky 4]

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He hasnt done a jump in about 5 months

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This just seems a little overboard for a licesned jumper who hasnt jumped in 3-4 months.

Well what is it? 5 months, 3-4 months or maybe 10 months.

I jumped for 30 years and made almost 3000 jumps. But I have not jumped in almost 3 years. If I decided to get back in the air the first thing I would do is go to Jim Wallace and ask what I needed to do to get current. What ever he said is just what I would do.

Tell your friend to quit winning.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[woodpecker 0]

I never bashed any DZ. I simply asked if what was happening sounded correct and not so much the training they were asking but rather the money for it. And yes, it does sound like they are "sucking" money out of a new jumper.

100.00 for a recurrency jump. Give me a break. They are blatantly trying to make money off of him for this. Whats wrong with paying both slots. I mean this is a guy who's going to become a regular club jumper and be there just about every weekend.

20.00 an hour for ground school. I can understand hanging a guy in a harness who hasnt jumped in a few months, going over some EP's and maybe even a few things about the jump (to see if the guy is switched on). Then if more work is required, have a person go through whatever training is needed. But to simply say 20.00 an hour for ground school. Whatever...he might actually have retained the information and just need to be evaluated real quick.

I asked if water training was a requirement because I seem to remember it being needed for your B. I never said it wasnt a good idea.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[woodpecker 0]

INCORRECT! I hold people responsible for their own actions.

Besides, I never said it was a BAD idea for the training....just the money the DZ is charging for it. Except for the "ground school" requirement. Read other reply for my view on that.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[woodpecker 0]

He just hit 4 months in July and is asking a question. Not whining....a simple question (I know thats hard for most on here to comprehend).

3 years/4 months....a little different here I would say and your telling me you would be fine with paying that amount of money for the 'training' your told you need. Hell, why dont we just put all uncurrent new jumpers back through AFF. I mean safety first all. Whats another couple thousand dollars to start jumping at a new DZ anyway.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?