Worried over AFF

[tomvailco 0]

hey willy,

Just jump in. Once you know what it's like to fly, You'll know what it means to live. Just do it bro, you won't be able to stop!

[nullhead 0]

Ask questions on the ground until you understand, that is what ground school is for.
Go over the jump plan in your head several times (I did all the way up to altitude).
A couple of deep breaths right after leaving the plane to get over the sensory overload
Jump the plan (learn the hand signals and what to do to correct)
On final approach (into the wind), Don't look at what you don't want to land on or in look at where you need to go (we go where we look).
When ready to flair it helps me if I don't fixate on a spot on the ground but more towards a spot a bit beyond it as I flair. I don't fly to a spot on the ground so much as land on it (ok I try to land on it...usually end up by it somewhere).
Hope this helps.
Welcome to the sport.

[PWScottIV 0]

Quote

Hi, I am about to undertake an AFF course, can anyone give me any advice on their experience that may help me on my quest, many thanks. Willy....

Well considering that I went through my AFF pretty recently, I think I might be able to deliver some good advice to you. Hopefully.

First, if you have a choice, choose dropzone that you feel will do the best job of offering you what you want. There's ratings on here for just about every USPA Dropzone . You also might want to compare prices. If you happen to know anyone who already jumps in your area, you might want to ask them what they think about each of your options with respect to things like safety, quality of instruction, facilities, etc.

Second, I've found that I feel much safer knowing as much as possible about the potentially dangerous activities that I engage in... Although NOTHING can be a substitute for the information/training you'll recieve from your instructors, you might want to start reading some books on the subject, such as the SIM ( Skydiver's Information Manual ) and/or the "Skydiver's Survival Guide".

Third, and some might disagree with my logic on this, but I found it useful to both read through the fatalities that have happened in the past and watch all the malfunction videos that I could find on skydivingmovies.com . It may seem scary and morbid, but I think it's better to learn as much as possible from the mistakes that others have made, so I might be less likely to repeat them. If you think you might get freaked out, then you might want to wait till you've had a few jumps... But, you also have to understand that it IS possible to have a malfunction on your first jump, (I actually know someone who had that happen very recently), so wouldn't it be nice to see video of some before YOU actually see it in person? Same thing with reading about the fatalities, the more you develop an understanding of what is most likely to injure you, the less likely you are going to be scared about the fact that you're not sure what can... Which is what most people are actually scared of... The unknown.

Fourth, and most importantly, listen to your instructors AND ask questions. No matter how stupid the question seems. It's their job to make sure you know the things you need to know for you to be safe, and it's your responsibility to make sure you let them know if you don't understand... Especially if you've read something somewhere that contradicts what they are saying. If in doubt do what they recommend.

Oh, yeah... And HAVE FUN! Cause that's why you're doing this in the first place, right?

Gravity Waits for No One.