After 56 Jumps.. Finally Got My A License!

[MagicGuy 0]

I did my last 3 requirements for my A License on Sunday. What a great time I had! Did my A License Check Dive and my 3500 hop and pop with my instructor from AFF, Dick Spates. And got to do my swoop and dock check dive with Dave Brown! Yup, Dave Brown was BELLY FLYING!!!

And it only took me 56 jumps to do it :) Yeah, I did a lot of solos after AFF. But I'm pretty excited, looking forward to finally jumping with someone other than myself!

Shout out to everyone at Jumptown for pushing me to get my shit done. Dick Spates, for being an awesome instructor and S&TA, Muppet, for doing 3 coach jumps with me in one day among other things, and Dave Brown for hooking me up with a swoop and dock and some tunnel instruction.

You guys rock. Thanks again!

[ryan188 0]

congradulations man!!

[iamsam 0]

Congrats dude, go get that B!!

but what do I know

[jojo69 0]

good for you! Welcome to the fun of bumping into others in the air and calling it RW.

[jarrodh 0]

I hope to complete my A license requirements in the next few weekends, and Im wondering what is the hardest part? What do you do to actually file for your A license?

CONGRATS AND BLUE SKIES!!!!!

2 BITS....4 BITS....6 BITS....A DOLLAR!....ALL FOR THE GATORS....STAND UP AND HOLLER!!!!

[mrGuy 0]

Hey! Good Job Corey!

[MagicGuy 0]

The hardest part? Not doing so many solos after graduating AFF :)

That was the hardest part for me. Coach jumps and hop and pops freaked me out, but I did fine on all of that stuff. If I can give one piece of advice.. try to get the coaching stuff out of the way fairly early so you don't develop bad habits in freefall. Other than that, good luck and have fun!

[cocheese 0]

Sweet. It's a great feeling. Welcome to the freedom.

[squirrel 0]

One word.....Beer.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[matthias 0]

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What do you do to actually file for your A license?

You should have gotten either a A License proficiency or progression card with all the requirements. Once its signed/stamped that's what you fax for the A to my understanding.

_________________________________________
trance/house mixes for download:
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[mangledspoon 0]

Yay! Congrats :)
Feels great doesn't it?

[DougH 270]

Congrats Corey... that is fawking awesome!!!

Now on to more important things, like figuring out how to make my girlfriend disapear.

I would prefer it to be dramatic, with a poof of smoke if at all possible.

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

[bigmike21 0]

Congrats. So after you finish AFF, you do solo jumps until you fill out your card for the A? Is that how it works?

[DougH 270]

It depends on the card, I believe the Integrated Student Progression involves a number of coach jumps. Other skills can be signed off without a coach, like canopy drills (riser turns, etc).

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

[Reginald 0]

Congratulations! It’s a major accomplishment! Now I’ll give you the same advice I was given, “You now have a license to do whatever you want to do, be smart about it.”

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

[chrismgtis 0]

This might be a question I should already know, but why would it take you 56 jumps? I thought you are required to have 25 jumps total for the A license and as long as you complete the 7 jumps in Phase 1 and the 2 jumps in Phase 2 and eventually total 25 jumps you are qualified for an A License?

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[NWFlyer 2]

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This might be a question I should already know, but why would it take you 56 jumps? I thought you are required to have 25 jumps total for the A license and as long as you complete the 7 jumps in Phase 1 and the 2 jumps in Phase 2 and eventually total 25 jumps you are qualified for an A License?

You have to do more than rack up 25 jumps. You have to complete a set of skills on the A license card. Some of them are freefall skills, some are canopy skills, a lot are ground training skills. If you're not familiar with the card, ask your instructors if you can take a look at yours, so you can make sure that you are working on the right things AND that they are being documented in a timely fashion. They are also available on the USPA site.

Some people just take longer to complete those skills (personally, it took me 37). Some people fall out of currency and have to re-do stuff when they come back to their training. Some people want to do more solos in between jumps to get the skills checked out.

There's a lot of people who get their A in exactly 25 jumps; I don't know exact stats, but I'd be willing to be there's at least as many who take more jumps.

Bear in mind also that every training program is structured differently, so the "Phase 1" and "Phase 2" things you describe aren't universal ways of organizing training programs.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[chrismgtis 0]

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Bear in mind also that every training program is structured differently, so the "Phase 1" and "Phase 2" things you describe aren't universal ways of organizing training programs.

Alright I thought might had totally misunderstood the process or something.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[Stevetaylor 0]

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This might be a question I should already know, but why would it take you 56 jumps?

I'm edging up there myself (27 jumps) and still have several items to complete. I think one more coaching jump, having a packer supervise my first pack job and jump it, the test and then the checkout dive...

As for why it would take so long...in my case I wasn't very good with my stability after AFF, so I did a few solo dives just to work on that, turns, flips, etc. Did poorly on the last two required coach jumps, and retook them. Got into trouble in changing winds (mis read the strength and direction totally), and nearly landed off-field in the trees. Retook the ground school class, and did a few more solos to get over my shaken nerves (and ego).

Steve

The definition of insanity is to keep doing things the same way, but then to expect different results. -Einstein

[howardwhite 5]

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why would it take you 56 jumps?

Well, I was around when MagicGuy made most of his 56 jumps, and from time to time gave him a hard time about wearing water gear (required at Jumptown for student jumpers because there's a lake about a half mile east), an obvious signal that he didn't have his A yet.

Jumptown has been extraordinarily busy for the past couple of months -- 30 or 40 tandems each weekend day, lots of AFFs, etc. Instead of waiting around for a coach so he could finish dotting all the i's and crossing the t's, he chose to jump by himself.

Pretty cool that his swoop and dock check dive was with Dave Brown, an internationally-known freefly competitor and coach and tunnel master, movie star ("Adrenaline Rush" and others), and available all this season at Jumptown for free coaching and video.

In other words, in this case 56 jumps was his choice. At this point, he's got a lot more experience than "just got my A" would sugggest.

HW

[chrismgtis 0]

I guess there was a little more to the license process than I thought. I know it may differ at different DZs, but from what I understood you complete Phase 1 (7 jumps - the 7th actually being a solo?) and Phase 2 (2 jumps?), then just jump solo (supervised/coached) the remaining 25 jumps and your licensed. It looks like there is a little more to it than that.

Sorry if I am derailing the original intention of the post. If anyone wants to just PM me and get me straightened out or something thats fine with me.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[DougH 270]

There isn't all that much to straighten out, you do have a SIM right? It is all right in there, including the cards with the objectives that you have to complete.

If you don't have a SIM, or you can't use the DZ's SIM, you can view it, and order it online.

www.uspa.org

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

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

I guess there was a little more to the license process than I thought. I know it may differ at different DZs, but from what I understood you complete Phase 1 (7 jumps - the 7th actually being a solo?) and Phase 2 (2 jumps?), then just jump solo (supervised/coached) the remaining 25 jumps and your licensed. It looks like there is a little more to it than that.

Sorry if I am derailing the original intention of the post. If anyone wants to just PM me and get me straightened out or something thats fine with me.

Or.... you could ask your instructors. As mentioned, looking at the description of the Integrated Student Program in the SIM is helpful, but every dropzone arranges its program a little differently. One approach might be to review the SIM (if you don't have one, it's available on line) then ask the instructional staff at your DZ how their program either matches or differs from that program. If it differs, talk about the reasons why. Ask them how they work with students to complete the A license card.

This should not be a mystery to you. You have every right to know how the instructional program you're paying for prepares you to meet all of the requirements on the A license card. Asking a bunch of us on the internet isn't going to help you find out that information.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke