BelskyBlueEyes 0 #1 September 21, 2006 I did my first tandem Sep 10 and think I want to get AFF certified. Anyone have any comments, advice, suggestions, random babblings? When it gets to colder weather, does it have much affect on skydiving? And, on average how long will it take to get to Level 7? Last, when you go to a DZ, how many times that day do you usually jump? I am wondering how much $$ should I expect to spend a day once I am certified. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
countzero 7 #2 September 22, 2006 check out the dropzones page here on dz.com. it has links to DZ websites and they include price info. as for how long to get to aff7. that depends on your budget and if you have to do any repeats. it took me 6 months to get past aff7. i repeated level 4 twice and coud only afford to do 1 jump a month. now i'm down to the lower priced jumps and am doing 2 a month. hope to have my liscence in nov. or dec. good luck and blue skies!!diamonds are a dawgs best friend Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #3 September 22, 2006 QuoteWhen it gets to colder weather, does it have much affect on skydiving? Depends on how much of a cold wussy you are. Some people jump year round in places like Canada, others refuse to jump when it gets below about 60 F on the ground. QuoteAnd, on average how long will it take to get to Level 7? Depends on how thick your wallet is (or how high your credit limits are), how busy the instructors are where you are jumping, what the weather does while you are doing your student jumps (if winds exceed a certain speed your instructors won't let you jump, you can't jump when it's raining, etc), how often you can get out to the dz, how many levels you need to repeat and how much adrenaline you can take in one day. QuoteLast, when you go to a DZ, how many times that day do you usually jump? Most dz's will limit students to 3 jumps in a day. You'll be learning a LOT and be under quite a bit of stress; you may find that one or two jumps a day is enough for you. Once you are "off student status" (also called "cleared to self jumpmaster"), how many you do in a day is usually limited only by you, your wallet and how many other people want to get on the plane that day. QuoteI am wondering how much $$ should I expect to spend a day once I am certified. Half your income for the rest of your life. Welcome to our dysfunctional world! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacketsdb23 45 #4 September 22, 2006 "I am wondering how much $$ should I expect to spend a day once I am certified" Well what does the balance in your checking account say? Now multiply that number by 1.2 and thats about what you'll spend in a given month. Disclaimer: Don't forget to pay rent, other important bills before looking at that checking account amount. Seriously though...a lot.Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Akey 0 #5 September 22, 2006 Did my aff in a week, some people take a year. Depends how much money you have, how much free time you are willing to sacrifice, and also on the weather. Passed mid July, prob. spent £2200-2400 at a guess (only have my own helmet, goggles, alti, jumpsuit) (although uk jump tickets are more expensive). As for how many jumps you can jump, well, for me that depends purly on how much more i want to put on my credit card Max is 7, lowest is 1. How much will you pay once your certified? Too much, yet not enough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kris2extreme 0 #6 September 22, 2006 I went into AFF intending to only do 1 jump per month because that was all I could really afford... Then I actually did my Level 1 jump, and all that 1 jump per month BS went out the window... I came back the next day and did my 2nd jump... the next weekend was a long one, so I came back on saturday and monday and did 3 more jumps, then last weekend I was at the DZ as soon as I was able to get out of work and got in another one. All together i've made 6 jumps in less than a month... and with this weekend rounding out the month I hope to get in jumps 7 and 8 This weekend I am planning/hoping to be able to get in levels 6 and 7 so I can get that next price-break in the jumps My goal is to be A-licensed by the end of the calendar year... though I expect I will be done long before that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #7 September 22, 2006 QuoteWhen it gets to colder weather, does it have much affect on skydiving? And, on average how long will it take to get to Level 7? Last, when you go to a DZ, how many times that day do you usually jump? I am wondering how much $$ should I expect to spend a day once I am certified. Sign up for the course!! It's great fun. Umm...well, after graduating AFF, getting my own rig, and a lot of time in the wind tunnel....lol, I try to do about 5 jumps a weekend which (at my DZ) costs about 100 bucks, plus a little. But, getting to that point cost a looooOoTT more, lol. Oh, thank goodness for Ramen noodles... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites DJmikeD 0 #8 September 22, 2006 yeah I just got my licencense, Rig and toys, Spent about $2500 on the jumps to get to 25 for A Spent about 6400 on a new system. Spent another 400 on a suit. and Yet more on Alt, Goggles, and Helmet. But its all done and worth it now when I do the 18 dollar plain ride to 13,000 feet. I sold my Motorcycle the next day of my first tandem. something about riding was not exciting anylonger after that. "Falling is the easy part, Landing smoothly is the most importent part! -DJ Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Guest #9 September 22, 2006 lol, yup. i got to the point where i dont even wanna know how much i spent/spend on the sport. As long as I have a positive balance in my checking account and credit cards are good, the i'm all set! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AFFI 0 #10 September 22, 2006 QuoteI went into AFF intending to only do 1 jump per month because that was all I could really afford... Then I actually did my Level 1 jump, and all that 1 jump per month BS went out the window... I came back the next day and did my 2nd jump... the next weekend was a long one, so I came back on saturday and monday and did 3 more jumps, then last weekend I was at the DZ as soon as I was able to get out of work and got in another one. All together i've made 6 jumps in less than a month... and with this weekend rounding out the month I hope to get in jumps 7 and 8 This weekend I am planning/hoping to be able to get in levels 6 and 7 so I can get that next price-break in the jumps My goal is to be A-licensed by the end of the calendar year... though I expect I will be done long before that. You are screwed! Unless you are wealthy, pretty soon you will be living in a camper or tent on the DZ eating ramen noodles! Still, it's a pretty good life while it lasts (at least it was for me). Enjoy, the best is always yet to come! -Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites DougH 270 #11 September 22, 2006 I love this thread it is all too true. I went from zero jumps, to A licensed jumper in about two and a half months. Aff took me about four weeks. If you can condense it I recommend it, when I was able to put more jumps in a week I improved at a much quicker rate. It helps to stay current instead of forgeting the feel of free fall all week long. I have easily dropped 7 grand on skydiving this summer. 4 grand on gear, 2k on AFF and jump tickets, and at least 1k on beer, takeout, and extras. It has been worth every penny. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites kris2extreme 0 #12 September 22, 2006 Quote You are screwed! Unless you are wealthy, pretty soon you will be living in a camper or tent on the DZ eating ramen noodles! Still, it's a pretty good life while it lasts (at least it was for me). Enjoy, the best is always yet to come! - I know, I know! And living 15 minutes from the dropzone doesn't help either! It can be a crappy weather day and I look out the window and see a spec of blue sky and I'm out the door! Right now i'm still living with the parentals while I finish up school... so i've cut out all the nonessential expenditures and have been focusing on getting the $2000+ worth of licensing jumps out of the way while i'm still living on their dime There have been TONS of items around the house getting the eyeball though... "do i REALLY need this?" The big-ticket performance parts off the car (my previous hobby) are the ones mostly getting sold off right now... few thousand dollars worth of parts just lying around in the shop My financial position has changed a little bit since a month ago when I started AFF, I got into a paid internship the following week so now I actually have a little bit of income to play with again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites DrewEckhardt 0 #13 September 22, 2006 Quote When it gets to colder weather, does it have much affect on skydiving? Everyone has their personal limit (mine used to be 40 degrees on the ground) so finding people to jump with gets harder even if you are willing to bear the cold. You also have to wear gloves (I don't like that) and perhaps full face helmets (I didn't mind too much at 40 degrees on the ground). Quote And, on average how long will it take to get to Level 7? There isn't an average. I tool four weekends in a row - level 1 one weekend, level 2 the next because that's all the capacity my home DZ had. Did level 3 the next saturday and 4-6 on Sunday when I travelled to a larger facility on a business trip. Came back and finished level 7. Quote Last, when you go to a DZ, how many times that day do you usually jump? Depends on who there is to jump with (after enough jumps, most people find that skydiving by themselves isn't much fun), lift capacity (you won't make many jumps if you need to wait 3 hours to get on a load), and how skydiving ranks compared to other things in your life (I like spending time with my family and on other hobbies). I find about 3-4 a weekend to be a comfortable number at a turbine DZ. Did 10 in one day at a boogie and that was almost work. Just one or two isn't really worth the drive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites DrewEckhardt 0 #14 September 22, 2006 QuoteUnless you are wealthy, pretty soon you will be living in a camper or tent on the DZ eating ramen noodles! Skipping the 1.14 children, single family house, and different car every 3-4 years that goes with the average American life style gives you a LOT of lattitude in what you do for fun. It's a matter of priorities. You can trade a good satellite or cable package for a jump a week; driving a nice newer car for an older one and 8+ jumps a week; house for a condo and 15+ a week. Time quickly becomes the limit. Or if you're still in the stage of life between being a student and having a career; sharing a larger space with a few people instead of having your own one bedroom apartment can get you 4 or 5 jumps a week. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites steveorino 7 #15 September 22, 2006 Your limits are your wallet, not the weather or time. If you can only jump weekends, you can knock it all out in 2-3 weekends easy. Heck one weekend is possible. I passed 7 levels in 7 jumps over about a month. steveOrino Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BelskyBlueEyes 0 #16 September 22, 2006 UPDATE- My friend and I made the reservation for AFF level 1 at ASC Cedartown, GA for Oct 8!! I love all the comments, feel free to keep em coming! Just know now I'm not thinking about it, Im doing it! And might as well go out and buy a pretty little new piggy bank huh? ;) OK, a big piggy bank.... Carolyn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites kris2extreme 0 #17 September 23, 2006 no piggy bank needed. Just get one of those vacuum-operated containers (like the banks have in drive-through) installed between you and the dropzone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites azdiver 0 #18 September 24, 2006 go ahead and have your pay checks made out to the dz.it all ends up there any waylight travels faster than sound, that's why some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mrGuy 0 #19 September 24, 2006 Welcome! I'm still working toward my A, but not for lack of money...but for lack of time. I would jump everyday if work allowed, but I can only go on the weekends. I've been seriously considering a move in both jobs and living arrangements simply to get nearer the DZ and free up my weekdays. Being down in GA you have a very extended "season" to jump as opposed to up here in MA. Even though Jumptown is a year round DZ, I doubt I'll be able to stay current until next Spring. This Sport takes your life and spins it through a bizarro universe....there is no stopping it, it just happens. So hang on! lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
DJmikeD 0 #8 September 22, 2006 yeah I just got my licencense, Rig and toys, Spent about $2500 on the jumps to get to 25 for A Spent about 6400 on a new system. Spent another 400 on a suit. and Yet more on Alt, Goggles, and Helmet. But its all done and worth it now when I do the 18 dollar plain ride to 13,000 feet. I sold my Motorcycle the next day of my first tandem. something about riding was not exciting anylonger after that. "Falling is the easy part, Landing smoothly is the most importent part! -DJ Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #9 September 22, 2006 lol, yup. i got to the point where i dont even wanna know how much i spent/spend on the sport. As long as I have a positive balance in my checking account and credit cards are good, the i'm all set! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFFI 0 #10 September 22, 2006 QuoteI went into AFF intending to only do 1 jump per month because that was all I could really afford... Then I actually did my Level 1 jump, and all that 1 jump per month BS went out the window... I came back the next day and did my 2nd jump... the next weekend was a long one, so I came back on saturday and monday and did 3 more jumps, then last weekend I was at the DZ as soon as I was able to get out of work and got in another one. All together i've made 6 jumps in less than a month... and with this weekend rounding out the month I hope to get in jumps 7 and 8 This weekend I am planning/hoping to be able to get in levels 6 and 7 so I can get that next price-break in the jumps My goal is to be A-licensed by the end of the calendar year... though I expect I will be done long before that. You are screwed! Unless you are wealthy, pretty soon you will be living in a camper or tent on the DZ eating ramen noodles! Still, it's a pretty good life while it lasts (at least it was for me). Enjoy, the best is always yet to come! -Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DougH 270 #11 September 22, 2006 I love this thread it is all too true. I went from zero jumps, to A licensed jumper in about two and a half months. Aff took me about four weeks. If you can condense it I recommend it, when I was able to put more jumps in a week I improved at a much quicker rate. It helps to stay current instead of forgeting the feel of free fall all week long. I have easily dropped 7 grand on skydiving this summer. 4 grand on gear, 2k on AFF and jump tickets, and at least 1k on beer, takeout, and extras. It has been worth every penny. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kris2extreme 0 #12 September 22, 2006 Quote You are screwed! Unless you are wealthy, pretty soon you will be living in a camper or tent on the DZ eating ramen noodles! Still, it's a pretty good life while it lasts (at least it was for me). Enjoy, the best is always yet to come! - I know, I know! And living 15 minutes from the dropzone doesn't help either! It can be a crappy weather day and I look out the window and see a spec of blue sky and I'm out the door! Right now i'm still living with the parentals while I finish up school... so i've cut out all the nonessential expenditures and have been focusing on getting the $2000+ worth of licensing jumps out of the way while i'm still living on their dime There have been TONS of items around the house getting the eyeball though... "do i REALLY need this?" The big-ticket performance parts off the car (my previous hobby) are the ones mostly getting sold off right now... few thousand dollars worth of parts just lying around in the shop My financial position has changed a little bit since a month ago when I started AFF, I got into a paid internship the following week so now I actually have a little bit of income to play with again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #13 September 22, 2006 Quote When it gets to colder weather, does it have much affect on skydiving? Everyone has their personal limit (mine used to be 40 degrees on the ground) so finding people to jump with gets harder even if you are willing to bear the cold. You also have to wear gloves (I don't like that) and perhaps full face helmets (I didn't mind too much at 40 degrees on the ground). Quote And, on average how long will it take to get to Level 7? There isn't an average. I tool four weekends in a row - level 1 one weekend, level 2 the next because that's all the capacity my home DZ had. Did level 3 the next saturday and 4-6 on Sunday when I travelled to a larger facility on a business trip. Came back and finished level 7. Quote Last, when you go to a DZ, how many times that day do you usually jump? Depends on who there is to jump with (after enough jumps, most people find that skydiving by themselves isn't much fun), lift capacity (you won't make many jumps if you need to wait 3 hours to get on a load), and how skydiving ranks compared to other things in your life (I like spending time with my family and on other hobbies). I find about 3-4 a weekend to be a comfortable number at a turbine DZ. Did 10 in one day at a boogie and that was almost work. Just one or two isn't really worth the drive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #14 September 22, 2006 QuoteUnless you are wealthy, pretty soon you will be living in a camper or tent on the DZ eating ramen noodles! Skipping the 1.14 children, single family house, and different car every 3-4 years that goes with the average American life style gives you a LOT of lattitude in what you do for fun. It's a matter of priorities. You can trade a good satellite or cable package for a jump a week; driving a nice newer car for an older one and 8+ jumps a week; house for a condo and 15+ a week. Time quickly becomes the limit. Or if you're still in the stage of life between being a student and having a career; sharing a larger space with a few people instead of having your own one bedroom apartment can get you 4 or 5 jumps a week. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steveorino 7 #15 September 22, 2006 Your limits are your wallet, not the weather or time. If you can only jump weekends, you can knock it all out in 2-3 weekends easy. Heck one weekend is possible. I passed 7 levels in 7 jumps over about a month. steveOrino Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BelskyBlueEyes 0 #16 September 22, 2006 UPDATE- My friend and I made the reservation for AFF level 1 at ASC Cedartown, GA for Oct 8!! I love all the comments, feel free to keep em coming! Just know now I'm not thinking about it, Im doing it! And might as well go out and buy a pretty little new piggy bank huh? ;) OK, a big piggy bank.... Carolyn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kris2extreme 0 #17 September 23, 2006 no piggy bank needed. Just get one of those vacuum-operated containers (like the banks have in drive-through) installed between you and the dropzone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azdiver 0 #18 September 24, 2006 go ahead and have your pay checks made out to the dz.it all ends up there any waylight travels faster than sound, that's why some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrGuy 0 #19 September 24, 2006 Welcome! I'm still working toward my A, but not for lack of money...but for lack of time. I would jump everyday if work allowed, but I can only go on the weekends. I've been seriously considering a move in both jobs and living arrangements simply to get nearer the DZ and free up my weekdays. Being down in GA you have a very extended "season" to jump as opposed to up here in MA. Even though Jumptown is a year round DZ, I doubt I'll be able to stay current until next Spring. This Sport takes your life and spins it through a bizarro universe....there is no stopping it, it just happens. So hang on! lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
