to B or not to B

[StephZ 0]

So I am close to being able to receive my B license, but most of the JMs at the dz suggest I just skip it, spend the extra $20 on a jump, and just jump my butt off to get the C ... I think I'd like some other oppinions ...

I am not afraid . . . I was born to do this
-Joan of Arc-
But what do I know, I'm only 19

[JENNR8R 0]

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So I am close to being able to receive my B license, but most of the JMs at the dz suggest I just skip it, spend the extra $20 on a jump, and just jump my butt off to get the C ... I think I'd like some other oppinions ...

I'm very goal oriented and enjoyed getting my 'B' on jump 54 (I failed the water training the first time or it would have been jump 50) and my 'C' on jump 200. Getting 'B' allows you to do a night or helicopter jump without having to get special permission each time.

What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

[MB38 0]

What does the water training entail? [if this is a diversion, ignore it]

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[StephZ 0]

That's a really good question - what does it all entail?

Although, I'm sure it would be very benificail to have that training in either situation ... you can never learn too much when it comes to saving your life

I am not afraid . . . I was born to do this
-Joan of Arc-
But what do I know, I'm only 19

[JENNR8R 0]

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What does the water training entail? [if this is a diversion, ignore it]

It depends on who is giving the class. The first time I took it from instructors from my DZ. We went to a pool and put on a harness over our bathing suits. A canopy was attached to the harness with the chest strap undone. We had to jump into the deep end of the pool, and the canopy was thrown over top of us so that the fabric was covering our heads when we surfaced. We had to dive down and out from under the sinking lines, and get out of the harness.

I failed because I have a phobia of getting my head under water. I couldn't make myself jump in. When I tried to jump into a pool the week before, I panicked and nearly inhaled under water. After six weeks of forcing myself to put my head under water I could dive off of the diving board.... then I had to find someone to give me the water training again. That was harder than getting over the phobia.

I finally found a different DZ to give the water training.... in October.... in a river!.... with dead fish floating all about.... and it smelled.... much more realistic. We had to wear a jumpsuit over our bathing suits, helmet, goggles, shoes and the chest strap attached. We jumped in and they threw the canopy over our heads. We had to struggle to get the chest strap off and the harness down our legs and over our shoes... by far the hardest part. After freeing ourselves from the harness we could either dive down and out from under the canopy or follow a seam along the surface of the water being careful not to get tangled in the lines. I followed the seam since I still couldn't dive. I insisted on wearing an inflated flotation device. I would have been better off without it. It just got in my way. My DZ did not give students the option of following the seam out.

I must have looked very frightened because they allowed me to jump in without the chest strap attached and no helmet or goggles. A lifeguard jumped in before me just in case. I did just fine and would have been OK without the allowances. When I climbed out of the river, I had my 'B' license since I had already met all of the other requirements. Look in the SIM for what else is required.

There was only one student from both water trainings that had any problem at all. He kinda panicked and couldn't get the canopy off before the instructors removed it. He repeated it that day and did fine too.

I'm glad I had the training. I'm much more confident now that I would be able to survive a water landing. Reading about it was just scary. I'd recommend your getting the training whenever it is offered even if you are a student. The classes are not held very often. And if anyone has not bothered to get their 'B' license, the watering training would be very helpful for them too.

What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

[Frenchy68 0]

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So I am close to being able to receive my B license, but most of the JMs at the dz suggest I just skip it, spend the extra $20 on a jump, and just jump my butt off to get the C ... I think I'd like some other oppinions ...

At the MOAB boogie last year, there was a special load jumping over mesas and landing in a (wide) canyon. Since everyone wanted to be on that load, one way to filter it was to restrict it to B and higher license holders. (Granted, the landing area was next to a river, so the water landing training was probably handy...). Also, as Jenn posted, B license allows you to do night jumps.

"For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

[airtwardo 6]

Back in the OLDEN days...


I didn't get an A or B...just went straight to a C so I could jumpmaster students.
Only got a D so I could ge a PRO...

Really wish now I would have gotten all the letters in order and on time.

My .02 is to get it....some time in the future you'll be glad you did...

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[TFFTM 1]

I skipped B, but that was when C requirements were lower.
It made since to me at the time. Now with the requirement change I would definitly get the B unless you plan on doing the same types of jumps at the same places until you qualified for your C.

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[Ron 7]

I skipped my 'A' and 'B'. Went straight to 'C'.

I needed a 'C' to Jump Master just like Airtwardo.

But that was a different time. A 'C' was at 100 jumps and at the rate I was jumping, I went from 50 to 100 in less than two mths. So for me at that time it was a waste. Hell the 'D' was only 200 jumps and I had that before I got my 'C' number.

'C' is now 200 jumps, and unless you are jumping a lot (as in close to 30/mth) it will take you a few mths to get it.....

I'd get the 'B' today since it is so far from 50 to 200 jumps.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[DontPanic 0]

I'm glad I went ahead and got my B. I didn't want to wait around until jump 200+ signing off log book entries with just an A number.

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[packerboy 3]

You have to pay for all of them, whether it's now or later.

--------------------------------------------------
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[slotperfect 7]

Get your B. It opens up opportunities for you like night jumps, Coach rating, etc. You won't regret it.

Arrive Safely

John

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

I got every single one of my Licenses and I do not regret it. It gives me something other than one number to sign in logbooks when I get bored.

Chuck
A-8027, B-12501, C-19820, D-12501
Yes, my B and D license numbers are the same.

[StevePhelps 0]

I'd say get it. I did. I'm glad I did. Night jumps are fun! Also, if you ever get to Cancun you can jump there at Playa if you have your B. (you need that because you land on the beach). What a view!

[AndyMan 7]

That advice used to make a lot more sense, back when a 'b' license was 50 jumps and a 'c' was 100. A very active weekender would go from a 'b' to a 'c' in a month or so. Given that USPA was taking a few weeks to process a new license - well, you might have your 'b' license for a week before you applied for your 'c'.

Now a 'b' is still 50, but a 'c' is 200 - it'll take a lot longer than a month or so to make those jumps. Probably a good idea to get that 'b'. You probably won't be applying for your 'c' for a while.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[The111 0]

Something nobody else has pointed out - sure it's $20 you could spend on a jump, but you can also think of it as you supporting the USPA, which is always a good thing. I've paid for A, B, C so far...

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[EvilLurker 2]

My opinion is get your "B" and then get your night jumps for your "D" when the opportunity presents itself. If your DZ has a regular schedule of night jumps, that may not be a factor for you. For me, it was a big factor, and I'm glad I did it that way.

[NWFlyer 2]

There's another possibility - which is to knock out your B requirements as soon as you can (you've gotta do them to get your C anyway), including the written test, but hold off on actually applying for the B license unless there's something you want to do that you need to be B-qualified for.

In my case, I wasn't able to schedule water training till I had something like 150 jumps. At that point, I was close enough to C that I just decided to wait. However, right now I'm B-qualified so that if I needed it, I could get it pretty quickly. I also figure I've got 300 more jumps till I get my D - I'm in no rush to do night jumps, though they do sound like fun.

As for helicopter jumps, I don't believe there is any requirement that you have a B license to do them - although I suppose a particular boogie could put in that requirement. I did my first at about 60 jumps with only an A license.

"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

[grue 1]

I'm damned sure getting mine, I wanna do night jumps!

cavete terrae.

[JohnMitchell 14]

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You have to pay for all of them, whether it's now or later.

I skipped the A and B. Don't remember paying for them when I got my C and D. Has that changed?

[JohnMitchell 14]

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I'm damned sure getting mine, I wanna do night jumps!

Don't you only need to be "B-qualified" for night jumps? That's how I did them.

[JENNR8R 0]

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There's another possibility - which is to knock out your B requirements as soon as you can (you've gotta do them to get your C anyway), including the written test, but hold off on actually applying for the B license unless there's something you want to do that you need to be B-qualified for.

http://www.uspa.org/publications/form.pdf/License_app_06-05.pdf

Here is the license application form that you can copy and paste. If you have all of the requirements, it would be a good idea to have the form signed. It takes a lot of initialing and signatures.

[Ron 7]

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You have to pay for all of them, whether it's now or later

No you don't.

You just have to take the tests. Now you don't even have to send off for an "A" unless you want the number. The card if stamped is as good as a license.

I got a 'C' and 'D' and never paid for the other two.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[NWFlyer 2]

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Here is the license application form that you can copy and paste. If you have all of the requirements, it would be a good idea to have the form signed. It takes a lot of initialing and signatures.

It's already done. I decided to knock all the paperwork out.

"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

[ripcord4 0]

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So I am close to being able to receive my B license, but most of the JMs at the dz suggest I just skip it, spend the extra $20 on a jump, and just jump my butt off to get the C ... I think I'd like some other oppinions ...

Get the "B". It will "force" you into some training and paying attention to requirements. It will also open some doors for you vis-a-vis jumping opportunities.