How long do your First Jump Courses take?

[YISkyDive 0]

Hey guys-

I have now taught about 30 First Jump Courses- And I am intrested to hear how long yours normally run- with the average student. We all have had the 8 hour course- but under good[normal] conditions how long does it take you.

Do you give your students the option of not taking a break and teach threw lunch if they want to do that?

Just intrested to see where my numbers fit in to seasoned professinals.

[riggerrob 558]

My IAD or static-line first jump course typically takes 4 or 5 hours.
I always give students a lunch break, to allow all the new material to sink in.
My record was 2.5 hours to a very bright young man.

[BIGUN 1,053]

Five hours on Thursday night.
Performance-Oriented Homework Assigned
Three hours Saturday morning

It may take longer, but it never takes less.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

When I was teaching a bunch of AFF FJC's a couple of years ago, they averaged about seven hours. I got through them in as little as five hours if there was just one student who "really got it" and didn't ask many questions.

This is a stark contrast to the years I spent teaching at the Green Beret Parachute Club back in the day. We ran a five-evening FJC that covered everything under the moon and culminated with the student being signed off to pack his/her own rig. Every student made each and every jump under their own packjob. With the high volume of students we used to deal with there was simply no time for us to do it any other way.

Chuck

[matthewcline 0]

Same standards where used for the now defunct Ft. Campbell Sport parachute Club.

For our Team FJC's it is about 5 hours of class room work. Then off to the meat grinder for a week or two. Our FJC is part of assesment and they will have a "A" license (weather permiting) to move on to the next phase.

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[altichick 0]

Fastest... 4 hours (one great student)
Longest... 12 and a half (one ***** student!!)

Normal is about 5 hours with one student and add 30 mins or so per students after that (we only have one hanging harness)

Don't sweat the petty things... and don't pet the sweaty things!

[skypuppy 1]

Interesting -- I'm probably the slowest FJC instructor at the dz, in fact, I've really cut back on the number of first jump courses I do this year because of that (well, and the fact that the pay went down a bit this year). My courses average 4-5 hours, but if you consider the time when I start having students pay and fill out the paperwork, (usually 9 am) to the time they land from their jump, barring weather holds, usually 8-9 hours. Typically they've probably jumped by 6 o'clock. If it's a smaller course, maybe only 1 load, then by 5 o'clock.

With anything under 6 students being a minimum, flat-rate, I don't think I get paid enough to do it.

Most of the other instructors do the course in about 3-4 hours, including the paperwork. For them it might make financial sense.... I know one instructor who claims to have taught two different FJC's in a day (each over 20 people). Not for me.

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[YISkyDive 0]

Intresting guys-

Mine are with paper work, and test and break about 5.5 hours... straight teaching excluding timed break is about 4 hours. The AFF instructors on the DZ said that all the students "come out on top of things" but sometimes I persoanlly feel I can do a better job, jsut a feeling. I taught a bunch this year, and have leard a lot while doing it.


dave


Oh my shortest was 3 hours + test- a Really Really ontop of it guy thats on level 4 pretty well.

My longest was about 7 hours with a gentleman that was "smart" but needed some extra aids in teaching- so i had to write down everything on the white board so he could get it.




Do you guys require or like to see a tandem before running a FJC? I find that not only does it make the course smoother, it also helps exaplain a lot of the theory with relation to what they have already done.

[Shark 0]

Are you an AFF-I?

[YISkyDive 0]

Im a coach, not an AFF-I, Im short a good number of jumps and time in the sport.

[bch7773 0]

ours take roughly 6-7 hours, but our classes are usually 20 students at a time.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[livenletfly 0]

we start 8am sharp, and class ends usually by 1-2pm. up to 6 students. seen classes small and smart done by noon once. they all did great.
so id say average of 4.5 hrs including breaks.

>

[YISkyDive 0]

Holy GOD, twenty students???!?!?!?!

WOW.

I hated doing seven students.. I didnt hate it, but it was just a lot of people to make sure that are getting everything.

Do you use assistants or an aid, or just one person teaching a large group like that.

[Beverly 1]

My course average 5 hours.
I am particularly strict about breaks and time back in the classroom.
They normally jump around 3, no later than 5 in the afternoon.

My quickest was a Friday night and 2 hours later the kid (16) knew everything, including his first Aff level.
i was shocked, until I learnt that he had done a tandem 4 months earlier and has read the first jump course notes for 4 months.
He was brilliant - Also the kid of a skydiver, so he was current on the terminology and had packed some chutes.

If there is a slow student, I tend to hold him back and go through everything again, including more harness training before they can jump.

I think true friendship is under-rated

Twitter: @Dreamskygirlsa

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

Im a coach, not an AFF-I, Im short a good number of jumps and time in the sport.

USPA Coaches are not allowed to teach the method-specific sections of the FJC.

See SIM Sec. 2-1.E.2.b
First jump Course
"All method specific training must be conducted by a USPA Instructor rated in the method for which the student is being trained."

So, why are you teaching the entire FJC? Is the FJC AFF, IAD or SL?

BTW, have you checked your Yahoo email lately?

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[YISkyDive 0]

Quote

USPA Coaches are not allowed to teach the method-specific sections of the FJC.

See SIM Sec. 2-1.E.2.b
First jump Course
"All method specific training must be conducted by a USPA Instructor rated in the method for which the student is being trained."

So, why are you teaching the entire FJC? Is the FJC AFF, IAD or SL?

BTW, have you checked your Yahoo email lately?

Hey MakeItHappen, Just sent ya an e-mail.. somehow your e-mail was labelled as spam so i did not recieve it.

And, yes.. I do not teach method specific items.. I unfortunetly figured that was assumed with me being a coach and not an AFF-I. My apologies on that not being clear from the get go.

Being a coach- and an instructor in training- I threw this thread up to get a ball park idea where I fit in... Again my mistake for not making that clear.

Our DZ has a procces for the students after I teach the "FJC" or the non method specific items, to indivdually train the student with "pre jump" instruction. This includes all method specific items, as well as an entire review of the "fjc" to make sure that the student was taught properly. This part I am completly uninvolved with, and am back to seeing nothing but carpet / chute / carpet / chute.

As aware as I am- I follow all USPA regs. on this subject. I have asked approprate sources to make sure I am not making a mistake in what is considered method specific.

Sorry for being misleading- I just thought that was assumed with my title and jumps.

dave.

[MakeItHappen 15]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not wearing my high-waders tonite.

I'll get back to you tomorrow.

BTW, 144.80.233.144 is
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
OrgID: IUP
Address: Computer Center
Address: Stright Hall
City: Indiana
StateProv: PA
PostalCode: 15705-1087

Indiana, PA is about 45 miles from PennRidge, PA

Be careful out there.

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[YISkyDive 0]

I dont know what thats supposed to mean..


But Indiana PA, Is north of Pittsburgh.

PennRidge is North of Philidelphia

If it was 45miles, Id Love that. Its well in the hundreds of miles.

Its more like the lenght of Pennsylvania.

EDITED to add: 18960/ 18944 are my home/DZ zipcodes.

15705 is my current residence (Campus Towers, IUP)


Dave.

[riggerrob 558]

Do you guys require or like to see a tandem before running a FJC? I find that not only does it make the course smoother, it also helps explain a lot of the theory with relation to what they have already done.