Too many/few AFFIs at your dropzone?

[riddler 0]

I jump at a larger dropzone - Otter, King Air, Cessna, all turbine aircraft. Seems like for the last year or two, there have been a surplus of AFFIs at my dropzone. I remember two, three and four years ago, manifest pleading for any available AFFI to come help. But the last year or two, it seems like everyone has an AFFI rating - I see a lot of new people that have their rating, and there never seems to be a shortage of instructors for each student.

I thought this was just my DZ, and it was unusual at that. But I heard from a friend that another major dropzone in another state has exactly the same issue. There's too many AFFIs there as well. She heard a new AFF Instructor there would be unlikely to get work.

It makes me wonder how unusual this is. Is it hard for AFFIs where you jump to get work? Does it seem like there are more instructors than students?

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[diablopilot 2]

That's bound to happen when ratings are handed out like Cracker Jack prizes.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[redramdriver 0]

I think its bound to happen when people who are staying i the sport, take an interest in achieving an instructional rating, and there is a lack of students to train.

So, you bring your beer?

Its 5 o'clock somewhere
POPS #9344

[jimjumper 25]

It's easy to find AFF I's who want to jump. It's difficult to find those that want to teach. Ask one to teach the days FJC and they all run for the hills. I teach the FJC all the time because I like to teach almost as much as like to jump.

[derrickiv 0]

Interesting thread.. as a somewhat recent AFF grad from Mile-Hi with a few friends still going through it, it seems that there aren't enough AFF I's to us. Interesting to see that the two perspectives don't quite see the same situation the same.

Although, I will admit, as I think about it, there are quite a lot of AFF I's at the DZ, it just always seems like my buddy will and go up there early in the morning and he can normally only get one jump in if the weather is good because there are no more instructors.. he just finished AFF3 though, so the one instructor req. should make finishing easy for him now.

[livendive 8]

We routinely have two AFF-I's at my DZ, myself and one other guy. We are both also needed in the tandem and video rotations on a regular basis. The other guy is better and much more experienced at AFF than I am, so I'm usually the first to go throw drogues or play vidiot while he gets down with the AFF students. There are a few others AFF-Is who show up occasionally, but not often enough for our students to count on even one of them being there on any particular weekend.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[skydivexxl 0]

I love cracker jacks, but I gave away the prize...

Blog Clicky

[Shark 0]

Quote

It's easy to find AFF I's who want to jump. It's difficult to find those that want to teach. Ask one to teach the days FJC and they all run for the hills. I teach the FJC all the time because I like to teach almost as much as like to jump.

Ditto!

Hey Jim,

That's why you see me on the ground most weekends. Then again I jump every day.

Shark

[UDSkyJunkie 0]

Quote

It makes me wonder how unusual this is. Is it hard for AFFIs where you jump to get work? Does it seem like there are more instructors than students?

I think it's very individual to the DZ... my previous home DZ had very few AFFI's, and they almost never had work because so few people actually went through the program and because AFF was not offered as a first jump option.

My current DZ (less than 1 hour drive from previous) has half a dozen AFFI's on any given weekend and it is very common for us to be swamped. Why? We have a LOT of people choose AFF for their first jump, and have had incredible student retention.

Since you need 2 AFFI's for the first few jumps and AFF generally is more time consuming to the instructors, I think I can go out on a limb and say that if there's a surplus then most likley the DZ needs to look into their marketing strategy... there may be a few places where there are too many AFFI's due to ratings being "handed out like cracker-jack prizes", but I think that's the exception. I, for one, had to work and fly my ass off to earn mine and I have very solid flying skills.

"Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."