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kupo

AFF of SL?

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I started skydiving last summer. I started with SL, currently i have 10 jumps. I made these jumps in a period of 4 months due to the lack of time. Because of the long periods between the jumps i made almost no progression. I'm planning to start skydiving again but i don't know witch study method to choose,
AFF or SL. Witch should i try? Is AFF better then SL or not?
Please some advice.
Thanks

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Unfortunately, if you go long stretches without jumping neither method will work for you. The best advice I can offer is to save your money until you can do 2 or 3 jumps per weekend. It took me 10 months to do 6 jumps, and 3 of them were repeats. I finally punched out my last 4 AFF jumps in one weekend and didn't have to repeat any of them.
Blues, squares,
PTiger
*insert witty sig here*

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I'm in SL progression now. I've made a grand total of 2 jumps, so I won't speak from my experience, but I will say this.
If you've already made 10 jumps, you were probably doing freefalls (depending on # of redos). I would continue where you left off if I were you.
On the other hand. You already have 10 canopy rides. AFF would focus more on the things you haven't already practiced much and get you higher faster, but costs more per jump.
If cash were not an issue, I probably would have chosen AFF in the first place. I have also noticed that it's harder to get a ride up in the C-182 for an SL jump. There just aren't as many of us, whereas the AFF students ride the Otter... lots of room on lots of loads. The number of available JMs is the only issue. I have only made one jump per trip to the DZ so far because it takes all day to get up.
Hey! WAIT!! Can I change my answer?? I'm so confused :S
1111,
GeekStreak

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I went through the SL progression and know that it is the only way I would have made it through. I liked that there was only one new thing an any jump. The first ones are all about canopy control, then you get into freefall maneuvers. I would not have been able to handle both those things new on the same jump.
Then again, I am a high strung, cautious skydiver. (I know, a contradiction in terms, but true!)
I agree with the advice of the others, save up until you can make a string of jumps in a short time, in whatever progression you choose!
Blus skies,
FallinWoman

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Nothing is better... everything is different.... how about that for squirting the issue!
I will agree with the posts surrounding the lenght of time between jumps.... I would go one step further and say save till you can pay for the whole program and do the jumps as close together as you can.
Each time you start from a long time off, you have to re-master your fears; jumping a lot in a short time should lessen that problem and allow you to focus on learning the skills rather then getting over you fear.
So back to SL vs AFF: I didnt do either (I'm canadian eh!): we have IADs (instructor assisted deployement) and PFF (Progeressive FF, which is AFF but starts off with 2 or 3 IADs, in short).
My preference is AFF/PFF, but then that's just me...
Remi

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Hi, I am in the same Situation as you are. Due to bad Weather Conditions last Year I got 18 Jumps with 5 Manual Jumps so far and then paused for the Winter. Now after I am moved the new Club want me to start from the beginning.
They agreed to teach me AFF but without the second Instructor on the first 3 Jumps which safes me some Money.
generally I had the Problems that the Trainers never have been able to tell me what I exactly did wrong! So most of the Training was guessing how to make the next Jump better.
I will also take a week off to make my AFF course to get the Jumps as close together as possible.
Interesting is that most people answered your question seems to be Students theirself. What about the Instructors? maybe they should have a look in here once in their lifetime.
cheers

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You asked for the opinion of an opinionated old jumpmaster.
Well here goes!
All the other junior jumpers are giving you sound advice.
This argument was covered in great detail under the heading SL unsafe?
I believe that students should have the opportunity to absorb a little new information on each jump. That is why I recommend that all first-timers go tandem. Then most Canadian schools run students through a half day of lectures and ground practice before sending them up for 2 or 3 Instructor Assisted Deployment jumps (similar to static-line from the student's perspective). Once they have mastered the basics of steering and landing a canopy, we pass them off to the Progressive Freefall Instructors who take them up to 10,000' to teach them freefall skills. After students graduate from PFF, we encourage them to continue refining their skills under the supervision of coaches.

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Thought I'd kick my $.02 in here...
I started AFF two years ago and progressed to and completed level 4. Failed Level 4 once, 5 jumps in total. The whole thing was shelved due to time contraints.
This year I started up again, doing IAD's and the standard progression (I'm assuming this is similiar to static line progression). Mostly due to the weather - I couldn't get the altitude for the PFF/AFF.
I have to say, at first I was jumping from pretty low - 3,500' - It was a bit scary. However, all I had to do was let go. Each jump was like that - just one skill at a time.
By the end of the course, I'm convinced for me, that was the way to go. I'm not the bold and brave type, so one step at a time was perfect for me.
Cheers,
NewGuy B|

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Well I tried the S/L route as well - SLOW and very unreliable here in the UK because of the weather.
In the end I did some saving and did the AFF - I'd recommend it to anyone.
I know it's expensive but when you start S/L you don't get the in-freefall hints & tips like you do in AFF, also your instructors are there for any probs for the first 7 jumps. (regard the instructors as an insurance - it's your skydive)
Also I did the first 7 levels of WARP straight afterwards (some were my consolidation jumps) - having been recommended to do so as my 'learning curve' was 'on the boil'.
AFF - go for it!
Adam H

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Quote

Because of the long periods between jumps

This is a more important factor than which method you choose.
How current you are has a large impact on how fast you progress.
I learned on IAD progression, it was good from the canopy
learning, and also by the time I got to freefall I was
starting to get comfortable about being in the plane, the
door opening etc.
The down side is that my freefall skills took longer to develop.
Friends who took PFF {Canadian equivilant of AFF) progressed
much faster with freefall, they had immediate input from the instructors.
The cost per jump is cheaper for SL/IAD but I ended up paying about the same just not all in one lump sum.
Go skydive
Have a blast
Andrew

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After you've made 100 jumps, it will not have mattered which route you went....What will matter more is how invested the DZ is in your learning to skydive. If it's a factory, you won't be able to turn a 4 point 4-way after 100 jumps. If they're really putting some energy into you, you'll be able to do it with 50 jumps! Just my $.02!
Peace~
Lindsey
Peace~
Lindsey

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Six weeks ago I was ready to sign up for a AFF program, when a co-worker (with 500+ jumps), suggested that I use S/L as a method of learning instead. Now after 18 jumps I can say it probably was the best decision. The rationale for the decision?? Simple: SAFETY!!. As I have been reading lately on mishaps and injuries, most of them appear to be related in one way or the other, with canopy control and landings. The S/L progression allows you during the first 5 to 7 jumps to focus solely on overcoming fear, learning to arch,arch,arch,arch!!!...and to "read" your canopy and flight, so you can then begin progressively the learning on the free fall. After 18 jumps, I can say that now I feel pretty comfortable in the plane, getting out, arching, and pulling the ripcord, so I can begin focusing a bit more on spotting, and free fall. Of course, I am still learning to get the feel of the canopy and flight, however, as I have been learning one thing at a time, it is easy now to focus on one thing at a time during the whole duration of my jump, from when I put my gear on and do the safety checks, to the time I land. And of course since the levels of anxiety has dramatically come down, so have gone up the levels of enjoyment.
AFF is usually advertised as a fast method to get you in the air FAST!. Well, skydiving is not soccer or baseball, and being able to jump solo fast is not as important as being able to jump solo well and safe (I have to add that I have been incredibly lucky in finding a dropzone and jumpmasters that go to the smallest detail in providing me with the best feedback for my proper, and safe learning of the sport). Thats my $.02
LUIS

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I didn't see anyone mention AFP..that's currently what I'm doing and I think it's been a great way to learn. The three tandems teach you the basics of FF (presentation, arching, turning) without having to worry about canopy control or landing (but getting some instruction on these as well). It also gets rid of the anxiety of both free fall and canopy flying simultaneously. Basically, AFP is just AFF with 3 tandems before you start the 7 jump sequence, and you only have 1 instructor with you instead of 2. I just did my level 2 AFP (which is the 5th jump, 2nd solo following 3 tandems). And that was the first jump that I felt no apprehension or anxiety on the ride up.

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