Mech2321

Hey Barron. You're right. I know it's been about a week since you replied (busy work schedule on my end) but I looked up Chicago and it's the same program as Spaceland. At this point, every option I'm looking at is going to be a 3 or 4 hour drive anyway so I'll start looking into Chicago. IFLY Chicago is also the closest wind tunnel to me which I wanted to get some practice in on before starting any AFF jumps. I thank you for the information sir.

I get that. I understand about the liability and etc. There's only so much that the school and instructors can do. This is pretty a much a sport where your fate is 100 percent in your own hands and even with instructor assistance there are many things that can still go wrong that leaves the student to have to take the corrective actions to save themselves.

I talked to Bob through email. Bob and Marry, correct? I have no problem with doing the training in Canada. You know, as serious about safety as Canadians are about everything I'd almost feel better about it anyway. Is this Bob or one of his instructors? He told me he didn't know if it would be a good idea because he gets booked up pretty solid and because he has a smaller, slower air plane it can take all day waiting for the jump and with this regions unpredictable weather it could create a lengthy training program.

Had issues with Tecumseh. The entire ground school was nothing but they guy reading the entire 270 plus page USPA manual for 8 hours, which is available for free online from the USPA. I paid $200 for someone to read a book to me, that's available for free? Six hours into the course I started falling asleep. I asked for my money back. Midwest Free Fall doesn't return calls or emails. I actually finally got through to one guy and he was supposed to call me back. Never did. I call, leave messages with the receptionist, nothing. The rest of those drop zones are a three hour drive or more. I was hoping for an independent instructor more less because I'm short $3000 and 2 weeks off work to be able to "cram" the entire course. If weather was perfect, which it's not as this is Michigan, someone could do all 25 jumps in one week. So between the money issue and time constraints, this is something that would take months to finish. It puts it potentially passed October. Every drop zone I've talked to said they shut down in October. If this is the response I'm going to get from local drop zones in Michigan and I have to save up the money to pay for it all at once and take two weeks off work to do it, then I'll just take the two weeks off next year and go to the Dallas TX Spaceland drop zone as what I've seen looks very impressive.

Are there any Metro Detroit instructors that would be willing to work with me one on one for training for the A license? The reason I'm asking is because I'd like to obtain a parachute license but Saturday is the only day I get off work. It's late in the season and all of the drop zones around here stop training in October. From what I understand there are no regulations or rules against training beyond October it's just most people are not interested in doing it because of the cold weather. I'm a truck driver. I'm use to and have driven in all sorts of weird and bizarre weather conditions from category 1 hurricanes, to white out conditions, dust storms, black out conditions out west due to to forest fires, freezing rain, 40 below zero temps in Canada, etc, etc. I'm not worried about cold air. I know it gets cold up there but I'm willing to keep going with the training if someone is also wiling to do it. I will have to go through the entire schooling from ground school through all of the AFF jumps. So I'd need at least the two instructors for the beginning. I'm hoping to get through most of the jumps before October so I can continue with just a coach after that. Thanks