ManagingPrime

Thanks. Most of my working life I've been self-employed...so i'm very aware of how to lose money. lol Yeah, at first I was told that it was 3 tandems and then aff... after two I'm told two more... maybe since the first one was such a cluster that one is not counting. I don't know. My attempts at getting questions answered have so far not been fruitful, but I understand that it's busy on the weekends and when you've got students in the air you can't really sit down and answer a bunch of questions. Agreed on the money point as well. I support people making profits in their business... it will ensure that I have a DZ close by. I'm still a little uneasy about such a variance in cost from the norm, but whatever....just give me a reason. Ya know. Your advise about straight answers is spot on. Think I'll ask some more questions and the answers (or lack thereof) will be the determining factor. Thanks for the advice. My roommate and I (both noobs) were scratching our heads about what to do. In any case....can't wait to knock out a solid 6-8 jumps this next week! I remember the first time I was PIC and how all my concerns in the world disappeared. Skydiving is way better...Everything disappears with the exception of a huge shit eating grin.

It depends. I receive discounts all over the place if I flash my work ID and at restaurants for example I often times just increase the tip by the amount of the discount. Never used a coupon on the first date, but I would not be opposed to the idea. As long as you are not perceived as cheap go for it. Not really a problem with me... I've got "mad skillz" with the ladies.

I figured there was not much comparison besides what you mentioned. Back to the point of the original post. Should I ask a DZ to justify their price if it's above the perceived industry average? The concern is that it would be bad way to start off with a home DZ especially if I decide to go elsewhere. I don't know the community that well, but a number of the posts I've read lead me to believe that when dealing with "noobs" some people can be...ummm....sensitive.

It's my hope that some of the principals from my time as a student pilot will carry over (made it through to cross country and then 9/11 caused some issues). As a pilot how would you compare the "ground learning" (AAD (owner's manual) or wingloading, etc.) to what one has to go through as a student pilot?

Too bad I did not check out this site prior to my first jump. After visiting here I found out why I puked...other than spinning out of control at 10K feet---no food, no liquids with exception of red bull. I know what I was thinking, but my logic was obviously flawed. lol Your point about the relationships is one of my primary concerns. Everyone there is pretty cool and easy to get along with and I don't want something like my eagerness to get my license at an accelerated pace (less than a month) and cost to strain those relationships as I will probably be in the columbus area for the next year or so. Maybe the more appropriate question should be, what expectations should I have from a DZ as far as A license instruction and is there a good example that can be pointed to (some well know DZ's program, etc.)?

Thank you for the reply. Yeah....I guess I should get the terms right. Yes. I'm talking about my A license. You are the second person to say that 25 jumps in 4 days is a little excessive. From their (the other DZ) website it states (www.startskydiving.com): "Accelerated Freefall through A License We offer our popular AFF to A License program that includes Categories A-E 8 jumps, Coach Categories F-H 8 jumps, A License check dive and 6 additional slots $2,500.00***" Think I may have misrepresented their program as it also goes on to state that the 4 day program covers the Cat A-E 8 jumps. The middletown DZ (startskydiving.com) provides a good deal of info about their program on their website. My concern is that the DZ where I've had my first two jumps this month has not provided much information in the way of what kind of A license program they offer and as I continue to gain information from them the price appears to keep going up. As a noob (who still does not even have terminology down yet ) what questions should I be asking? Should I haggle on price? Push for a more accelerated program. The concern is that this DZ will be my home DZ since it is the closest and I don't want to piss anyone off.

Hi, On the third of this month I had my first tandem. While it was less than ideal (uncontrolled spin, early pull due to uncontrolled spin, line twist....vomit ) as soon as I was back on the ground I knew this was for me. I was told that the training progression went something like 3 tandems and then AFF. Another DZ in my area has an "advanced AFF" weekend course---4 days and $2500 and you have your license. With my work schedule that is appealing, but i've built a little bit of a rapport with the people at the DZ that is closer to me. Just this last friday the second tandem was completed. It went perfect and confirmed again that I most definatly want to jump into this sport head first. Today I'm told that the first two tandems don't count towards training and that after ground school there will be another 2 tandems and then AFF. OK, after the first jump and seeing how things can go wrong I don't have a problem with a more "thorough" training program, but now my back of the envelope math shows a $1390 difference is course costs, this does not factor in the cost of ground school or the two tandems to date so the price difference could easily be in the $2,000 range. Again, when it comes to my safety and learning the fundamentals of the sport I don't want to "cheap out", but now I have doubts. Should I voice my concerns to the DZ? Should I bail to another DZ for my training (willing to travel anywhere)? Bottom line is that I want good quality training, in a compressed time period and for a good "market price". Problem is that i'm used to telling people "good, fast, cheap....pick two" and that's kind of what i'm asking for. lol Advice is appreciated.

I appreciate the video of all the AFF progressions. I start mine next weekend and it's nice to have some idea of what to expect.