International Jumping....

[FTP_07 0]

I know I'm 'jumping' the gun but, my job requires me to travel alot, so I try to get jobs that last over a month so I can stay in an area and jump. Today, I seen a job posting that I know I would qualify for - but it's overseas. It's in a country I totally would love to work in, never mind jump in (I was suppose to jump there when I was there last year, though it never happened) and I was just wondering, even though I'm a student right now....could I still acquire my student license overseas if I'm not done with all the levels required to be completed for a student license? Could I just pick up where I left off in the states, over there? What about if I already have my student license? Would I be able to jump alone if I had my student license in a foreign country? I went to the zone today with those questions in mind and a few other things I had to take care of but hardly anyone was around for me to ask. So....any input would be great. Thanks guys/gals!

[lilchief 1]

It depends on the county you'll be working in. What country is it?

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci
www.lilchief.no

[phoenixlpr 0]

Get a FAI CoP license card. It would help most of the places.

You may find more here

[FTP_07 0]

Australia

[bob.dino 1]

What part of Australia? Have you been learning via AFF or Static Line?

Contact the APF and ask them what the story is...

[FTP_07 0]

Around Sydney

[brettski74 0]

Quote

What part of Australia? Have you been learning via AFF or Static Line?

Contact the APF and ask them what the story is...

First a disclaimer that I am not an instructor, but I have travelled to quite a lot of dropzones in various countries for my relatively short skydiving career, so this is based on my observations of training programs in various locations.

The bottom line is that to be granted a licence or certificate of proficiency anywhere is basically the responsibility of whoever signs off on the paperwork. Given that there are general rules and criteria you need to meet, you'll need to demonstrate somehow that you can meet these criteria. That may be through examining your logbook and existing qualifications from other organisations or it may be through instructional and/or coach jumps. Contacting people in Australia will help you figure out what to do to be able to jump in Oz, but what happens when you return to the US or elsewhere will depend on the staff back at your home DZ and how far you get in your training abroad.

Your best bet is to contact the staff at the dropzone where you plan to do training and find out what they will need from you. Organisations like the APF and USPA set the rules, but those rules are generally implemented by people at dropzones and it's them who will have to sign off on your skills in order to get you licensed. Note that while AFF/PFF programs are somewhat similar around the world, there are differences between countries and even between dropzones in how many jumps they may include and the training objectives for each jump in the progression, so a level 4 AFF student from one DZ may not be the same as a level 4 AFF somewhere else.

Regarding Oz, find a dropzone near where you'll be that can offer you training. Note that there are many skydiving operations in Australia that only offer tandem jumping for tourists. You'll need a proper dropzone that can offer training and fun-jumping as well. Sydney Skydivers at Picton is probably the best known DZ near Sydney. I personally haven't jumped there, but it's the best one I know of in the area. Some of the locals may be able to suggest other good dropzones. Call them. Talk to their chief instructor (CI). He/she will be the one that will have to decide on what training you may or may not need to complete.

With regards to what will happen when you get back, that will be a matter to figure out when you get back based upon how far you get. The further you get, the easier it is likely to be. Make sure you keep detailed logs that describe what you did on the jump and whether you were successful in the objectives for the jump and any notes for future improvement. Make sure it's signed off by your instructor. If you complete AFF in Australia, that will be a lot better than if you're only part-way through it. If you can get your APF A licence, even better. It's not like your student training done elsewhere will count for nothing, but you'll do a lot better with transferring licence qualifications than you will have with student training.

[hackish 8]

From talking to a number of DZO's I think that you reach a critical point where you'll be considered an experienced skydiver by pretty much everyone despite the local "licensing system". Certainly if you achieve your "A" license that should meet the minimum criteria for everywhere. I know I called around a few US dropzones just thinking of a winter trip and when I said that I had only a CSPA solo they asked how many jumps. When I said 40 they usually said "sure, you'll be just fine".

-Michael

[brettski74 0]

I had a similar experience a couple of years ago jumping on a CSPA solo certificate in Australia at 27 jumps - they just looked at my jump numbers and were happy for me to jump solo. Then again, I jumped in Latvia sometime later with over 50 jumps and an A licence and they wouldn't let me jump without doing a coach jump first.

So yes, when you get to a "certain level" people will be happy to just let you jump, but that "certain level" varies from place to place. Just be prepared to prove your skills if asked before being extended the privilege of jumping at a new DZ.