its time to start

[alex30 0]

Hey all,

well its been almost 3 years since i first joined this forum when i was looking to start this sport.
sadley since then, life and all its craziness put a stop to my starting. ( bike crash)

Anyway, now im fighting fit and readiny to finally get this underway. something i have wanted to do for so long.

this is where i need your advice please.
I want to do a full course to gain my licence so i guess AFF in the way to go.

Where in the uk (from london) is the best DZ to do my AFF? im looking for somewher friendly with great instruters who actually care about teaching. and not too expensive.
Or should i go abroad? is it recognised in uk?
best time of year to do it
Is an A licence a student licence? i read it goes up to D
if so,, how do i progress and what is needed to gain B,C and D.
Im into weight traing and im around 15/16stone. will i have to shed some weight. please sau no...lol

any other tips you can offer me would be appreciated.

so now i guess is down to the wind tunnel for some traing before the weather gets better.

thanks guys and gals

[Ryno118 0]

I did my AFF with Skydivespain in Seville. They have BPA rated instructors so its no problem sending off for your A licence when you get back home. Its a great DZ and very friendy to all levels of skydivers. You get the A licence once you complete you AFF levels and consols and there is a lot that goes into getting the B,C and D licence so dont worry about that now. Some tunnel training is never a bad idea to make it all abit easier. Good luck with in all mate

Live hard, Live fast, Die broke.
D.S. 118118

[wayneflorida 0]

Figure how much money getting your license will cost and have it in hand before you start.

Try to train/jump at least every weekend barring weather.

Good luck.

ps. Stay off bikes

[RainbowSmurf 0]

I did AFF in New Zealand (as I was there on hols) and then came back to Headcorn in Kent to continue. If you do go abroad then I think it's best to get the whole A licence if possible. (What do others think?)

Headcorn is probably one of the nearest DZs to London. I enjoyed going there when I did but I haven't jumped for about 3 years so I can't say what it's like now.

Try the UK Skydiver site if you don't get much info here.

I am my inner child. It's my outer adult I have trouble connecting with.

[alex30 0]

Thanks to those that have replied and sent pm's.

After 2 days of research and many calls I have made up a comparison table for the ten DZ's closest to me, including price, location, opening times, reviews and added extras and i have narrowed it down to a few.


Im looking for a DZ that is opened most days of the week as i want to go away for a week or 2 and jump everyday that i can. get my a licence and a good few more jumps.
I thought about going abroad but i think im gonna do my training in the uk.

What Uk DZ would you all recommend for my Aff and what i want (as above)......no ! i dont want to start a war here. so no fighting about your DZ's. just constructive information please.

cheers all

[yeyo 1]

I would go personally to those 10 DZs and check them out. Talk to the jumpers, staff, and the instructors and choose the one were you feel more at home. They will become your new family.

HISPA #93
DS #419.5

[alex30 0]

i know i said i dont wanna go abroad but after my other half said she wants to do it aswell ( arrrrhhhhh! is gonna cost a fortune) i started some more research.

Empuriabrava seems like a good DZ. it works out a little cheaper than doing it in the uk and a holiday in the sun to boot.

so its either

Langer
sibson
Hib
Empuriabrava

This sport is gonna ruin me....he he he he

[mrbiceps 0]

I think its a good idea to visit all the dropzones u are thinking of starting your aff at. speak to the current aff students and get their opinion. check the planes out and see which one is the biggest and fastest. If you had walked up to me during my aff i would have told you to go to another drop zone. The dz i went to had a small cessna and we were lucky to get 1 jump in per day. Remember the place that has the most and biggest planes will more than likely be the dz that you can get the most jumps in during a day. There is nothing worse than waiting to get on a plane. My current dz has big and fast planes and if you go hard u can knock off 10 jumps in a day. cheers and good luck.

[alex30 0]

mrbiceps, whats your DZ mate?

i would go around all the DZ's but its a bit of a trek.
thats why i post others for there opinion

[mx19 0]

I finished my AFF and A licence in Empuria and loved it the DZ's great, quick planes, lots of lifts, and a beach for when you dont want to jump.

I would reccomend trying to do all your consols out there aswell, makes coming back to England to jump so much easier

Max

[Ryno118 0]

I'd second that. Ocaña is a great student DZ too. Its called the freefall uni and is aimed at students.

Live hard, Live fast, Die broke.
D.S. 118118

[alex30 0]

has anyone here jumped cyprus?
i was just looking at their limited site and its well cheap to do an AFF course. AFF Course Levels 1 to 8 CY£ 850.00 thats less than £800.
does anyone know if this is right.
also is it BPA.

more info on this thread would be appreciated. your input and my research are gonna make my mind up as to where i start out in this sport.

got the cash( saved 5k so far) just waiting until the weathhers better