First Jump: AFF or Tandem?

[peregrinerose 0]

There are pros and cons to both ways. Personally, I did a tandem first. I wasn't all that impressed with the tandem, it was fun, I enjoyed it, but I wasn't all that inspired to put forth the money to continue skydiving based on the tandem. The only reason I bothered with AFF was because my husband was a jumper, and even then I did AFF almost 2 years after the tandem.

I've done 5 tandems since then... all with people getting recurrent as tandem instructors or learning to be a tandem instructor. They scare the shit out of me now, relinquishing that kind of control to someone else.
My husband didn't do a tandem before AFF... went straight to it. He knew he wanted to learn how to skydive and wanted to learn how straight from jump number one.

There's no right or wrong answer, do whatever feels right to you.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[cloudseeker2001 0]

Quote

Im going for my first just this weekend. I was planning on the AFF for my first jump, however, some schools are telling me that isn't smart and I should tandem first.

Some input and advise would be great from all.

thanks,

CupCakeBatter

If I could do it over, I would choose AFF.

"Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance,
others mean and rueful of the western dream"

[Nightingale 0]

I don't think I would have continued jumping if I'd done AFF first. Doing a tandem first really let me enjoy the experience of freefall. There was so much to think about during AFF that there wasn't really time to just enjoy the skydive. When I landed, my head was full of everything I'd done, everything I did right, and everything I could've done better at, whereas when I landed from my tandem, my first thought was "OMG that was awesome!" and it made me want to come back.

[Pooface 0]

I don't think "knowing you want to skydive" has much to do with it. After my FJC I was the first to raise my hand to jump a s/l i was so excited and when i let go i tried swimming back up to the plane i was so freaked out. The next 5 weren't much better. I have since done 2 "working" tandams and am on to AFF3.

I wish i would of just done the tandams first even tho "I knew i wanted to skydive." But the experience of landing the canopy myself 5 times is priceless.

Ive noticed about a 50-50 success rate on aff1's with no tandams but thats based on very limited observation.

>-/oMy Space

[chuck411 0]

I just ask people ...Do you think you want to become a Skydiver? or Are you unsure if this is for you?

Depending on their answer I give them my suggestion. If they say they want to be a skydiver and understand the dangers involved then they should do a Real FJC. Be it AFF, S/L, IAD.
If they are on the fence or are just there for a ride I say Do a Tandem. Thats what I told My nephew this month when I took him out to the DZ. He said He wasnt sure if it was something he wanted to do more than once but he had to do it atleast once. So he did a Tandem.....

Now he Wants to be a Skydiver...

I knew when I headed out to the DZ I did not want to be strapped to anyone else. I wanted to be incharge of my life. I had jumped SL in the Army but that is for real comparing Apples and Handgrenades.

BTw I told my Recruiter that I wouldnt Sign until I saw on paper that I was going to MP School, Jump School, and would be stationed at Ft. Bragg.
I knew I wanted to jump outta Air Planes.

[Nightingale 0]

I saw skydiving as a "do it once, cross it off the list and move on" activity, until I did my tandem. I did AFF the very next weekend.