International Licensing question.

[Icyhot 0]

Hello! :) Haven't made many posts but I have a question. I am in the USAF and waiting to leave for basic Feb 20th. There is a good chance I will get an overseas placement(maybe Iraq yikes!). My question is if I get a license in another country will I be allowed to jump in my country? Or will I even be allowed to get a license internationally?And no if I am in Iraq i am not going to look for a skydiving school lol!

P.S. I was originally going Coastguard but I ended up going AirForce if some of you are left confused on that :)

[Zeppo 0]

There are differences in licensing programs. From what I know, the "A" "B" "C" "D" are recognized world-wide. however, there are some other licenses that are not.

I recently received my Solo Certificate. In Canada, this means that I have the ability to skydive safely without superivsion, but do not yet have the skills of a "A" license holder.

This Solo is not recognized in the US, and therefore I am prevented from jumping there. (except for Skydive City...Thanks TK)

I know this doesn't quite answer your question, but it's at least a story of one country license vs another.

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[altichick 1]

FAI sets license requirements which almost every country will recognise. http://www.fai.org/parachuting/certificates_proficiency/

The only difference I know of (so far!) is that if you get a FAI (british) license the requirements are quite different ...but BPA memebers can apply for an international FAI license if they are going to travel.

BPA license and international license requirements are here http://www.bpa.org.uk/forms.htm or you can see the FAI requirements in section 5 of the FAI sporting code http://www.fai.org/documents/sportingcode.

Where ever you get your license make you sure you keep your log book up to date and signed (preferably by an instructor for the first 50 or so) it makes travelling much easier!!

Have fun

Don't sweat the petty things... and don't pet the sweaty things!

[za_skydiver 0]

Made em clicky

Quote

FAI sets license requirements which almost every country will recognise. http://www.fai.org/parachuting/certificates_proficiency/

The only difference I know of (so far!) is that if you get a FAI (british) license the requirements are quite different ...but BPA memebers can apply for an international FAI license if they are going to travel.

BPA license and international license requirements are here http://www.bpa.org.uk/forms.htm or you can see the FAI requirements in section 5 of the FAI sporting code http://www.fai.org/documents/sportingcode.

Where ever you get your license make you sure you keep your log book up to date and signed (preferably by an instructor for the first 50 or so) it makes travelling much easier!!

Have fun

Some dream of flying, i live the dream...

[brettski74 0]

I could write a big long post about my experiences in different countries, but the bottom line is, that as long as you go somewhere where there is some degree of established sport parachuting, you should be fine.

If you have a log book, make sure it is up to date and have it with you.

If you have a licence or certificate of proficiency of any kind, make sure that it is in date and have it with you.

If you have your own rig, make sure that the repack is in date and have the packing data card with you. Having the rig with you as well may also be a good thing.

I know that overseas jumpers jump in the US all the time, although I can't tell you much about that, just yet. I won't be adding that to my list until January. I have jumped in 4 other countries, though - Canada, Australia, Sweden and Latvia - and it wasn't a big problem in any of them.

In any case, once you know where you're going find a dropzone, call them and ask them to answer your questions. FAI does provide a reasonable level of consistency across countries, but there are still variations. They'll be able to tell you everything you'll need and they're usually more than happy to help you out so you can come and visit.

As far as getting your licence as a "visitor", I've seen a few Australian dropzones market AFF to backpackers on the premise that it's cheaper to do it in Australia than in the UK, so it's probably possible, but again, ask the folks at the dropzone where you're going. They'll have the definitive answer. If you're concerned about how applicable overseas training will be in the US, your best bet would be to ask the dropzone that you think you'll call home, but as long as it's through another FAI member organisation, it will probably be transferrable in some form or another.