SL jumps

[jaff 0]

i'm having serious issues about deciding whether to go AFF or RAPS (SL progression) to get my license at Langar. i looked at all the past posts about pros and cons but i've still got a couple of questions.

i'm a student so have comically little money so i think SL straight away as it looks about £1,000 cheaper. But lots of people have said that it actually turns about to be more expensive. is this true?

also, what is the average number of jumps taken to complete the RAPS program? i got told about 25 by some people, but anything up to 50 by others. any ideas??

thanks for all your help

jaf

Effort is the Virtue of the Untalented.

[lewmonst 0]

programs vary by dz. i'd suggest call your dz and get the cost layout of both methods all the way up to the A license requirements are met. they probably get that question all the time and have a sheet that will add it all up for you.

i did static line years ago becuase i was poor and it was cheaper.

have fun
peace

http://www.exitshot.com

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

It's good if you can't fork out all that money straight away for AFF. I don't know about it being 1000 quid cheaper though. It took me about 40 jumps to get my cat8.

____________________
Say no to subliminal messages

[rocketfeuille 0]

My wife tried static line her first time around, but quit because she couldn't get stable and the S&TA at the DZ couldn't help her very much. Then she went out to Eloy and did AFF with so much success that she skipped a level. Just something to think about...

[flow 1]

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My wife tried static line her first time around, but quit because she couldn't get stable and the S&TA at the DZ couldn't help her very much. Then she went out to Eloy and did AFF with so much success that she skipped a level. Just something to think about...

Ahem, I think one basic skill needed in skydiving is to be stable, and I think not beeing able to get stable is an poor excuse for choosing AFF instead of SL.

[ernokaikkonen 0]

If you're tight on the money, S/L might be a better idea: you get to jump more often since the jumps are cheaper, and therefore you'll be more current.

[gus 1]

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also, what is the average number of jumps taken to complete the RAPS program?

I've met people that have done it in the minimum (whatever that is, 16?), some that have taken 50+ and some that have given up and converted to AFF. I've met very few people who had to retake more than 1 or 2 AFF levels.

I've never done a s/l jump but I did do my AFF at Langar, nearly 3 years ago. One thing to bear in mind is that AFF rejumps at Langar cost your slots only, ie at other places you might get charged £150 to retake level 1/2/3, at Langar you'd pay 3 jump tickets = about £50.

I was a student at Nottingham when I did AFF so it's not impossible. I took out student loans and worked part time to fund it but it's worth every penny. If you can get the cash together I'd recommend AFF for its intensity and freefall from jump #1
Good luck dude,

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[JackC 0]

I'm also skint and on S/L progression at Langar and I asked myself the same questions when I started.

Here's why I chose SL.

1) Even though you get to freefall from jump 1 on AFF, I still get to jump out of aeroplanes with SL.

2) I get more jumps for my money with SL.

3) Just because I could learn via AFF doesn't mean I wont have fun with SL. (Although the rope is frustrating if you keep screwing up DRP jumps like I do)

4) I can't afford AFF anyway unless I stop squandering all my money on food and rent.

Hey, it made sense to me.

[rocketfeuille 0]

Ahem, I think one basic skill needed in skydiving is to be stable, and I think not beeing able to get stable is an poor excuse for choosing AFF instead of SL.

[Ron 10]

Well its an old debate...one that will not die untill S/L jumps are no longer done.

S/L will eventually die out. There is not enough money to be made with it, and as "club" DZ's go away more AFF will be done.

There is nothing wrong with S/L as a way to learn skydiving.
A guy that was an AFF I once told me that because I went S/L I would never be as good as him because he went AFF to learn....What a load of crap that was.

There is no differance after maybe 50 jumps.

The one thing I can say in favor of AFF is instant feedback in freefall from jump one. (However in S/L you get the same thing on your later jumps).

But in favor of S/L, I think that the time spent with the Instructors helps out alot. Most S/L students spend more time at the DZ than AFFers. They also are better at canopy control (Lets face it they do 5 jumps almost ALL canopy control). And it costs less so they can make more jumps and get used to leaving an Airplane. It is also easier to stay current in bad weather places....You are supposed to do a 30 second delay today, but the clouds are at 5 grand....Want to do a clear and pull? The AFFers are sitting on the ground.

I saw a guy start S/L....His buddy wanted to learn, and wanted to be better than the first guy, so he went AFF.
Yes, the AFF guy got off of "student status" first. But by 20 jumps they flew about the same. And the S/L guy had bought a rig. So after 6 mths. the S/L guy had a lot more jumps than his buddy.

Nothing wrong with S/L.....just do the one you can afford, and DO IT.

Ron

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[riggerrob 643]

Both methods work and both cost about the same in the long run.
At Pitt Meadows, we encourage students to do PFF in the summer, but when the weather turns "British" in the autumn, we recommend traditional IAD progression (similar to S/L progression) because they can still do hop and pops during gloomy winter days.
If a student can only afford to do one PFF jump per month, then I steer them towards traditional progression. Impoverished students tend to do better with traditional progression because they can afford to do enough S/L jumps to stay current.

[blewaway5 0]

First of all, riggerrob is right, they both work and they both end up costing you about the same. Of course, I'm gonna have to agree with this statement by Ron as well:

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But in favor of S/L, I think that the time spent with the Instructors helps out alot. Most S/L students spend more time at the DZ than AFFers. They also are better at canopy control (Lets face it they do 5 jumps almost ALL canopy control). And it costs less so they can make more jumps and get used to leaving an Airplane. It is also easier to stay current in bad weather places....You are supposed to do a 30 second delay today, but the clouds are at 5 grand....Want to do a clear and pull? The AFFers are sitting on the ground.

I started out SL and in less than a week I was already on a better basis with the staff and the hardcore jumpers than some of the students who'd been jumping for months. I also feel like I learned a lot about the intangibles of the sport that you don't get unless you're around it. Plus I 'personally' feel that it requires more from the student in the way of patince, which is good. Just my opinion there, though.

Truman Sparks for President

[jaff 0]

thanks for all your help guys...i think RAPS is the way to go for me...

hopefully i'll see some of you at langar in a couple of weeks...


charlie

Effort is the Virtue of the Untalented.

[eyeinthesky 0]

matter of what you want out of your dives, i think. i didnt give tandems/ AFF a second thought as i want to be able to do things on my own. i wnat to get out on my own, do my own thing, pull my own cords, fly my canopy the way i want to, and take in the scenery without someone screamin in my ear statics are a bit cheaper, and i have been able to jump when the AFFers were grounded. plus, and this is just my opinion, so dont scream at me you AFF graduates......i think you learn better when you have to learn on the ground then do it on your own in the air rather than be instructed on the ground and shown what to do in freefall. either way, it doesnt matter, just enjoy it.

doug

hey, i was stupid before stupid was cool!