First Jump

[jackieann 0]

Hello,

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[gus 1]

Well done on the tandem!
If you're serious about getting lisenced and can afford the extra $$$ I'd go for AFF. Typically it's a much quicker route to being a 'real' skydiver and you get freefall from jump # 1. Having said that, loads of people learn through s/l and some of them don't turn out too bad.

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[rendezvous 0]

I would go for AFF. But then thats how I learnt so thats the only one I'm familiar with. Don't know what it's like to go the S/L way. But I guess being in a Skydive from the very first jump has it's advantages and is fun.

[grega 0]

if money is no problem than i'd say go for AFF. i learned with s/l but that's only because i can't afford aff. Plus in our country (Slovenia) i don't know any skydiving school with AFF program. All i know is that a s/l method is a cheaper and longer lasting method. you need at least 10 jumps before you can fall for at least 10 seconds. you won't be able to wait for your first solo freefal from 12000 feet, well i know a barely survived

"George just lucky i guess!"

[PhreeZone 20]

SL has the big advantage of working on canopy skills from jump 1 while AFF compresses freefall and canopy into each jump.

Just remember on every jump... the freefalls for fun, the canopy flying will let you jump again. If you have a horrible freefall but a great canopy flight you can jump again... if you have a great freefall but crash bad on landing... odds are your done for a long time if not forever (in one way or another) jumping.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[DTOXX 0]

I am scheduled to complete my AFF tomorrow (stink'in work in the way) and must admit that the AFF approach is NOT CHEAP. If you fail a lesson (hanging head down) then its even less cheap...
My advice on the AFF is to listen to everything your instructor says. Ask every question even if you think it is stupid to ask such a trivial thing. Mentally go over everything in your head both before a jump and after. The trick, if there is one, is to gather as much information/data/feeling as you can on each jump. You will need the knowledge of previous jumps for the next lesson and its that feeling of airflow that was key for me.
I am NOT an expert by any means on this subject and am only trying to provide my experiences while they are fresh.
As I said. Graduation jump tomorrow and fun jump (maybe more) with a friend friday. (love that 9/80 work schedule)

-------
D.T. Holder
SIMstudy

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Good luck and stay loose on your Level VII jump.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[skymedic 0]

Most important part about passing AFF..is remember you are there to have fun....and SMILE...it made me SOOOO much better of a flyer when I smiled and had fun....even with the whole DOOR fear thing...

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[fudd 0]

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I am scheduled to complete my AFF tomorrow (stink'in work in the way) and must admit that the AFF approach is NOT CHEAP. If you fail a lesson (hanging head down) then its even less cheap...

You kid me not! I had to do 4 extra level III jumps. Just didn't managed to stay on heading. Then it all suddenly felt so natural. I relaxed and were in full control. Just the flunked level III jumps costed me more than $500.

I would recomend the AFF track, though. It's the safest, quickest and best way to learn.

-fudd

There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

[PhreeZone 20]

AFF has a history of failed levels with lots of students so that makes it not the fastest, a lot of AFF students have canopy control issues due to the lack of coaching after their first 4 jumps. That makes the safety level go down and the best way... i think thats debateable. The new method being used by the USPA and lots of other places that intergrets tandems and aff seems to address the majority of these issues and produces better skydivers.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Dumpster 0]

Myself, I went the S/L route, and overall the cost is about the same- One reason I chose Static was more jumps per buck, and if you do need to repeat a level, it's not as pricey. I did a total of 20 some-odd jumps and when I tallied it all up, it was about the same as an AFF progession, with a few extra jumps thrown in. I can't speak with any authority on AFF. What I might reccomend to anyone just starting is to download or buy a copy of the SIM and use it to review and reinforce what you learn at the DZ.
My .02, for what it may be worth!!

Easy Does It

[goose491 0]

I went through S/L progression and found it quite easy. It cost less (particularly if you can get the job done on every jump and don't have to repeat any jumps) If you've done a tandem, you know what free fall is like (sorta) and if you think you can reamain cool whilst jumping out of a plane (nothin to it) you'll be free falling on your own in no time and will have spent less throught the S/L program. The other benefit of static line is that all your first jumps will be from 3000' or about that. All AFF students are required to do a Hop 'N pop as part of the pregression and I've heard some say that going from high altitude to low altitude jumps has freaked them out... the other way around is waaaaaaay cool! Just my $0.02CND.

Congrats on you're first visit into the open sky... Now come claim you're own place in there!

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[jackie08 0]

Thanks everyone for all the advice........ I think I'm gonna do the s/l program next year just because I am a poor college student and it will be cheaper. I can't wait to get back up there. Thanks
Jackie

[nicknitro71 0]

I would go S/L. Canopy control is a must nowadays. Look at the accident report...

Becoming more proficient under the canopy will take out, at least partially, one componet when you'll do FF. Beside S/Ls aren't all that bad either! You can have fun too. A nice glide under the canopy, getting familiar exiting the plane, landing, and getting familiar with the DZ.

My girlfriend will start jumping next month and I'll put her through S/L.

Memento Audere Semper

903

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Well it sure seems apparent that those who trained via S/L prefer S/L and those who trained via AFF prefer AFF. I for one trained AFF and that is all I know so it's really hard to say that S/L is better or worse. I do know that S/L is not available at my DZ and I was lucky enough to be of the right character to be able to handle FF right off of the bat. Of course there are those out there who need to be introduce to FF slowly (as opposed to what happens in AFF).
Now just because I've trained via AFF, many of the S/L advocates seem to insist that I am an inferior canopy pilot and for that I have to ask what makes me who has 15 jumps to my credit a worse canopy pilot that a S/L jumper who also has 15 jumps? We've both had to land the same number of times. As long as I don't rush my wing loading progression, I should be just as good as a S/L jumper shouldn't I?
Clearly S/L works better for some while AFF works for others.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[seedy 0]

I don't understand this thinking either. It's like s/l people are saying AFF students don't come down under canopy. When I move to AFF after my next tandem, I will already have an idea of what canopy is like. I will deploy from 5k and have that amount of time to learn canopy same as a s/l student. So what is the difference that s/l people keep referring to?

I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

[JFC3 0]

Besides AFF will actually know how to pull where as S/L would have to learn that after habits have been formed.

Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent.

"Five days? But I'm angry now!"

[PhreeZone 20]

Static line jumpers usually have canopy coaching on their first 5 jumps for sure and probally on their next few until the 10 second delays where as a AFF'er gets off radio status at about jump 4. With Static line since you are exiting so low you will have people in the plane and air watching every second of your skydive where as with AFF you are turned lose after being off radio at most places. I know a few DZ's like SDC keep their students on radio longer and it shows because their students can land canopies smaller then other DZ's.

I went the tandem/aff progression and learned a lot on the tandems that was applied directly to my student jumps. I'm all for static line jumps as a learning method or any of the hybrids. The AFF program is junk imo. AFF turns out people that are great in freefall after only 7 jumps, but they only have 5 landings supervised. There is more to a Skydive then freefall...

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[billvon 2,991]

>Well it sure seems apparent that those who trained via S/L prefer
>S/L and those who trained via AFF prefer AFF.

I learned via both programs (at two different DZ's; did 12 jumps on SL then 2 jumps AFF) and I teach both, and I still tend to recommend SL over AFF for most people.

[billvon 2,991]

>what makes me who has 15 jumps to my credit a worse canopy pilot
> that a S/L jumper who also has 15 jumps?

A SLer gets instruction for those 15 jumps; an AFFer gets instruction for 7-8 of those jumps. Twice as much instruction can help make you a better canopy pilot. Of course, getting canopy coaching can help both people, but often people don't go to the trouble of getting it.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

When I was a primary flight student learning to become a licensed private pilot, I had a flight instructor on board to give me guidance with my landings. But essentially they were there to save my bacon if I was to do something radically wrong. I learned how to land an airplane by myself and anyone who's been through flight training will say the same thing. So learning to land a canopy should be no different.
Have I learned everything there is to know about how to land a canopy? Hell no ...
Are all of my canopy landings picture perfect standups? I wish ...
Do I fly a safe pattern landing into the wind? My avaition training helped me here, but many of my AFF pears didn't seem to have a problem with this, so I still find it hard to believe that S/L students are deamed far surperior to AFF.
So what I am trying to say here is that as long as we low-timer skydivers (doesn't matter if you're AFF or S/L trained) don't get aggresive with our wing loading before we're ready for it, we will teach ourselves how to land. Having someone along to critic you is fine, but ultimately it's the person landing the canopy who builds the experience of knowing when and how much to flare for the given conditions. It's all about experience and repetition.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[MarkM 0]

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My avaition training helped me here, but many of my AFF pears didn't seem to have a problem with this, so I still find it hard to believe that S/L students are deamed far surperior to AFF.

S/L isn't "superior", they're probably about equal. If you would've asked this question 2 years ago the SL'ers would probably be defending SL against the AFFers saying it was old and outdated.

The thinking then was that SL didn't teach freefall skills very well and AFF produced "better" skydivers because they were training freefall since jump 1.

But today the thinking is that canopy skills are what's keeping people alive so the more jumps SL gives you is considered a benefit.

Personally I think it's a wash. It's the instructor more than the training method.

[fred 0]

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I learned via both programs (at two different DZ's; did 12 jumps on SL then 2 jumps AFF) and I teach both, and I still tend to recommend SL over AFF for most people.

I did a similar progression... I did 15 jumps on SL and switched to AFF at another DZ (where I still had to repeat a level).

Frankly, I'm glad I did it the way I did. I did enough SL to get pretty comfortable with the planes and had a lot of canopy control teaching, but then when I needed to learn freefall skills, AFF was the poo. So I think I recommend both.

Frankly, it seems like a good idea to do a tandem before your first SL jump, as well. (And definately before AFF)

[fudd 0]

In the canopy skill debate, I thing maybe AFF is better. At my dropzone at least, AFF pull at 5500' the first jump, giving 2000' or more to learn canopy controll at safe altitude the first jump than S/L jumps from 3500'. After 4 AFF jumps, you actually got much more canopy experience than 4 S/L jumps, but the same amount of landings.
Also, at my dropzone we don't supply students with radios. Once you're up there you're on your own, and that actually works great.

There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

[jessefs 0]

I have done my first 2 tandems at SDC and the program there is 2 tandems then AFP. It seems as if most DZ's have either S/L or AFF offered. Are many places offering the AFP route?

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