AFF Instr's / Tandem Instr's

[ChromeBoy 0]

I have a few questions for you...
1.)
Total Jumps?
Total Tandems?
Total AFF's?
Total RW Jumps?
Total Freefly Jumps?
Total Misc, Hybrid, balloon, heli, tubes, etc.?
Total Cutaways?
2.)
How many Skydives did you have when your received your AFF rating?
3.)
What was your RW vs. VRW #'s prior to receiving your ratings?
4.)
How many jumps in the RW and VRW disciplines would you say it took you to be proficient enough to safely execute successful points in these dives?
5.)
With the Freeflying craze the way it is, do you think that Multi-Disciplined Instructors have an advantage over Instructors that have mostly RW jumps?
Any other info that you feel could be useful to us newbies?

[billvon 2,990]

>Total Jumps?
2800
>Total Tandems?
120
>Total AFF's?
1000+
>Total RW Jumps?
>Total Freefly Jumps?
>Total Misc, Hybrid, balloon, heli, tubes, etc.?
(2800-120-1000) = that number
>Total Cutaways?
5, 3 tandem
>How many Skydives did you have when your received your AFF rating?
500
>What was your RW vs. VRW #'s prior to receiving your ratings?
95% rw
>How many jumps in the RW and VRW disciplines would you say it took you
>to be proficient enough to safely execute successful points in these dives?
No clue
>Any other info that you feel could be useful to us newbies?
Practice, practice, practice. Jump with people you know will hose you. Jump with evaluators ahead of time. Do fast and slow fall rate drills. Get a lot of jumpsuits and learn to fly them. Make sure you have an open face helmet.
-bill von

[riggerrob 643]

1) total 3800
tandem 220
PFF maybe 100
trained & dropped close to 1,000 static line/IAD students
RW less than 1,000
Freefly maybe 50
hundreds of accuracy jumps
enough CRW to enjoy, but not enough to get good
helicopter 15
bridge 2
reserve rides total 17, 14 on first generation tandems
2) first tried PFF Instructor Course when I had 900 jumps
re-did PFF IC a decade later when I had 3500 jumps
Attempted AFFCC 3 times when I had between 1300 and 2000 jumps. Almost passed the first time, but a deteriorating attitude led to deteriorating scores on subsequent attempts.
3) zero VRW
4) haven't a clue
5) yes, freeflying skills will help instructors stay awake/aware when they are tumbling with the student from hell
6) Earn some kind of coach rating (Skydive U or CSPA) then do hundreds of coaching dives with junior jumpers (ie. A License) to refine your teaching, proximity, observation and debriefing skills. For example, CSPA requires a Coach 2 rating before you can attend a PFF IC.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

1.)
Total Jumps? 2955
Total Tandems? about 150 (I don't keep a separate log)
Total AFF's? 8 legal ones. You didn't ask about SL, so I will say that I have JM'd well over 1000 students and have done air eval on many hundreds of their 30 and 45 second delays.
Total RW Jumps? about 2000
Total Freefly Jumps? maybe 100 by the "new" definition
Total Misc, Hybrid, balloon, heli, tubes, etc.? about 200 skysurf jumps, tons of target accuracy, about 400 CRW (mostly at the bottom of RW jumps). about 75 jet jumps (C-141, C-5, C-17), well over 400 helicopter jumps (UH-1, UH-60, CH-54. all free).
Total Cutaways? Three reserve rides in 21.5 years.
2.)
How many Skydives did you have when your received your AFF rating? I failed 12 years ago with about 1000 because I didn't practice at all. I got it a bit over a month ago with 2900 jumps with no problem. Three up, three down.
3.)
What was your RW vs. VRW #'s prior to receiving your ratings? about 90% RW
4.)
How many jumps in the RW and VRW disciplines would you say it took you to be proficient enough to safely execute successful points in these dives? Stressful? Hell I don't know. I was pulling while standing and doing layout flips on my board in under 10 jumps. I was flying on my back and taking docks on my 3rd wingsuit dive. Those things really don't equate though in my opinon. What made tandem simple to me was the fact that I skydive with a rucksack at work; a big rucksack. What made AFF simple the second time was the fact that I had been working with SL students in the air for the past decade.
5.)
With the Freeflying craze the way it is, do you think that Multi-Disciplined Instructors have an advantage over Instructors that have mostly RW jumps? Do you mean as far as obtaining "standard" ratings such as AFF and Tandem? No I do not. You had really better have your shit together (on your belly) if you hope to pass the AFF course. As far as tandem goes, so long as you can stay stable enough to throw a drogue and are not scared of freaked out passengers, then the tandem rating is very simple.
Any other info that you feel could be useful to us newbies? The best way to train for an AFF rating is to practice with an AFF evaluator or some other AFF person who knows what the course is all about. How you get that practice in the meantime is to work as a freefall coach. Getting into the student training mindset it critical. You have to be very pro-actice to work with students, anticipating that they are about to hose you. You absolutely must be able to stay within arms reach at all times. Doing proximity drills with your buddies really helps. Also, if you regularly skydive in a bootie suit, then don't go wearing anything else to test out in; your reflexes will not be the same and you will hose yourself. I did the entire course in my comp suit. Wear what you are comfortable in.
My webpage HERE

[riggerrob 643]

Correction:
3800 total jumps
2200 tandem jumps

[GroundZero 0]

I have a few questions for you...
1.) Total Jumps? 5127
Total Tandems? 816
Total AFF's? 862
Total RW Jumps? hmmmm... ~3000+
Total Freefly Jumps? ...so you mean ..including my student days?
Total Misc, Hybrid, balloon, heli, tubes, etc.?
... another good question... 27 balloon jumps then I solo'ed the balloon, they're as much fun to fly as jump! What about wing suit flights... that I keep count of... 346. One helicopter jump, out of an OH-58... the pilot since died in a crash, so I can now claim it as earlier it would have cost him his career and time in the "stockade".
Total Cutaways?
3... all tandems, I've never cut away on a solo rig, even with a bunch of test jumps. I prefer to land my malfunctions...
2.)How many Skydives did you have when your received your AFF rating?
...386, At the time, I had to do one more jump (a 20 second delay to break 4 hrs. total freefall time. Then I got my AFF rating.)
3.) What was your RW vs. VRW #'s prior to receiving your ratings?
I think all of my rw dives were "Virtual Relative Work".
4.) How many jumps in the RW and VRW disciplines would you say it took you to be proficient enough to safely execute successful points in these dives?
I learned early, I bought beer for every "first". That's a good "point" for all jumpers.
5.)With the Freeflying craze the way it is, do you think that Multi-Disciplined Instructors have an advantage over Instructors that have mostly RW jumps?
Absolutely! I think Instructors should be proficient in both types of skydiving... Style and Accuracy! (We play both kinds of music... "Country AND Western")
Any other info that you feel could be useful to us newbies?
Yes, but I think you're asking the wrong person here. You "Newbies" can skydive much better than the "old guard". Training has progressed much beyond the old days. The typical jumper off student status today can fly circles around me with 100+ jumps... (I had 75 jumps before we FINALLY completed that elusive 3 way!) As all of us "A-type" personalities would admit, I am a shit hot skydiver. Took a while to get here, but I know that todays young jumpers will get there in fewer jumps, I witness that every day on my DZ.
Skydiving is 90% between the ears... If you think you can, you might... If you know you can, You WILL!!!
Go for it Chromey!!!
Chris

[GroundZero 0]

woa... just noticed something....
____________________________________________
>Total Cutaways?
5, 3 tandem
_______________________________________________
reserve rides total 17, 14 on first generation tandems
_______________________________________________
3... all tandems
_______________________________________________
....hmmmmmm, and I thought I was the bastard child scaring the students with the tandem cutaways....
Chris

[flipper 0]

I have a few questions for you...
1.)
Total Jumps?...1200
Total Tandems?....200
Total AFF's?....0
Total RW Jumps?....30~50
Total Freefly Jumps?.....800
Total Misc, Hybrid, balloon, heli, tubes, etc.?...3 heli...1..tube...lots of hybrid
Total Cutaways?....3..(1 tandem....2 spinetto)
2.)
How many Skydives did you have when your received your AFF rating?....dont have the rating
3.)
What was your RW vs. VRW #'s prior to receiving your ratings?.....all VRW
4.)
How many jumps in the RW and VRW disciplines would you say it took you to be proficient enough to safely execute successful points in these dives?
RW....5.....VRW....100
5.)
With the Freeflying craze the way it is, do you think that Multi-Disciplined Instructors have an advantage over Instructors that have mostly RW jumps.....totally...being able to fly on your back/belly/head and feet is a real advantage when you need it...