Schwarztod

I tried that to no avail. The closest I could find was in Orlando. From the link on your signature (skydivethefarm.com), it appears you are also in the Atlanta area. Do you personally know of any nearby?

Thanks for all your advice! One other thing I was wondering about was, are AFF courses conducted year-round in some areas (particularly the Atlanta, GA area)? Given the time of year, my geographical location and my personal schedule (I can only make it out to the DZ every other weekend or possibly longer) do I have enough time left in the year to complete an AFF course before it gets too cold? Or should I wait until next spring or so..? I noticed in the SIM that no more than 30 days can pass between AFF jumps, so I'd hate to start something I couldn't possibly complete in time. Thanks again.

How does one go about locating a nearby wind tunnel. I know for a fact that none of the DZs in my area have them.

Sounds fair enough. I was just curious as to what I should expect. Is it common to have to repeat a level (or several for that matter)? Is there any one level which is more difficult than the others?

Just wanted to get some opinions on a strictly AFF course of training versus Tandem Progression followed by AFF levels 4-7. I'm very insecure in my ability to navigate & safely land a canopy, having never done so previously, so I'm leaning towards the Tandem Progression method. Or is AFF training in this particular area adequate for a complete beginner? Any thoughts? Also, I was wondering what the procedure is if one should bomb an AFF level. I know the student is required to re-do the level, but must they typically pay full price for each re-do as well? Just trying to get my ducks in a row. Thanks!

It is an all-inclusive package. Not really worried per se, but it was an eerie feeling all the same. No one knows exactly what happened, but in short there was a main malfunction and he failed to deploy his reserve in time. I'll probably check out the other DZ on my 2nd tandem just to feel them out. I was there as an observer several months ago. Though I didn't get to meet many instructors, I liked the general feel of the place. Thanks for the link! I found it very helpful.

This is what I need to hear! Thanks!

The reason I ask about switching DZs is that I got a great offer on AFF at one DZ, but the other DZ in my area has an A license package which sounds really nice. I'm still trying to work out the particulars. Cash is not exactly in abundance these days, so every little bit helps. I liked both of them (though they seemed not to think too highly of one another ha ha). It does make alot of sense to stick to one DZ during training though. I think I will try a second tandem though before signing up for a course. The first one went pretty badly actually.... well, not as good as I had hoped. I was literally paralyzed with fear and couldn't really enjoy myself fully (though I obviously did to some extent). There are alot of things I would like to do differently, such as look up instead of straight down at the ground during the entire freefall ha ha ha One of the reasons I think I was so edgy that day was that there was a fatality only several weeks prior at that very same DZ. It was pretty big news around here. By the way, do earplugs help at all? Also, after you get a license, how often do you have to jump to remain current? Thanks for all your replies btw!

ha ha, rather a grim outlook...

yes, it was indeed!

Ok, so I've been wanting to get into skydiving as a sport for almost as long as I can remember, so I finally decided to get the ball rolling so to speak and made my first tandem jump a couple of weeks back. I can't begin to accurately describe the experience, but it fell somewhere between total exhilaration and completely paralyzing terror. The fear factor isn't something that would keep me from continuing (I think anyway), but I was just wondering if it gets any easier as you progress (especially during exit). I plan on going through either the AFF course or the Tandem Progression/AFF course and ultimately progressing to an A license or beyond. Would it be reccomendable to make several tandem jumps before starting a course? I have a ton of questions hence I decided to start this thread. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'd be interested in hearing how others got into the sport and what trials & obstacles they encountered along the way & how they overcame them. Fear in particular. One question I have right off the bat is, after successfully completing the AFF course at a particular drop zone, is it possible to go to another DZ and complete A license certification or am I pretty much stuck at one DZ until I've received the license? Thanks & looking forward to hearing some opinions/ideas. -Glenn