davis.agd, on 12 January 2013 - 11:27 PM, said:
H46USNAC: Just curious, where it is that you found this accelerated program? I would be interested in looking it up.
davis.agd,
The short answer to your question is Cedartown, GA at a place called Skydive The Farm.
I found a website for you that has a database of DZ's ( drop zones )
Go here and click on your state. It will pull up a list of DZ's and there is a column that list the courses that each DZ offers
( Tandem, AFF or Static )
I chose AFF because I wanted to know, if I only did this once in my life, that I had made the choice to jump from that plane and controlled the parachute to return me to the ground. If I was going to do it, it was going to be with full commitment. Something I think many people can't relate to but most of the folks that frequent the ITS website and forum can relate to.
http://www.dropzone..../United_States/
Be sure to read the reviews.
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TANDEM - requires very little training, about 15 minutes brief with your instructor, and you jump from the plane physically attached to your instructor, with the instructor in control of the free fall, opening the chute and piloting it back to the ground. More of an option for the weekend thrill seeker not really wanting to learn skydiving or the potential skydiver who wants to try it without taking as much responsibility for their own life..
STATIC - is just like you think of military style jumps. No free fall time. When you jump from the plane, there is a line attached to the plane that deploys your parachute for you. Probably the least risky and most boring of options in my opinion.
AFF ( accelerated free fall ) - requires the most commitment. You will sit through a 4-6 hour class prior to making your first jump in which you'll learn the basics of skydiving, hand signals used, emergency procedures, etc...
You'll jump with 2 instructors. They will be holding on to your jumpsuit or parachute harness with their hands but will not be permanently attached to you as with Tandem jumping, so there is the risk of getting separated for them and being completely on your own. The instructors are there to help you stay stable and observe you during the free fall to assess your actions during the jump, to be certain you have not frozen up with fear and if necessary to deploy your chute for you if you are unable to do it for yourself. Once the chute is deployed it is entirely up to you to pilot the chute back to the DZ and land it. The instructors will have a radio and will radio guidance to you, but you are the one that has to make it happen.
With each jump in the AFF program, you are given a little more freedom from the instructors "holding" on to you or your harness and you have to demonstrate increasing confidence in free fall and more skills during each free fall. By the fourth jump, you will only have one instructor jumping with you. The instructor will release you completely and you will execute 90° turns and forward movement.
Each jump is critiqued and you are either cleared to move on to the next level or you may have to repeat that jump. If all goes well, your seventh jump is your "graduation" jump where you will be evaluated on whether you will be cleared to make completely solo jumps.
Pass your seventh jump and you are able to jump with no instructor(s) with you. You are still considered a student, with other skills to learn and demonstrate. 25 jumps are required to get your "A" license, with other licenses to aquire and skills to continue learning after that.
I live in the Atlanta, GA area and the first DZ ( drop zone ) that I tried turned out to not be such a great place. Out of four trips to the first location, I was able to get 1 jump in. It's a 1-1/2 hour drive to get to the DZ. so that's a total of 12 hours of driving and hours of waiting around to only get in 1 jump.
Contrast that with the second DZ that I went to. On the same day as the last trip to the first location and only 3 miles away, I was able to get in 2 jumps. Then yesterday, two more jumps and could have jumped a third time. During my first jump yesterday the wife called over to the first place, only 3 miles away, and was told that they were done jumping for the day because the weather had closed in. We were 3 miles away and, I say this as a former Navy helicopter crewchief, the weather was NOT bad.
After the first jump, at the first place, I read many online reviews that indicated that the first place we had chosen seems to shut down at the drop of a hat. I do understand erring on the side of caution, but it does seem that the first place doesn't seem as interested in skydiving. So that works out to 4 jumps in two trips of driving over to the second place. 6 hours driving for 4 jumps vs 12 hours driving for 1 jump.
Should have checked those online reviews first.
One other bit of info that you might find helpful. The old military term of "Hurry up and wait" sure seems to apply in the skydiving community. Don't be surprised at long periods of waiting for the weather conditions to be "right" or if you go for the AFF option for people who arrive after you to go jump before you because they want to evaluate the winds aloft to determine suitability for your to jump.
Maybe out in AZ, it will be a bit different due to different weather patterns. Just know that for military or LEO minded folks who are used being everywhere 15-30 minutes early and when given a start time, expect for things to be happening, the skydiving community can be a little bit "different" than how our minds work. Bring a book, an iPad/iPhone with games etc... and settle in and just plan on making a full day of it.
Let me know what you think of it if you do go jump.
Edited by H46USNAC, 20 January 2013 - 11:18 PM.
A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse.
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