b_dog 0 #1 October 23, 2006 Greetings! Well, this past Saturday I went with a couple of friends and I did my 2nd tandem jump. It had been over a year since doing the first. I had even more fun the second time around, not just because my friends went with me this time but also because the TI and I actually did some maneuvers. On the first jump my TI was an extremely safety-concerned guy and we just jumped out of the plane straight into the arch position. This time, though, we did several flips upon exit and we did sort of a bullet dive, where he put our arms to our sides and had me dip my toes, and I could really feel us gaining speed before we returned to an arch position seconds later. You can really see us zip by on the video, too. (And yeah, I got a video this time because I regretted not getting it the first time). After deploying, my TI let me steer the toggles for a little while before he took the controls at about 1,000 feet as usual. Knowing that this was my second tandem, once we got back to the DZ he really egged me on about going into AFF. I'd really love to, but I have a couple of concerns. The good thing is that I could afford AFF right now--just reserve that $240 for the first jump from my next paycheck, and then reserve the cost for my subsequent jumps in alightment with my future salary. However, what am I to do once I have completed AFF (assuming I do well enough and pass each level the first time around)? Even after 7 jumps, I'll still need 13 more to get to 20 in order to be able to jump by myself, and until then it'll still be 13 more times I'll have to shell out that ~$160 or so. But even worse is getting my own rig--even when I have my own license and can jump on my own and what not, a new rig suitable for my skill level is still going to be at least $3000, and combine that with accessories like an altimeter and an AAD, it will get costly real quick. Which is fine, except that I really won't be able to handle those finances for maybe 2-3 years until I am done with school and have (hopefully very quickly) established myself in a steady job. So, is it wise to go through AFF only to stop cold for a couple of years until I can get my own equipment and get fully involved in the sport? It won't do me much good to learn the skills in AFF only to not really apply them for my own self two years down the road. Is there even an expiration date for the first license and the number of jumps you need in a year to maintain it or anything? Thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigway 4 #2 October 23, 2006 Without readin that long post.... do it now before the novelty wears off or something more important comes up, once you start there is nothing more important. .Karnage Krew Gear Store . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b_dog 0 #3 October 23, 2006 Heh, sorry, I tend to get long-winded when writing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigway 4 #4 October 23, 2006 thats allright, many other people will read it and give you an answer. .Karnage Krew Gear Store . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frynsky 0 #5 October 23, 2006 Do it now. Your license will not expire. You may have to go thru a refresher course depending on the dropzone and how long you stay out of it. But, do it now, while you have the yearning and the cash to do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #6 October 23, 2006 QuoteEven after 7 jumps, I'll still need 13 more to get to 20 in order to be able to jump by myself Generally you're cleared to jump solo after AFF, though you will not be a licensed skydiver. In the US, you will need a minimum of 25 jumps, not 20, to get your license. Once you have your A license, the license itself does not expire, but there are currency requirements, so if you got your license and didn't jump for a few years, you would have to do a recurrency jump. USPA on recurrency. If you take a long break prior to getting your A license, you may or may not have to redo the entire student program. That will depend on several factors - how long a break, how far along you were, etc. Take a long break and you will definitely have to repeat some or all of your student jumps. If you truly can't afford it now, you might be better off waiting till you can, or else starting and stopping and restarting may end up costing you more overall (even if you don't have to repeat jumps because you fall out of currency, you may find that a long break causes you to lose what you learned on the last jump, and you won't pass the next jump). But there are also a lot of creative ways to pay for your jumps, many of which can keep you connected to the DZ. Learn to pack - DZs always seem to be in need of more packers. See if they need help at manifest."There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b_dog 0 #7 October 23, 2006 [QUOTE]Generally you're cleared to jump solo after AFF, though you will not be a licensed skydiver. In the US, you will need a minimum of 25 jumps, not 20, to get your license.[/QUOTE] Oh, ok. I thought you could not jump alone at all until you had your A license in hand, but if you can wean into it after level 7 then that may not be so bad. I suppose if I budgeted myself well enough, I wouldn't have to stop cold for a couple of years, but could maybe jump once every one or two months. I'm aware that there's an important time limit between AFF jumps--at my local DZ they said they want students to do the next level within 30 days. But if I went into AFF my plan would be to do each level two weeks apart until I'm done (since I get paid every two weeks, heh) with the assumption I passed each level on the first attempt. That's something I could do now, but as for the equipment and stuff, that'd have to wait maybe a long while. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #8 October 23, 2006 Quote Even after 7 jumps, I'll still need 13 more to get to 20 in order to be able to jump by myself, and until then it'll still be 13 more times I'll have to shell out that ~$160 or so. Negative. During the jumps between completing the AFF jumps and getting an A license, you will have to do two "coach" jumps (which should cost far less than $160). Those are the only jumps where you will be required to have someone else with you (how much it will cost to have the other person with you depends on the dz and the coach - could range from nothing - ie coach pays his/her own slot - on up). The other jumps can all be solos, in which case you will be paying for your slot on the airplane and gear rental (if you haven't purchased your own by then). QuoteBut even worse is getting my own rig--even when I have my own license and can jump on my own and what not, a new rig suitable for my skill level is still going to be at least $3000, and combine that with accessories like an altimeter and an AAD, it will get costly real quick. You do not need new equipment. With some effort, you can pick up a perfectly airworthy used rig (container, main, reserve and AAD) for $2500 or less. Used altimeters range from $50-$100; a new Protec helmet is less than $50, used jumpsuits can be found for $100 or so. Getting into the sport is easier and you'll get good at it faster if you have plenty of disposable income, but having plenty of disposable income is not a requirement. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frynsky 0 #9 October 23, 2006 Most dropzones have rental gear for students. That way, you don't have to buy gear until you are ready and have a better idea of what you really want and need. You might want to check into it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpah 0 #10 October 23, 2006 I'd say go for it now...the jumps do not expire, it'll give you some experience you can take into a wind tunnel or something. Also, your tandem jumps count towards your A jump numbers. Some (most, all?) DZs offer a student discount. Plan on spending a shiteload of money your first year, so waiting may be the right idea. You may also want to wait just because an injury could disrupt your schooling. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #11 October 23, 2006 QuoteMost dropzones have rental gear for students. That way, you don't have to buy gear until you are ready and have a better idea of what you really want and need. You might want to check into it. At my home DZ, I could have thrown my first rig in the dumpster after 68 jumps and come out ahead financially over renting gear. I think I got most of my money back when I sold the main and reserve+container at later dates. Reserve pack jobs and CYPRES AAD depreciation maintencance and batteries total approximately $25/month. Your main + rig will loose about $2 in value per jump made. You really don't want to be renting if the local DZ is charging $25/jump. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b_dog 0 #12 October 23, 2006 [QUOTE]Reserve pack jobs and CYPRES AAD depreciation maintencance and batteries total approximately $25/month.[/QUOTE] Regarding the reserve pack jobs--really? I thought it just had to be inspected and/or repacked every 120 days and that would be all you had to pay for that in such a timeframe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adventurechick 0 #13 October 23, 2006 Sell your car, sell your house, buy a tent, your aff, and skydive!! PMS #449 TPM #80 Muff Brother #3860 SCR #14705 Dirty Sanchez #233 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kris2extreme 0 #15 October 24, 2006 QuoteSell your car, sell your house, buy a tent, your aff, and skydive!! troof! That's all I'm ever thinking about.. I personally waited 1.5 years after my tandem to start AFF... it was without a doubt one of the biggest mistakes i've ever made and I'm still kicking myself in the ass for it. So I say... don't wait, go for it now! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peggs82 0 #16 October 24, 2006 QuoteSell your car, sell your house, buy a tent, your aff, and skydive!! You know thats pretty much what I did. I liquidated about every thing I could sell just to pay for AFF and my gear. Thank god I had very expensive hobbies before, and that is where most of my cash came from. Now, since I travel for work, I am considering just wandering between dz's with free bunkhouses! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #17 October 24, 2006 Quote[QUOTE]Reserve pack jobs and CYPRES AAD depreciation maintencance and batteries total approximately $25/month.[/QUOTE] Regarding the reserve pack jobs--really? I thought it just had to be inspected and/or repacked every 120 days and that would be all you had to pay for that in such a timeframe. it is, but around here a repack is about 60 bucks, so that's 180/year. The Cypres depreciates at 100/year, the maintenence on a C2 (which has no battery cost) is $240 (IIRC) every 4 years. So 180+100+60 = 340, which is $28/month. You don't really pay for depreciation, and the 4 year is only every 4 years, but if you think about it as a monthly cost, that's what it comes to. It you can save up and do the AFF jumps a bit more closely together, you decrease the chances of costly repeats. If you can find a place that does static line training, you can get by at a much lower cost per jump (while doing more training jumps). Easier to pay as you go. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b_dog 0 #18 October 24, 2006 My local DZ (Skydive Taft) only offers AFF, no static line jumps. That's okay, I'd rather do AFF despite the cost. Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm leaning towards just going for it, we'll see. Here are a couple pictures of the tandem jump, in case anyone was curious. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,594 #19 October 24, 2006 Also, learn how to pack! If you start going to the DZ regularly now, even if you don't start AFF yet, and learn to pack you will be able to immerse yourself in the sport, absorb a huge amount of useful knowledge and earn money (or credit towards your AFF) while doing it! I'm not sure what the going rate is in the US (5 bucks?) but you should be able to do 4 an hour without too much trouble after a bit of practice.Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
porterhouse 0 #20 October 24, 2006 If you want to do it, THEN DO IT! If you want it bad enough, you'll figure out a way to make it happen. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
michalm21 2 #21 October 24, 2006 Do it. That's that credit cards are for Seriously, maybe you can wait a few months/year, save the money, learn more about the sport. You will never stop learning, so the earlier you start the better :) I waited a "while" after my tandem and don't regret becasue I was broke and could not afford it. Sky will still be there when you have money (or just use those damn credit cards already ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matthias 0 #22 October 25, 2006 others might have said the same thing already, but here's my 0.02: If you can afford AFF, go for it. I did the FJC the weekend following my first tandem and so far haven't regretted it. As far as the gear, I hear you on that. You should have the option of renting it until you can save up for your own. Least thats what I plan to do. Good luck._________________________________________ trance/house mixes for download: www.djmattm.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #23 October 26, 2006 QuoteMy local DZ (Skydive Taft) only offers AFF, no static line jumps. That's okay, I'd rather do AFF despite the cost. it's a hefty drive, but not out of hand (4 hours?) to Lodi where the static line course runs $500 done on weekdays. Taft has a good rep. I've meant to stop by on the way to visiting family in LA, but the timing is usually wrong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
