is it logical to do your first jump AFF?

[FreeFlyASC 0]

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was totally relaxed on AFF1 and brainlocked on AFF2

Your telling me you were completely relaxed on a aff level one?

[thebeev 0]

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was totally relaxed on AFF1 and brainlocked on AFF2

I sure as hell wasn't relaxed on my first AFF, if your not scared or have any worries in the back of your mind. You better stop jumping! I didn't start relaxing more till AFF Level 4. Then I was given the ok to skip 5 and go to 6

Medbill DME Billing Service

[phonics1981 0]

I wouldnt say I was TOTALLY relaxed on Level 1 but i was more relaxed on 1 than on some of the others. On my level 7 I was really nervous, i think that was more to do with hoping I passed, which I did. Wooo!!

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[RippedCord 0]

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From what people (only 2 people!!) who have done a tandem then decided to do AFF have told me, tandems are nothing like AFF. They say that a tandem is like being on a fair ground ride. They cant put into words how different it feels to an AFF and wish they had saved the cash for AFF.

This is going to be my experience. I'm did a tandem last August and I'm doing the AFF class in two days. I'll be eager to report back and we'll have expanded that sample size by 50% to 3 people. Dig it!

AMDG

[Angelfish 0]

Guess I'm coming into this kinda late... Anyway, I have done 3 tandems (just because I totally enjoyed the 1st one but can not remember all the details of the freefall, so I did a 2nd one to refresh my memory. The 2nd tandem I wore an altimeter since I was going to pull the rip cord instead of the tandem master. The 3rd one was even better... we did 90degress turns to the left and to the right, again got to pull the rip cord). I had the same tandem master for all 3 jumps!! He's really cute... and reliable!! Ok.. so now, I want to know more and be able to jump with my own chute, so I've enrolled for the AFF course!!! I'm on AFF2 right now. Did my jump yesterday, but could not get my legs right on freefall, so I have to repeat Level 2!! WHich is just fine for me because this just give me another excuse to skydive and anything to hone my skills is totally cool!!!

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Don't fear the reaper. ... BOC

[KrisFlyZ 0]

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Wow, I thought everyone would think the other way. At our DZ a tandem is required first. Its just safer, and they had too many people never finish AFF.

You don't know what to expect--how to deal with the sensory overload. I think its best to enjoy the ride the first time... then learn to drive.

Thats just my opinion
--Jason

I agree. I would only suggest AFF as the first jump to people that have prior canopy experience(paragliding etc). Doing a tandem or two to get a feel for what's going on is IMO the more prudent choice.

My first jump was AFF. I then did a tandem and then continued AFF(or STP in my case).

Kris.

[tdog 0]

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I agree. I would only suggest AFF as the first jump to people that have prior canopy experience(paragliding etc).

Kris.

That made me laugh... I had many paraglider flights before skydiving... I remember my first paraglider flight and being scared shitless... And I even did a tandem paraglider flight first... I remember my first skydive and thinking, "now that this canopy is open, the rest is gonna be cake."

On AFF1 I went into a spiral dive and did aggressive turns under the canopy just to get a feel for the wing... I think I am glad I did that before my instructors landed because they probably would have had a heart attack because I did not tell them I had flown a fabric wing before.

[skybill 22]

Hi Spider,
If you are into it, do your Aff. If you are a total aviation geek, maybe do a tandem.

I was in the first "open AFF Instructor, Jumpmaster (by invitation from USPA) certification course at Perris Valley in the spring of 1982. Besides myself, among others were Pat and Jerry Swovelin, Bob Burher, Mike Wheeler, Nance Grutman (former Western Conference Director) Don Rumble and others. Bob Buhrer and Jerry Swovlen started "New Deminsions Flite School" at Perris right after that and I had the pleasure of working with them as an Instructor and JM. This was before "Tandem" was certified. Tandem came along a couple of years later and made it's way into the main stream. In the beginning, we had great success taking people from "ZERO" to AFF-I (no problem!!)
One thing later with the advent of Tandem, it gives the student with no prior aviation knowledge a introduction to the aeroenviornment that will challenge them on that first AFF-I jump. So, Tandem is a good thing. However, if someone has some hours flying airplanes (eg. some hours in a cessna 150 or more!! or time flying a hang glider or even time flying model airplanes!!) than I think that bypassing the tandem jump and going straight for AFF-I is O.K.!

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[AdrenalineBluez 0]

I have a different perspective. I did the AFF tandem thing in reverse. I had never done a tandem. My idea was to get the most out of the ONE jump that I planned to do. I never looked beyond making more than one jump of any sort.
In my warped thinking AFF was the way to go in order to learn as much about the sport as I could before leaving the door of an airplane. Whoops!!! I did AFF 1 on a sunday (got hooked in the WORST way on jumping) and had completed the AFF program by the following Friday. So much for ONE jump.
In any case I had the chance to do a tandem last weekend when a TI on the DZ was getting rated on a different type of tandem rig... I was "volunteered" for the cargo slot. Although not a regular tandem, it doesnt provide the same sensory feeling as AFF did. Yeah you are in free fall, and yes you are indeed on a sky dive. It's just not the same feeling. Not to mention I felt naked on the plane without a rig on my back.
In any case my .02 cents worth is that if you are going to go make a choice. Make it based on the best information you can get. Figure in there the financial aspects of the game. Put it all together and pick whichever suits your needs.

"Uh oh! This is gonna hurt!"