NWFlyer

Go to Belize. A couple folks at the Belize Boogie did their certifications there, and seemed to have good experiences. The great thing about doing it there is that there are dive sites right off shore that you can do your initial training dives in, which is way more fun than the pool. And the diving there is absolutely world class. The Belize Boogie was held in the town of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, and there's several dive shops in town that could take care of you. Personally, I did open water at home (which was Seattle at the time) in preparation for a trip to NZ, then did my Advanced Open Water in New Zealand (the cost was about the same as rentals & charter, and that way I had a divemaster with our small group and got to learn more in the process). But while NZ diving is gorgeous, it definitely does not meet your "warm" criteria. "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

That was going to be one of my suggestions (in addition to reaching out for assistance as it sounds like you already are). Eat as "clean" as possible. Meats (preferably well-sourced from sustainable producers) and veggies primarily. Avoid processed stuff, sugar, simple carbs, etc. No, just eating well isn't going to solve the problem, but I think it can really help to balance out energy levels and help you to focus on the important stuff. "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

Damn shame we didn't have any fun at the Prairie this year. No records. No milestones. No lake loads. No world-class organizers or photographers. No epic parties. No singing. No perfect weather. No fun at all. All y'all who have never come should probably just stay home. "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

It would be hard to use the annual survey for anything…..they don’t ask the same questions or provide the choices each year. Sparky I wouldn't use it for anything where I had to get it peer reviewed for statistical significance, no. But for saying "Here's some data from a membership survey" that might make a sponsor happy enough for sponsorship, it might do. (Though data from his home country might be more valuable). "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

http://www.uspa.org/AboutSkydiving/SkydiverDemographics/tabid/303/Default.aspx These are the results from the USPA's membership surveys (scroll down for the occupation data). Not perfect, but there's some data there. "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

It should be filled out as you go along.

Where do you live? Folks on here might be able to give you some thoughts on your nearby options. "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

Depending on where the OP goes, that may actually be part of the progression. Even if it's not a formal part of the progression, if you let them know that you're interested in going into the full training program, hopefully they can turn it into more of a training tandem. "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

An A license is an A license is an A license, no matter how you get there. As you've already discovered, there is a set of skills that you have to demonstrate and have signed off, and once you've demonstrated those, you can get an A license. AFF and static line (or IAD, which is a similar method to static line) both get you there, they just take a different path. However, with either approach, if you are progressing steadily and demonstrating the skills, you can get to an A license in 25 jumps. Repeated jumps do count for your 25 jumps towards the A license - there's definitely some wiggle room in the 25 jumps to give you plenty of time to demonstrate the skills even with repeated jumps. As for various packages, that's just marketing and packaging. Some dropzones will package up the AFF jumps, or all the instructor-led jumps, or various other combinations. In order to compare apples to apples, the right question to ask is "What are the expected costs to earn my A license at your dropzone?" That includes ground school for the first jump, the cost of jumps with instructors, the cost of solo student jumps, gear rental (if it's not included in the jump - some dropzones include it in the price for all jumps, others only include it in the price for the AFF jumps), the cost of a packing class (sometimes free, often not), etc. Ask if the cost of a USPA license/membership fee is built into the student package (most don't) or if a USPA Skydivers Information Manual is built into the price (most don't, but a few do). Of course, that's not the only thing you might want to consider; if you're fortunate enough to have multiple dropzones within a similar driving distance, go check them all out. See what you think. Talk to the instructors. See if they answer your questions or blow you off*. Hang out. See what you think. I would also put in a plug for staying reasonably close to home; while you may be able to shop around and get a better price in another state for your student jumps, I'd argue that you'll set yourself up for a better overall skydiving experience if you get to know your local dropzone from Jump 1 and become integrated into the overall community there. Learning doesn't stop when you get that A - it is really just starting. If the locals have gotten to know you as a student, they'll be more likely to help you grow as a newly-licensed jumper. *Note: You may have better luck getting some time with instructors on a weekday than on a weekend - your best bet is to call ahead and ask. An instructor may just be super-busy and not have time to talk during the jump day, but if you plan ahead, you should be able to get some time with someone who can answer your questions. "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

Photographer and at least some (if not all) of the jumpers are Empuriabrava based, so I'd guess somewhere around there. "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

Aaaand thank you for that. "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

You're new here, aren't you. The answer is "no." I'm pretty sure if I suggested that he look up a photo of Holley Mangold (for example) the response would be something indicating how she (or actually, she might not even get a "she" she'd probably be referred to as "it") deserves to die or live a miserable life because she doesn't fit the mold of what a woman is "supposed" to look like. Doesn't matter if she's contending for a gold medal, she should just crawl in her hole and die, apparently. Of course, Shah's far from the only one on this site who would have the same reaction and total lack of respect for her accomplishments. "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

I am guessing based on some of the text that this was sold to the sponsors as a promotional tool for them; they now have some pretty bad-ass "action shots" of their products being "used" under water. Why else would you have several shots of someone arming a CYPRES, except to give CYPRES some promotional shots? Win-win for the photographer and the manufacturers, methinks. "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

And the parachute manufacturers have invested years and huge amounts of money into their own R&D processes, and have corporate strategies and goals that (right now) may not include any modifications to the fabric they use or the suppliers of said fabric. It's not that they're not interested in changes. Both PD and Aerodyne, for example, have come out with innovative new fabrics in the last few years (PD's Optimum fabric, Aerodyne's ZPX fabric). It may be that their corporate focus is now elsewhere, on different things and they're not going to just devote their resources to the investigation of your fabric as a viable option just because you think they should. "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

Back on topic, I'm just so impressed with the artistry and technical skill that went into this; I'm really curious to know how they pulled off the canopy "in flight" shots! "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

I'll catch you guys at the Prairie to get my tickets. "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

Psst. You're not in Bonfire. The place for homophobic, sexist, misogynistic rants is over here. "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

See the thread I just posted for the link to the rest of the shots. (The link may also be in Parachutist - I haven't received my copy yet). "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

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150973732111149.423073.64761516148&type=1 http://www.behance.net/gallery/Submission/4192967 (Same shots, different web site) This is pretty bad-ass. Be sure to scroll down to read the details on all of the technical work that went into getting these impressive shots. "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

Didn't make it up there this weekend, but I had an interesting one last weekend. We were doing 4-way scrambles and since winds were light out of the north, we'd been landing north all day. On the last jump of the day, the winds shifted and the pattern changed so we were all landing south. Landing to the south at SkyDance means you're doing your base leg over the trees that separate the dropzone from the gun club. Well, there are some hawks that consider those trees their territory, and they're not at all shy about defending it from the invading hordes of canopies. For some reason, the aggressive hawk decided it was my turn. Fortunately, the hawk just chased after my pilot chute on base & final and did one dive & dock on my topskin, and I was able to land safely (since it was above and behind me, I wasn't even aware of it till I came down and my friends who had been watching our dance were telling me all about it.) Got into the packing area and did a thorough check of my canopy and found no damage from the hawk dock. We've had hawks before that have done damage to canopies (fortunately, no injuries caused by that damage, but some expensive repairs). There was a hawk a few years back that decided to go for a camera helmet and scratched up its owner pretty good in the process. "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

Nuff said. "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

I don't get the folks that can spend upwards of $5K for a bag and can't spring for the extra $50 (or less) for a cheap backpack or roller case for their rig. (Though your solution is better than nothing ... I don't want to risk the scenario you described, or putting it under my seat and having someone spill their soda on it, or there being gum on the floor, or any number of other things I don't want on my rig. Plus, I have absolutely zero interest in the "look at me, I'm a skydiver" thing that comes along with carrying my rig unprotected. I'm extremely happy to be in stealth mode. ) "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

Disregard this reply completely. It's not BF and if you're serious, you might want to educate yourself. To the OP. at 32 jumps your rig is probably going to be to big or heavy to take as carry on. I have traveled all over the world quite a few time and around the States about 5 times and I have never had issues with TSA folks.or had issues when put through as luggage. You can try and carry it on but you are better served putting it in a suitable case and just check it. If his profile is accurate, his rig is a heck of a lot smaller than mine and I've never checked mine. That's traveling with it probably upwards of 50 times. Personal preference whether to check or not, of course, but since my rig is always the most expensive and important thing I'm traveling with, I'd rather have it with me at all times, regardless of the hassle factor. "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

Actually, as a seller, I have no responsibility to your so-called right to personal autonomy. I can sell or not sell to you or anyone else for whatever reason I want. My refusal to sell you my hypothetical Velo 90 is not infringing on your rights, it's just cramping your style. There's a difference. "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

Note: the Bee Gees are in no way dickheads. "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