Accelerated Free Fall
Discussion
Evening all
Has anyone on here done an AFF (accelerated free fall) course? I'm doing one at Black Knights parachute centre in a few weeks and wondered if anyone had any experience?
I've done a tandem jump in Cuba but from a much lower height and that was pretty intense so I'm looking forward to learning how to do it myself.
Has anyone on here done an AFF (accelerated free fall) course? I'm doing one at Black Knights parachute centre in a few weeks and wondered if anyone had any experience?
I've done a tandem jump in Cuba but from a much lower height and that was pretty intense so I'm looking forward to learning how to do it myself.
Buff Mchugelarge said:
I've always wanted to jump out of a plane. A tandem jump sounds ok, but realy I want to do it on my own.
I take it you have to tandem first?
I'm sure the fact I've not yet even been in a plane won't matter..
No you don't have to tandem first. Tandem is where you are very tightly strapped to someone who does the actual jumping and flying of the canopy. The first jump you do with AFF you are accompanied by 2 instructors who hold on to you but they are are not attached to you.I take it you have to tandem first?
I'm sure the fact I've not yet even been in a plane won't matter..
Before your first jump there is a day of ground school to go through where you learn all the theory.
With tandem you are just a passenger, and when stood at the plane door you know you're going out because the guy you're strapped to is going to jump but the first jump on AFF will be a bot different, you actually have to throw yourself out which is the bit I'm most nervous of!
Loads of videos on YouTube which are pretty interesting if you've ever fancied doing it.
matt12023 said:
We need them more now, especially me, I had a malfunction on the fifth jump where I'd packed and had to use my reserve 
I did my AFF in Spain, you'll love it OP, are you doing it over a week or are you splitting it over weekends ?
I'm doing it over a week. Start on Friday 14th August and I have the following week booked off work. Rather hoping to get it done quicker than that but it's weather dependent. I did my AFF in Spain, you'll love it OP, are you doing it over a week or are you splitting it over weekends ?
Zoobeef said:
I did it last year. 2.5 weeks in California and did the 18 jumps with a weekend in Vegas and a weekend in San Diego. All for £700
That is some deal! Just the 8 jump course is costing me £1500, then there's the 10 consolidation jumps after that to pay for.Have either you got any tips or insights?
CountZero23 said:
Half way through mine, already totally hooked 
Having to take a few weeks off as broke a couple of my metatarsals on a landing (make sure you are at full flare when you hit the hard deck!).
You're doing it the right way by doing it as an intensive course, you should make progress much faster. It's MUCH cheaper to do in the states hence zoobeef's £700 deal. Weather is much more predictable over there too.
As BigJonMcQuimm said, wind tunnel will really help you nail body position, which can be tricky. Try to find a local wind tunnel Airkix have one in Milton Keynes and Basingstoke and there's another one in Bedford that I know of.
10 minutes of wind tunnel time works out around £100 for but its the time equivalent of 12 or more jumps so works out pretty cheap and allot cheaper than messing up a grading!
The Skydivers Handbook is the beginners bible and covers everything the course does and more. Buy a copy and get it read before you start if you can.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parachuting-Skydivers-Hand...
Your profile says you're in Sutton so we share the same local dropzone (Headcorn, Kent). Drop me a PM if you want to meet up.
Awesome sport and a great bunch of nutters, beer is also a big part of the culture
PS - Look into getting your FS1 as soon as possible, takes about 10 jumps then you are allowed to start jumping with other people.
Nice one - thanks for that, very informative. I will buy that book now... Having to take a few weeks off as broke a couple of my metatarsals on a landing (make sure you are at full flare when you hit the hard deck!). You're doing it the right way by doing it as an intensive course, you should make progress much faster. It's MUCH cheaper to do in the states hence zoobeef's £700 deal. Weather is much more predictable over there too.
As BigJonMcQuimm said, wind tunnel will really help you nail body position, which can be tricky. Try to find a local wind tunnel Airkix have one in Milton Keynes and Basingstoke and there's another one in Bedford that I know of.
10 minutes of wind tunnel time works out around £100 for but its the time equivalent of 12 or more jumps so works out pretty cheap and allot cheaper than messing up a grading!
The Skydivers Handbook is the beginners bible and covers everything the course does and more. Buy a copy and get it read before you start if you can.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parachuting-Skydivers-Hand...
Your profile says you're in Sutton so we share the same local dropzone (Headcorn, Kent). Drop me a PM if you want to meet up.
Awesome sport and a great bunch of nutters, beer is also a big part of the culture
PS - Look into getting your FS1 as soon as possible, takes about 10 jumps then you are allowed to start jumping with other people.
My profile is a little out of date, I'm actually living in Warrington now. The dropzone closest to me (Tilstock) doesn't do an AFF course so I'm going to Black Knights in Cockerham. My location is pretty handy for Airkix in the Trafford Centre though.
Is it best to get some tunnel time before the first jump?
Excellent responses, thanks everyone.
I've been in touch with Airkix in Manchester and they do an AFF package which is 12 minutes (10 minutes plus 2 minutes "free"!) tunnel time and use of training rig, plus video analysis, plus tailored instruction depending on what you want. Package price is £135 off peak or £145 any time.
I will do my first jump, chat to the instructors and then think about the tunnel.
I'll report back once I've started the course.
I've been in touch with Airkix in Manchester and they do an AFF package which is 12 minutes (10 minutes plus 2 minutes "free"!) tunnel time and use of training rig, plus video analysis, plus tailored instruction depending on what you want. Package price is £135 off peak or £145 any time.
I will do my first jump, chat to the instructors and then think about the tunnel.
I'll report back once I've started the course.
CountZero23 said:
Try to avoid doing this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a80r13T7cGo
Foot still smarts a bit but off the crutches and wretched moon boot. Giving it another week then getting back at it
Ouch! That looked like a hard landing! What did you do wrong?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a80r13T7cGo
Foot still smarts a bit but off the crutches and wretched moon boot. Giving it another week then getting back at it
Well I'm reporting back having started, and ended prematurely, my AFF course!
Got 3 jumps done with lots of pauses because of wind speed. Jump 1 was ok with the only issue being poor leg control in the arch. Got the chute deployed OK and canopy control was good with a decent landing.
Jump 2 I got the legs sorted but for some reason i dipped both arms when doing a practise pull and lost balance which I never really recovered from. I then couldn't locate the toggle on the pull at 6,000 feet and when I went back for another goy my instructor had already pulled for me. When under canopy I had line twists because of the unstable position when pulling. I kicked those out OK then had a good canopy ride and landing. This jump was about 9 hours after the first so putting it down to a long gap!
Jump 3 was much better, good legs, good arms, but I did have a problem maintaining a heading when released by both instructors. I know what the issue was (arms not level) but didn't really have time to fix it before the primary instructor grabbed me. This wold seem to be something to work on in the tunnel. The pull was good this time and canopy ride was excellent but I messed up the landing and rolled over a foot.
Quite painful but thought it was only soft tissue damage however I went to A&E this morning and I've broken it! I'm gutted! The course will have to be delayed.
I haven't been put off by it. It was my own stupid fault and I won't make the mistake again! The thrill of going out that plane is amazing and I really want to carry on once I'm healed. I had a few nerves on the lift up but once in the doorway the nerves go and the training takes over. I would recommend it to anyone
So there you go. An awesome experience which I will continue but can be dangerous if you don't listen very closely to your instructors!
Got 3 jumps done with lots of pauses because of wind speed. Jump 1 was ok with the only issue being poor leg control in the arch. Got the chute deployed OK and canopy control was good with a decent landing.
Jump 2 I got the legs sorted but for some reason i dipped both arms when doing a practise pull and lost balance which I never really recovered from. I then couldn't locate the toggle on the pull at 6,000 feet and when I went back for another goy my instructor had already pulled for me. When under canopy I had line twists because of the unstable position when pulling. I kicked those out OK then had a good canopy ride and landing. This jump was about 9 hours after the first so putting it down to a long gap!
Jump 3 was much better, good legs, good arms, but I did have a problem maintaining a heading when released by both instructors. I know what the issue was (arms not level) but didn't really have time to fix it before the primary instructor grabbed me. This wold seem to be something to work on in the tunnel. The pull was good this time and canopy ride was excellent but I messed up the landing and rolled over a foot.
Quite painful but thought it was only soft tissue damage however I went to A&E this morning and I've broken it! I'm gutted! The course will have to be delayed.
I haven't been put off by it. It was my own stupid fault and I won't make the mistake again! The thrill of going out that plane is amazing and I really want to carry on once I'm healed. I had a few nerves on the lift up but once in the doorway the nerves go and the training takes over. I would recommend it to anyone
So there you go. An awesome experience which I will continue but can be dangerous if you don't listen very closely to your instructors!
CountZero23 said:
Good work OP. Glad I'm not the only one breaking things in the process
My foot is now sorted after about 4 weeks so ready to hit in again. Will see what conditions are like next week and see if I can get a day off work.
Sorry if I missed it but what did you actually suffer? I couldn't believe I broke the ankle, I thought I had sprained it at worse. My foot is now sorted after about 4 weeks so ready to hit in again. Will see what conditions are like next week and see if I can get a day off work.
A&E telling me to expect 8 weeks in the boot - I can handle that but I'm encouraged by your 4 weeks!
Most pissed off that it was totally my fault and I've missed a day of jumping today. I will not be beaten by this, I'm up in the plane as soon as I'm cleared to jump.
ben_h100 said:
Get well soon and good luck for when you start again. I'm out of the loop having not jumped for 4 years but I will definitely get back into it one day. Living in Cyprus helped! Like one of the other posters I went to Perris Valley with the army and completed AFF at dirt cheap prices. Now at 60 jumps, B license and got most of the way through FS1. I'd recommend getting FS1 as soon as you can, even if you have to get to Spain to complete it intensively. Jumping on your own gets bring after a while.
Cheers for that! My last lift was with a guy doing last stage of FS1 - looks fun. Not so sure about CF1 - that doesn't really float my boat.Edited by mouseymousey on Sunday 16th August 21:24
CountZero23 said:
Got back at it today. Failed my first attempt at level 5, lost altitude awareness and pulled late which elicited some rather colorful language from my instructor. Missed the dropzone and landed in a corn field - got the piss taken quite royally for that one
If you don't jump for a while its incredible how quickly you get rusty!
Passed on my second go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ_bZaHORMA
How's the ankle coming on mousey?
Had one bloke break his leg today, looked pretty nasty. Came in to land with partial breaks and then didn't flare all the way and PLF was non existent.
Nice one for getting back into so quickly! It gives me hope that you've been through that and got in the air again relatively quickly. Your video looked good - you're much more stable than I am and you looked really relaxed. Here's my video of level 3 where I forgot my practice pull and needed a stern reminder. If you don't jump for a while its incredible how quickly you get rusty!
Passed on my second go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ_bZaHORMA
How's the ankle coming on mousey?
Had one bloke break his leg today, looked pretty nasty. Came in to land with partial breaks and then didn't flare all the way and PLF was non existent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kckhJXmrq7A
It was my best jump of the 3 though, right up until the point I broke my ankle! Talking of which, it's fine when I'm not moving but sleeping, or waking up more like, is pretty painful. Just got to get through it I suppose!
I'm pretty sure I will go for some tunnel time before I jump again to improve my stability and to try and train myself to keep my arms level! Were you back for Level 6 today?
Nice one! Very impressed that you're up to 3 consoles now. Tracking and the somersault look like fun too.
I've been watching videos today of some landings and I had already come to the conclusion that I need to practice the PLF a bit more,
What was the first console jump like? I had thought it would be pretty nerve wracking but seeing as you're pretty much exiting the aircraft on your own at level 6 maybe it's not so bad after all? One student I spoke to told me that it was the most relaxing jump because he didn't have any instructors to worry about or anything exercises he had to perform, it was just a nice jump that he got to enjoy,
I've been watching videos today of some landings and I had already come to the conclusion that I need to practice the PLF a bit more,
What was the first console jump like? I had thought it would be pretty nerve wracking but seeing as you're pretty much exiting the aircraft on your own at level 6 maybe it's not so bad after all? One student I spoke to told me that it was the most relaxing jump because he didn't have any instructors to worry about or anything exercises he had to perform, it was just a nice jump that he got to enjoy,
croyde said:
All sounds rather exciting but I have a daft question.
Do you have to be an experienced static line parachutist completely happy with controlling the canopy and landing before doing your AAF?
As said above, no you don't need to have done any static line stuff and to be honest I don't really see the point in the static line stuff any more, except that maybe it's cheaper.Do you have to be an experienced static line parachutist completely happy with controlling the canopy and landing before doing your AAF?
You will have a radio to be talked down by an instructor once you're flying the canopy. That bit is actually quite good fun, probably because of the relief that the parachute opened!
One word of advice, listen to your instructors about how to land. I wish I had
CountZero23 said:
Hey Mousey, you got any more jumps in yet?
Got my A License on Friday and did a load more jumps over the weekend. Moved onto my FS1 (Formation Skydiving) so now chasing my instructors through the sky and working on fall rate and forward and backward movement.
Here's the vid of my qualifying jump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w02aF7ZB8Lw
Whoops - only just seen this!Got my A License on Friday and did a load more jumps over the weekend. Moved onto my FS1 (Formation Skydiving) so now chasing my instructors through the sky and working on fall rate and forward and backward movement.
Here's the vid of my qualifying jump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w02aF7ZB8Lw
My recovery is taking slightly longer than anticipated. I'm still not pain free and am walking with a limp. Things are progressing but I'm not even able to run yet so having chatted with my instructor it now looks like I'm not going to jump again until February\March once the weather gets a little more predictable. That's the theory anyway. I will have to repeat ground school and start back at level 1 but I'm not worried about that. Depending on my recovery I might try jumping sooner or at least messing about in the tunnel but I'll just have to wait and see.
Great news that you got your licence, well done! The video looks excellent and just makes me want to get back there all the more. You looked really stable so you must be pretty chuffed with that. I can't wait to get onto the FS stuff, that looks really great fun. Will you be jumping through the winter?
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff