Accelerated Free Fall (AFF)
The AFF skydiving course is designed to teach you how to skydive quickly and safely using the very latest training techniques. AFF has been used to teach thousands of people to skydive with great success all over the world. It’s considered the fastest and most successful way to learn to skydive in the world.
The Accelerated Freefall (AFF) programme was instituted in 1982 as an “accelerated” learning process as compared to the traditional static line progression. The AFF programme is the most intensive training programme and will give you a true taste of modern sport skydiving.
As the instructor’s freefall with the student, they are able to correct the student’s body position and other problems during freefall by communicating with the student with hand signals in freefall and debriefing the student and conducting corrective training after the jump
The instructor(s) determine when the student has passed the requirements or “Targeted Learning Objectives (TLOs)” for each level. On the first AFF jump, you exit the aircraft at 11 000ft with two AFF instructors who will maintain a grip on you, from the moment you leave the aircraft until your parachute begins opening.
The instructors will monitor and assist you throughout the freefall as you perform a sequence previously rehearsed on the ground. At 5 000ft, you will open your own parachute, check it for performance and then control it down to the landing.
The AFF program consists of ten levels of progression, each consisting of a ground training session and a minimum of one jump. Each level has to be completed successfully, by meeting pre-determined learning and safety objectives, before moving on to the next one.
On levels 1 – 3 you will be assisted by two AFF instructors. These dives will focus on altitude awareness, stability, body position and successful main parachute deployment, while introducing basic manoeuvres such as turns and forward movement.
Levels 4 – 7 require only one AFF instructor to assist you in learning solo skills such as turns on heading, back and front loops, more advanced forward movement and combining manoeuvres. Levels 8, 9 and 10 are a minimum of three solo jumps: Two are Instructor assigned task jumps, while the third is a low altitude “hop and pop”.
When
You arrive at the drop zone (the standard term for a skydiving area) for class registration. If the weather is good, there’s a decent chance that you’ll get to see other jumpers flying through the air before your class starts.
Please be prepared to be here as late as dark. Although you may be jumping well before sunset, the weather and other factors can sometimes have students jumping close to then.
We teach the course on scheduled days and times, so please check when the next available course date is. Reservations and deposits are essential! We Require a R500 non-refundable deposit per person to secure your spot, on the course.
What You Need
– Proof that you’re at least 18 years old. You will require parental consent if you are under the age of 18.The minimum age is 16.
– Running shoes with decent support.
– Maximum weight for Ladies is 85kg’s and for Men is 95kg’s. You must be physically fit and healthy to perform a Skydive.
What You Learn
Your class instructor will teach you everything you need to know to make that big leap of faith with confidence. You spend some time learning the general theory behind skydiving, but most of the day is spent rehearsing the physical skills you’ll need: exiting the aircraft, arching, opening your main parachute, flying your parachute home, and landing gently. You’ll also work hard on what to do in the unlikely event that something goes wrong with your main parachute and you need to use your reserve. The whole class takes about six to eight hours on average.
When You Get to Jump
Once the class is finished, weather permitting, your class will start gearing up for the Jump. Generally, we normally manage to get the whole class in the air before we have to stop jumping at sunset. Even if you don’t get to jump the same day, that’s okay – you just come back on a day with decent weather any day we’re open in the next thirty days, and we’ll try again. If it has been more than thirty days since your training, you will need a quick refresher course. Contact us for more information and pricing on a refresher course.
The Jump Itself
When it is your turn, a staff member will help you gear up and make sure your parachute system is safe. Then it’s off to the plane with your instructor.
Then it’s the 15-20 minute climb to the jump altitude of 11 000ft. Time to savour the trickle of adrenaline, while remembering that your class has taught you everything that you need to know to make your jump, and you know how to handle any unusual situations.
Your turn. Your instructor beckons you forward, and tells you to get into position. Then, “Ready, Set and GO!!” and you’re off, falling away from the aircraft, and focussing on your arch. After 35 seconds of freefall you deploy your parachute.
You get to play a little with your parachute and enjoy the scenery again while you steer yourself back to the landing area. The buzz from the adrenaline at this point is pretty powerful, and you get a couple of minutes during your peaceful ride down to relish the feeling. Then, with coaching, you bring yourself to a gentle landing back on the drop zone.
Post-Jump
You gather up your equipment and head back to the skydiving building, where you can come down a bit from the high and watch the video of your jump taken by the instructor. If you’d like a copy as a memento, they are available at a reasonable cost.
Perhaps the best part is telling your friends, co-workers, family, or classmates all about it when you see them next. They’ll be jealous…
Booking is essential! Please contact Chris on 072 303 9140, skydive@skydiveparys.co.za to find out when is the next available course date.