Skydive License Program

Overview

During your AFF skydives, you will jump with USPA-certified AFF instructors holding onto your skydiving system (holding a grip through your leg straps during freefall) while you complete the dive sequence of the skydive. You will open, steer, and land your parachute. A one-way radio is mounted on your gear as a backup to aid during canopy descent.

Each level provides an opportunity to learn new freefall and canopy piloting skills that will help progress you to the goal of being a solo licensed skydiver. The first three levels require two instructors but even by then you will be flying unlinked.

During the later levels, you will be performing unassisted exits, turns, and forward movements. Throughout the process, you will gain increasing independence and responsibility for your gear checks, freefall, and canopy descent.

Overview

Ground School, also referred to as the skydiving First Jump Course is the first step of the AFF program. The First Jump Course is taught by a professional United States Parachuting Association AFF-rated instructor.

During the First Jump Course, you’ll be educated and trained on equipment operation and handling, aircraft, freefall and parachute procedures, and emergency situations.

You are taught a large volume of critical information, and physical movements to practice body positions and procedures. It is an intensive full-day classroom and practical training environment.

Overview

Prior to your AFF Level 1 skydive, you will observe your instructors prepare and safety check your gear, review in-air hand signals, and discuss the sequence and objectives of the skydive.

During the Level 1 jump, both instructors assist you during the aircraft climb out. Once in position and ready, you exit the aircraft with your instructors (who maintain a secure grip on you through your leg straps). During freefall, your instructors maintain a grip and provide in-air coaching and feedback. Both instructors maintain a secure grip on the student until the student has deployed their parachute.

Your main tasks during AFF Level 1 freefall will be to maintain altitude awareness, practice the procedure and mechanics of parachute deployment, and initiate and complete parachute deployment at the prescribed altitude.

After the parachute is deployed, you will perform a parachute controllability check and initiate the landing pattern sequence. A one-way radio is attached to your gear as a backup and additional guidance tool to aid in a planned safe landing.

Overview

After Level 1, you will gradually take on more responsibility to prepare gear, perform pre-jump safety checks, and mentally prepare for the upcoming skydive. This is a gradual process throughout AFF and varies by student.

AFF is a “building blocks” type of learning program, meaning that each level typically requires consolidating and practicing skills from previous levels. For example, during AFF Level 2 freefall, you will practice the same type of exit, and then perform several practice deployments prior to moving to the new skill.

In Level 2, turns and forward movement are introduced as new freefall skills. Turning during freefall is an essential initial skill because it allows us to maintain heading control (i.e., if you can make a turn, you can stop an unintended turn).

Forward movement is also taught to aid in hover and heading control. Moving backward or “backsliding” is often a common outcome for new students and makes a student more vulnerable to unstable body positions. For this reason, forward movement is one of the first skills learned to prevent backsliding and freefall instability.

And as will be the case for all remaining skydives, you will be required to always maintain altitude awareness, and properly initiate parachute deployment at the instructed altitude.

Following each jump, you and the instructor debrief the skydive. We test your recall of the jump and discuss the positive moments, areas for improvement, and next steps. Debriefs may also include a physical reenactment of the jump, practical body position training, video reviews, or verbal coaching.

Overview

Your demonstrated ability to move forward and maintain a heading acquired during Level 2 is critical in ensuring success in Level 3 objectives: stable released freefall and team turns.

After a stable-linked exit, your instructors will release their grips (if you have demonstrated stability) to allow you to freefall solo. You’ll utilize your turning and forward movement skills to fall straight down, then perform 90-degree turns with your instructors.

As with every jump, you’ll be responsible for maintaining altitude awareness throughout freefall, and a stable parachute deployment at the prescribed altitude.

Overview

By the time you’ve progressed to Level 4, you’ve demonstrated a competent level to exit and maintain stable freefall to the extent that only one instructor is required. From Level 4 onward, you will require only one instructor.

Level 4 will be a further development of turns. You will be tasked to continue to maintain heading control while doing larger, solo turns, with a single instructor observing.

Typically, around Level 4, students can perform an unassisted landing pattern and landing. Unassisted landings vary by student based on individual readiness.

Level 4 usually introduces a Canopy Stall Point and Recovery drill. This drill teaches you the stage at which the parachute exceeds its aerodynamic flying and landing capabilities.

Overview

During Level 5, you will perform your first unlinked (no grip) exit. You will take the same position at the door. Your instructor will be in the same position as prior levels without maintaining a grip. You both exit solo, but simultaneously and in proximity.

After maintaining a stable exit, you will check with your instructor, then perform Figure 8 Turns (opposing 360-degree turns). By increasing the turn rate, you will further practice and refine heading control and recovery skills.

During your parachute descent, you’ll be tasked to explore different flare rates and ranges to get a better understanding of how the parachute responds to these varying inputs which help aid in consistent, skilled landings.

Overview

During previous levels, freefall objectives centered around maintaining control. Whether side to side or forward and backward, the goal was to hover or move with control.

In Level 6, we introduce deliberate instability to hone stability recovery skills. Inducing instability may include back loops, front loops, or barrel rolls (at the instructor’s discretion).

Tracking is also introduced in Level 6. Tracking is a maneuver to achieve maximum forward (horizontal) distance with minimal vertical descent. Tracking is a critical safety skill required when jumping in formations (with other people) to achieve adequate horizontal separation for safe parachute deployments.

During parachute descent, you’ll be introduced to the rear riser controls through a series of drills and exercises.

Overview

By Level 7, you’ll have demonstrated the minimum in-air (both freefall and parachute) competencies to be a solo-rated skydiver. If there are remaining skills to achieve in freefall or during parachute flight, this level is utilized as a consolidation jump, or to further refine specific skills.

Level 7 focuses on all skills, from ground preparation to landing. You must demonstrate that you can safely perform a self-supervised skydive. That includes demonstrating your ability to do mandatory gear safety checks, solo gear preparation and gear up, and accurately gear-checking another licensed skydiver’s gear.

You’ll be tasked with planning your jump, assisting in jump run spotting (where and when to exit the aircraft), performing a safe exit, executing safe break-off procedures, deploying your parachute in a stable body position at the proper altitude, and performing a safe, unassisted landing pattern.

Overview

After completing Level 7, you will have graduated from the AFF program as a solo certified skydiver with the ability to do solo,
self-supervised jumps at Skydive Monterey Bay.

In most cases, you will also be able to jump at any USPA-certified skydiving center in the United States (if you maintain currency requirements). However, some skydiving centers in the country do not have a student school or may have challenging landing areas and thus might restrict jump operations to higher experienced skydivers.

It is important to note that completing AFF and getting designated as a solo certified skydiver is the most basic and novice rating. It is a license to learn and an entryway to becoming a skilled flyer. Novice skydivers are subject to limitations for their safety. Solo certified skydivers will not be able to jump with other licensed skydivers (only coaches and instructors), participate in large formation jumps, nor wear a camera in freefall.