AFF (ACCELERATED FREEFALL)

  • AFF (Accelerated Freefall) is the most popular and fastest way to learn to skydive.

  • Participants experience freefall from level 1, jumping from 14,000ft with two instructors holding onto you and coaching you through hand signals.

  • It is slightly more expensive, with upfront payment covering your groundschool and all 18 jumps needed for your A Licence, including kit hire and coaching. You can choose to pay-as you-go after your first jump if you wish.

  • It’s worth noting that the cost of AFF is about 1/3rd of the price of 18 tandem jumps - so it’s comparatively rather cheap, plus jumps go down to just £20 once you’ve qualified!

AFF stands for Accelerated Freefall, and it is the most popular way of learning to skydive across the world, as it is the faster and a more sure-fire way option to become qualified. You’ll also be able to experience the rush of freefall from the very beginning as you’ll be jumping out at maximum altitude, 14,000ft, with two instructors holding onto you! On the way down under parachute, you’ll have a radio in your helmet to give a helping hand for the first few jumps. 

Once you’ve completed a day’s groundschool, it is up to you whenever you come back to complete your levels and then your consols, until you have a skydiving licence!

THE COURSE

  • Many people experience sensory overload on their first jump - this is normal! On your level 1, all you have to do is exit the aircraft with two instructors holding onto you for the entire minute’s freefall. You will complete three ‘practice touches’, where you will practise pulling the parachute handle. Once it’s time to pull your parachute, you’ll pull it for real, and if you are unable to do so, your instructor will help you out. From here all you have to do is land safely with radio guidance from an instructor.

  • On your second jump, you’ll be expected to hold your position a little better. You’ll still do three practice touches, and your instructors will help you correct your body position if needed. It’s essentially Level 1 again but with improvements on your exit and stability!

  • By now you’ll have got the hang of holding the arch. You’ll still have two instructors to help out if things go wrong, but once you’ve exited and gotten stable, they will briefly let go of you to see whether you can maintain stability. They will come back to hold onto you when it’s time to deploy your parachute, just in case you can’t find the handle.

  • By now you’ll only need one instructor. This time you’ll be learning how to make 90° turns left and right.

  • On this jump, you’ll do your first solo exit, where your instructor won’t hold onto you, and you’ll dive out independently, with your instructor following you out. You’ll then complete 360° turns. By now you’ll be feeling a lot more confident in the sky!

  • Now you’ll learn how to do a backloop, which is extremely fun! You’ll also learn tracking, which is making forwards movement, Iron-Man style.

  • Now you’ve learned all the required skills in freefall in just 6 jumps - well done! On this jump you must demonstrate everything you’ve learnt - a solo exit, backloop, turns and tracking.

  • Level 8 can be completed before, after, or in between your 10 consolidation jumps. It is a solo dive exit from 5000-6000ft, where you must become stable and pull your parachute within 10 seconds, a bit like a Category Systems student. It’s called a ‘Hop n Pop’, and it’s a useful to know how to do in case of an aircraft emergency.

  • Once you’ve completed Level 7, you get to do 10 more solo jumps without an instructor, which are an opportunity to practise everything you’ve learnt. You have complete freedom as to what you do, and we can recommend fun exits to try such as a pencil, float, or gainer! After 10 consols and your Level 8, you are a fully fledged skydiver with an A Licence. Congratulations!

AFF offers a jump from 14,000ft on each level, just like a tandem, except you have your own parachute! You’ll jump with 2 instructors at first for in-air coaching and quick progression, which goes down to 1 for Level 4, until you complete level 7 and go fully solo.

The course consists of 8 levels and 10 solo consolidation jumps (see table). If you stay current and pass all your levels, you’ll have a skydiving licence after 18 jumps. While it is possible to fail levels, this is much less common than on the Category System course.

The price of AFF includes your groundschool, 18 jumps, and all training and equipment. You have the option to pay-as-you-go, or pay upfront after your Level 1 for a discount!

While it is more expensive on average than the Category System, the quality of teaching and learning style makes it worth the money in the long run.