Category System

  • The Category System course is great for those who aren’t initially sure about paying for AFF.

  • You will jump paratrooper-style from 3500ft, attached to a Static Line which deploys your parachute when you exit the aircraft.

  • On this course you will not experience freefall until you’ve demonstrated the correct body position on several Static Line jumps, on average students take about 10 jumps to get it right and move onto the freefall levels.

  • It works on a pay-as-you-go system, with jumps costing £40 each, however failing a level is much more common on this course, so expect to repeat jumps.

  • On average, it takes 25-30 jumps to qualify on this course, making it slightly cheaper than AFF..

The Category System is the cheaper course available to skydivers on a budget who might just want to experience jumping out of a plane a few times, before deciding whether to go ahead with getting their licence. Please note a Static Line jump is not a typical skydive - you won’t progress onto freefall until you’ve completed multiple jumps on the line and perfected your body position. You can find details on the later levels below.

Your first jumps will be on a Static Line. When you jump out of the plane, after a few seconds the line becomes taught and will pull your parachute out of your rig – then it’s just up to you to put your training into practice by flying and landing your canopy. On your first few jumps, you will have a helping hand to get you down safely via a radio in your helmet.

THE COURSE

  • For your first jump, all you have to do is exit correctly and arch your back, presenting your body to the wind. The parachute will deploy automatically and then all you have to do is fly yourself down to the ground, with the help of an instructor on radio.

  • Once you’ve proved you can hold the required body position, which can take several tries to get right, you’ll move onto Dummy Ripcord Pulls (DRPs). You’ll still be on the Static Line, but this time you will be simulating pulling your own parachute, with a pretend ripcord you will pull once you’ve exited the aircraft. It can be a challenge to practise this and remain stable, so be prepared to do this several times!

  • If you get past the Static Line stage, congratulations! It’s time to freefall for the first time!

    It’s a essentially a repeat of a DRP, except you’ll be flying to around 4500ft, there’s no line this time and you will be pulling your own parachute after freefalling for 5 seconds. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but feels great once you’ve done it!

  • After at least two 5 second delays, you’ll move onto 10 second delays from 5500ft, where you must remain stable and pull your parachute after 10 seconds.

  • Once you’ve done at least two good 10 second delays, you’ll do at least two 15 second delays from 6000ft. You’ll also need to keep on heading (facing the right way and not turning accidentally).

  • From here on you’ll have an instructor jumping out with you to film you. You’ll do another 15 second delay but this time practising left and right turns.

  • Congratulations, you’ve made it to 14,000ft! On this jump you’ll exit in a somersault, tucked into a ball, and you must recover the ‘unstable’ position into a nice arch. It’s a lot of fun! You’ll then do some more turns and enjoy your first real skydive!

  • Now you’ll learn to dive out like the AFF students, and learn how to backflip, all from 14,000ft.

  • Tracking is making forward movement, Iron-Man style. You’ll learn tracking and track turns, and this is the final skill you need for your A Licence!

  • Well done! You’ve worked hard, and now it’s time to put all your new skills together in one final jump, and then you’ve got your skydiving licence!

Our Category System groundschool includes the cost of your first jump. Groundschools run on a Saturday, and if the weather’s good, we will camp over and jump the following day!

After your groundschool weekend, it’s up to you when to come back and complete the remaining jumps. Please note, when you pass the Static Line stage, you must complete your first freefall jump within 24 hours, or you will have to repeat a Static Line jump the next time you arrive. For this reason this course requires a little more commitment to pass than AFF.

Once you progress onto freefall, you will learn subsequent skills covered in AFF, such as turning, tracking, and backloops! Your final dive is a combination of all the skills you’ve learnt put together.

Qualification usually takes around 25-30 jumps, but it can end up taking more and costing more than AFF.