The Student Handout - A One Page Executive Summary

Calhan Post AFF Student Handout (ver 01)                Wed 2002-6-12
----------------------------------------                -------------

The next phase after AFF is 10 - 20 jumps long, and you will be guided
by the coaches in the experienced hangar.

The purpose of the instructional part of this phase is to take you
from AFF, where every move is tightly supervised, to being able to
make a jump with no help from anyone without scaring yourself or any
of us.

The technical skills are fun and sometimes frustrating to learn, but
they are also just tools to help you start exploring the wonderful
world of skydiving and start making new friends, which is the other
part of this phase.

The technical skills you will learn are:

    - The drop zone system - gear rental, manifesting

    - Canopy control - large scale strategy, toggle techniques

    - Exit separation - safe distance from the group in front of you

    - Packing, gear checks, maintenance

    - Spotting, tracking, your place in the big picture

    - Freefall - exits, swoops, docks, the cop in the rear view mirror


At the end of this phase you will have your A license. The paperwork
part of this license is a two page proficiency card which you and the
coaches will fill out over the next 10 - 20 jumps. Later on there are
other licenses, ratings and awards that you can get.


The last level of AFF (cleared to solo) means that you are OK to be
in freefall by yourself.

In your next few jumps, the Freefall Recess stage, you are free to
play around in freefall and do (almost) anything you want. The main
restrictions are:

    - No large horizontal motion (stay out of the other groups' airspace)

    - Don't lose sight of the ground for too long at a time if you're
      going to do a bunch of maneuvers.

In these jumps the instructional emphasis shifts to canopy control,
exit separation and packing. Part of this is the Cessna Playground,
a 3 jump sequence that covers spotting and tracking.

When the time is right we then go up and do the A license freefall
requirements and you are then out of the cage of student restrictions
and ready for the next phase.

Until then please check in with a coach before every jump, even if
you're just making a totally recreational, don't work on anything
type jump.