I know you had tunnel time but it still very impressive seeing you do practically perfect jumps from the start. Seriously I feel like most people panic on their first jump. Cheers!!
I'm from the old school and learned the old way, but that was a joy to watch. Well done. So glad you escaped the tunnel, haha! Have fun, be safe, blue skies!
I started skydiving 21 years ago, I quit 2 years ago due to psoriatic arthritis. Your video truly made me remember my AFF days and he 19 years I had in the sport. I really enjoyed it. I really believe that all dropzones should require some tunnel training as a pre-requisite for AFF. It makes a huge difference. It is a tall order though, regardless; thanks for sharing.
No, tunnel is not needed at all. It's just a nice extra but NOT necessary. Did my 7 levels of AFF with each level only requiring 1 jump without any tunnel at all, no idea what this "cat stuff" in this vid you're talking about. Most students take 9 jumps. Tunnel wouldn't make that much of a difference except it will make a difference to your wallet. Safety wise during AFF it would make no difference at all.
Yeah me too. I jumped for 25 years 4 of which as a full time AFF instructor. I think altitude awareness will be his biggest issue but he seems to do fine.
@@flybeep1661 "Cat stuff" refers to the Category system that the USPA currently uses. It's the Integrated Student Program in section 4 of the SIM. It's how they combine the different progression methods (AFF, IAD, Tandem) into one program. Talking about "levels" is a bit outdated, but from a practical perspective the advancement criteria and actual training that the student gets are basically the same, just a change of verbiage. I agree that tunnel time should not be required, but it does make a huge difference with student performance.
Well done! You absolutely nailed it! I have cruised through AFF thanks to my hour and half before my first AFF jump. It is so so helpful, I continue to go once a month and i hope to be sit flying that quick myself!
First AFF tandem and cat A complete - loving it man! Really busy day today though. How much time in the tunnel do you recommend? I'm getting in 10 minutes before cat b soon
@@shoemakerleve9 sorry I’m just now seeing this. If you can get an hour (or more) you should be good. Just remember, the coaches at SDU are super good and unless you have that money to spend, you really don’t have to go to the tunnel but it always helps!
sweet video and to Roger I’m 50 and just finished my AAF course last weekend. I started jumping when i was 18 yrs and completed my B license and then stopped jumping. One of my biggest regrets to stop but 30 yrs later and i’m hooked again! So take it from me get back out there and don’t have any more regrets cause life really is short. Good luck!
I'm in the same boat I'm 52 and stopped jumping in the 90s never been in a wind tunnel or did a tandem jump I started out doing static lines then jumping and pulling as soon as I cleared the plane and gradually building up to free falls..
Obviously mileage may vary here.. but is tunnel time something a facility is willing to work with you on cost with? I'm about to get out of the military and really want to get into tunnel flying to fill the adrenaline void, but a hundred bucks for 3 minutes (local rate) is just too steep to do consistently.
@@stevedrumsnaked That's the rate they charge the public for an 'experience'. You want to speak to a DZ near you to recommend an indoor skydiving coach who can skip the profit-making 'experience' selling and instead sell you 10 minute blocks at much closer to cost.
WOW, too cool!!! I love the progression visible in your jumps and the joy is clear. I sit here with 39 freefall jumps under my belt since starting the AFF and a big smile because I can feel my excitement through watching yours. Thank you very much for sharing and blue skies!!!
I am going the same route as you. Spending a fair bit of time in the tunnel down in Seattle before taking my AFF, hopefully this summer. I have good control with belly flying, I can pretend to reach for the pull cord and maintain a stable flight. I am just being introduced to flying on my back in the tunnel. A few years ago I did two tandem jumps out of a plane.... honnestly I was bored on both jumps. But everyone is telling me once i start doing the solo jumps, that is when I will have fun.
That’s rad!! Stick with the tunnel as it’s going to be a huge help in your AFF. Stoked to hear about the back flying too. Just wait till you start head down!! Blue skies!
Firstly, great video! I'm a 68 year old Brit, I did 7 static line jumps in 1975 at Hereford Parachute Club, Shobdon, the first 3 using old USAF rigs with Double L canopies in sleeves which made for slow openings, the other 4 using the bag system. As I progressed I got more and more nervous. On jump 7 I was doing dummy ripcord pulls and my exit wasn't very committed, "hit the step and forgot the handle" so my logbook says, this freaked me out and I never returned. In the last couple of years I've done a couple of sessions at Airkix Indoor Skydiving and it was great fun. Seeing your video makes me realise what I have missed most of my life and I wish I'd had the bottle to continue. Back in the day the progression system was slow; 3 stable exits then 3 stable DRCPs, 3 stable 3 second delays (first freefall) and so on. I wonder if tunnel flying might lead to greater things more quickly, your video certainly makes me think so. Thank you for posting it, it's made me think. Fly safe.
You should totally go out and do it. Jumping the first time (again) should and will give you the excitement, Adreline and confidence to continue. On my first tandem jump, I saw a father and his 2 sons doing their course. Wish you luck and blue skies!
Go back and DO IT! Your life isn't over, you still have time to fulfill this desire and "what if"! I'm doing my 5th jump AFF so I'm still new too. You've got this!! Live your life to the max!!!
Holy shit dude. I did hm AFF a few years ago and been in the tunnel since. You’ve made me wanna get back out there realising the skills actually transfer somewhat
Wow! What a truly amazing video brother. Starting aff this spring and have been debating on doing tunnel over the winter to prepare. You convinced me 100% its worth it. Thanks for the video!!!
Thanks for the feed back and stoked for you to start jumping. If you have the time and $$ for the tunnel, it’s not required but totally worth it and you will see the difference one you start jumping. Blue skies
i know its the instructors job to teach you but big clap to the job they done for you and to see your progression to the end congrats mate. i am waiting to start my AFF course in the UK and eventually dream jump over the palm Dubai
Good luck. That old Palm is on many a skydiver's bucket list. You need 1000 jumps (UK D licence) to jump the Palm. First jump has to be a hop 'n' pop. Tandems (it's a tandem factory) get precedence and you can wait around a bit to get on a lift. Enjoy the view when you get there - then head off to the desert DZ for some consistent jumping.
I am going to be doing ground school and hopefully get my A license next spring. Ive been tandem twice and fell in love. I am by iFly and will be going to the same DZ. Planning on doing some iFly during the winter, this video was awesome! Thanks for the inspiration.
@@bradenrypien882 That's like a million dollars. Whew. My wife and I did about 6 mins between both of us I think I did 4 she did 2... Loved it but holy shizzle it was expensiveizzle. :) We are about 1.5 hours away from the iFly as well so... yeah :/ Butw e're def going back. My plan was to try and get 30mins to an hour of time, learn all of the AFF moves if possible prior to doing AFF. Anyhoo. It was smooth watching dude basically nail everything. I've watched way too many AFF's lol
Hey Mate! Great video, thank you for sharing your experience and skills. I completed 7 jumps of the AFF way back in 1997, I never finished (9 jumps to complete course) but they were some of my most memorable and happy days. Have fun, be safe! Thanks.
Hi Chris, I am Chris Ferguson too - I was on jump 7 of 9 AFF in 2003 at Madrid. How strange - I was thinking I had commented here already!! Small world!
@@kontankris Hello Chris Ferguson! 😊 Mate it is a strange small world. I hope you're well and life is good. One of my good friends is in the process of mo ing to Lisbon with his wife. They l ooi VW Spain!
Well done! I started with static line in 77 and wondered how much less anxiety there must be with freefall being a familiar environment on your first skydive. I spun like a helicopter blade learning to turn. 4 flat spins and the instructors never even watched the freefall after dispatching me. It was a long lonely journey. :) Tunnel time before the first skydive is definitely the way to go. You are more relaxed I imagine, in control, and a safer skydiver from jump one compared to having no tunnel time.
The only problem I can see with to much tunnel time is height awareness. I noticed in the last 3 jumps you weren't checking your alti. When I was doing freestyle I wore mine on my chest so you can check you height in different positions.
GREAT VIDEO!!! Thanks for sharing! This takes me back to my Navy days in 1989 as a Test Parachutist. Back then, there was no such thing as a wind tunnel. It was 10 static lines then on to freefall (all in house) at China Lake. The only difference that you can clearly see, is that this ride seems to never be coming to an end, well that HUGE rock coming to meet you, has other plans. It's kinda like having fuel in your car (or air in a scuba tank). Eventually you will run out. Just manage that, and ALWWAYS grab the HANDLES that you need. Blue skies!
This is a neat perspective! I finished my course back in April and the first few days were very stressful, but man it was worth it. I wish that I had done some tunnel practice at iFly or something to build better turbulence control. Great video and congratulations on the license!
Wow amazing video, was so nice and relaxing to watch. After my studies I want to get my AFF to. I flew twice in a tunnel but I think I will do it a bit more before my AFF. For a student at that time youre movements are so smooth I think it is totally worth it! Great video, keep going!!
Thanks for the encouragement and feedback. I’m flying out to Florida this week for work and jumping. Every time I have a chance to jump (away from my home DZ) I try to get some sort of coaching when I’m there. Always learning
I did my first tandem jump last weekend and ever since it's got me thinking about aff, I will have to check if we have any wind tunnels here. Thank you so much for the video as its great to see what to expect :)
It is nice to see that even tunnel rats are sky trash during AFF! Makes me feel better about my own AFF journey, with only 50 mins in the tunnel. haha! Bravo! and thanks for sharing. Congrats on your A!
I did a FF training back in 1990 I made two jumps and on my second jump my left shoulder dislocated meeting the wind from an old skiing injury you kind of put the Kabash on my skydiving otherwise I’d be in a Wingsuit by now. It was amazing watchingYou go through this training brought back some good memories I would like to try the wind tunnel though, they had one down in Branson Missouri but they took it down maybe it’ll be up this summer
I'm with you on that. Almost a month ago I had a hard landing that resulted in me breaking and dislocating both my ankles. I also had a nasty compound fracture in my right ankle. With that and my age, I won't be jumping anymore but I'm glad I have this and my other video to capture those moments.
Like Roger Baldwin who it seems, had nearly exactly the same experience as me in 1975😯 (but I did 12 jumps 😉😁), I thought your video was amazing!!! May you have many more enjoyable descents and thanks for sharing. Now too old to jump out of aircraft, I fully intend to go indoor skydiving soon.
IMHO the tunnel (say 5 x 2 min sessions in 30 mins vs 3-5 freefall jumps) exerts more pressure on your physique than skydiving - except for the landing of course! Never too old to jump if you're fit enough and have all your marbles. I'm 73 and still jumping. - did my 1000th in Feb 2023.
When I took up skydiving I only had army static line experience. In the 80s we didnt do AFF or tandem. I just did 5 static lines and went straight to free fall. I wish we had these tunnels back then. It would have made such a big difference.
Could you please elaborate your experience? I am planning for AFF this summer. Though I did one tandem jump last year but I’m still scared. Every piece of information would be appreciated 🙂
I want to go through the AFF course. One of the instructors at my dropzone advised me to spend the winter at a local wind tunnel. I'm planning to do this- especially after watching videos about people who have that experience compared to those who don't.
Enjoyed this video, I had around 7hrs in the tunnel prior to aff. My (tunnel)instructor was a skydiver. Did the course in 3 jumps. So I spend about 7k to save 900ish lol At jump 85 and fall in love with the sport more every time I go. Totally in love with the tunnel also tho🎉🎉 Rock on!
Our DZ allows full face and if they didn’t, I would have fought that as I had my own helmet. There were other battles that I lost though like no free flying till I had 50 jumps no mater of my tunnel time one who I was jumping with.
Great video I really loved it especially because I am practically in the same position. I am an experienced tunnel flyer but have only ever done one tandem jump. I intend to pass my AFF soon. If you see this (I know the video is from 2 years ago) do you have any tips?
@@arthurliesedessaigne1334 My best advice is to make good connections with the DZ that you are going to do your AFF at. This helped me huge as most of the instructors were aware of my tunnel history so they knew how to best instruct me. That’s why I was able to combine several steps in one jump! Hope this helps and good luck with your AFF
Wooooooooow this is awesome, you are really great, gooood job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I am going to jump too 😍😍😍 thanks for this so beautifull video of your journey to profi jumper 🎉
Correct, tracking was a new skill that I had to learn. Allot of my post A license jumps were tracking jumps. Something that I’m very serious about learning and getting right
@@carnellc I'm a bigger guy; my tracking was adequate at best for clearing a formation. Then I had the idea to take my 1970's jumpsuit to a seamstress along with a photo of booties. A week later, off to Monterey (c.1998). 1st load, turned & tracked...the 'thrust' was exhilarating. I landed next to a gal on the 8-way, "Wow; you blasted out of there." 'Course my next suit had winglets. Astonishing control; I could stop on dime. 20-yr-old tech. of course but it made all the difference then..
@@BWS952 jump 100 was quite as I was jumping in FL at that time. My last jump was last year at 114. I hit low level wind-shear when landing and I shattered both ankles to include a ugly compound fracture. I’ve spent the last year learning to walk again and left me with a ton of new hardware.
@@BWS952 bad luck. I was the first one down on that load and the weather/winds changed. Everyone slid it in, I took the worst of it. I hit the wind shear at about 15 feet. Didn’t have time to react quick enough. I was the first of several big injuries that season due to the crazy winds.
I spent 10 years Jumping and later became a scuba Instructor used to freak people out with my fast arched descents Jumpings a long way down scuba is a long way up.
Love it! Did the first 3 levels of AFF mid 2000s by Ft Benning but had to stop when I went into military schools and off to my Airborne unit. Regret not continuing but just did a tandem in Dec that got the fire going again. Tomorrow, I'm starting some iFLY tunnel practice before starting STP (Skydiver Training Program) in the next 1-2 months.
Congrats on getting the training started again. Take your time in the tunnel. Just remember to relax and enjoy it and you will see your progress quickly improve!
@@carnellc Thanks! Got my next 10 "flights" in the tunnel purchased and excited to gain confidence. They have amazing instructors that have great advice and make it fun.
@@carnellc Came back and watched the videos again! Got my A-license, about 70 jumps now, hit my first stable sit fly this weekend, and need to get back in the tunnel for more. Thanks for the inspiration!
I’m going for my first jump soon in 12 years & only done 2 other tandems but yeah all I’m doing is watching skydiving videos cause I want to get my license
Awesome video! I've made a couple tandem jumps during travel a couple ago and now considering indoor practice until the summer, when my local skydiving facility re-opens. For my budgeting purposes, can you share the cost (per hour) with indoor practice? Thanks!
Very interesting! Good job. I’m halfway through my aff course but not sure I want to continue. I feel like I’ve just gotten more anxious for every jump haha, very strange since it feels like it should be the opposite.
Bro, don't quit! I finished my AFF last month, same feelings. The 6th and 7th jumps are simply the best sensation of life! You will see that once you get out of the plane without your instructor, everything seems much easier than you thought :)) my last jump, once the canope opened and i could see the sun in the horizon, I just kept thinking about how beaultiful e blizzfull skydiving is. (Sorry for my english, im from brazil, but hope you dont quit! It worth it!) "The best things in life are on the other side of fear/on the other side of that door". Blue Skies!
DON'T YOU QUIT!!! I got my A license in late July, and I still get nervous AF (only 31 jumps under my belt). From doing malfunction junction to climbing to altitude...all of that drives me absolutely nuts. Strangely enough, it ain't until the door opens that I get relaxed. That anxiety is a son of a bitch, but it is part of the process. My instructor told me it wasn't until jump 150 that that negative anxious feeling turned into a positive kind of one. So, I'm afraid you and I are gonna have to shovel in that apprehension for a bit longer until we're like, "This shit is starting to taste good!" Keep jumping, brother, and get your license; if my high-strung, overthinking dumbass can do it, you most certainly can!!!
@@skyscribe Ya.... don't quit!!! I had a bad tandem jump, called my wife and said this sport just might not be for me........ I waited a few weeks, watched a ton of videos (of my friends not AFF) and just got super stoked to try again. I set a goal, if I didn't like my first AFF jump, I was ok to walk away but at least I tried.... So glad I kept at it. You got this!!
I'am with tunnel experience too. After my first AFF jumpt (without tandem jump), in the video room I felt super scared and I was thinking to not jump again. Well... now I'am on my 6th jump after finishing the AFF (finished it with 4 jumps). What helped me is positive talking. In the airplane at the open door I just telling myself "You choose to be here to jump"... :D My brain is getting use to the jumping but still 50% of my mind screams NO, DON'T JUMP. So it is up to you...
That you expect it to be increasingly less anxious exercise is possibly part of the problem. I was anxious during the AFF, which is only natural, but expected it to pass quickly. Then around jump 30 seeing how my anxiety level is virtually the same got me wondering what was going on... Sitting in the plane watching others seemingly so relaxed and just having fun, questioning why I'm still not like that and so on only adds to anxiety. Talking to other skydivers and finding out that even experienced wingsuit pilots and tandem masters with thousands of jumps sometimes feel like that has helped. They may process it differently, they don't fidget, they don't re-check their gear every other second, but it's still there. This has allowed me to temper my expectations and relax. At this point, with 95 jumps, I've actually surrendered to that I will always feel more anxiety than I would love it to be. And I'm ok with that.
Damn that is good sit flying at 50 jumps. That tunnel time really pays off. Only free fall skill you can’t really learn in there is tracking but I see you were working on that in the sky.
Started sitflying a year or two before I started AFF so that was a huge help. Spent some time in FL getting coaching sob that I could work on my angle/tracking.
What happened here? 4:37 It seemed like the instructor was surprised with what the student did. I'm gonna be doing the AFF course soon as well, I wanna know the common mistakes so I don't make them myself during my course.
On your second job, you should be making 90° turns both to your left and you’re right. That’s why they are holding me with one hand. Brandon also keeps telling me to extend my legs but out of muscle memory from the tunnel, I keep them close in so he starts laughing about that. I fixed that on my third jump.
Have to say I jumped for 10/11 years during which time wind tunnels made their appearance. Never really took to the tunnel. Home from for me was the plane, the noise, the smell the cameraderie and the open door. The fresh air the scenery and 45 secs of freeflying followed by some serious fun under canopy. Burning my bar money for 5 minutes in the tunnel??? Nah.
Thanks, I was looking for this video! Question: Im going on a AFF+A-Licence 2 weeks holiday next summer. What amount of tunnel time gives me the most advantage for making the most progress out of the 2 weeks? It is including 25jumps but I can book extra jumps after that. I want to push it as far and save as possible :) Zero skydive experience but many hours paramotor and paragliding experience. I dont know if that's a benefit.
If you can book (and afford) 5 hrs, I think that would be huge for your learning. Keep in mind, my first time in the tunnel I only booked 20 minutes and by the end of that, I was hands off and somewhat stable (and most people are). So just getting a few hours before you start AFF would set you up real nice. Good luck friend and blue skies!!
I know you had tunnel time but it still very impressive seeing you do practically perfect jumps from the start. Seriously I feel like most people panic on their first jump. Cheers!!
Thanks
I was literally a canon ball exiting the plane ✈️
I'm from the old school and learned the old way, but that was a joy to watch. Well done. So glad you escaped the tunnel, haha! Have fun, be safe, blue skies!
Glad you liked the video!! Thanks for watching it
You are now a free hamster
I started skydiving 21 years ago, I quit 2 years ago due to psoriatic arthritis. Your video truly made me remember my AFF days and he 19 years I had in the sport. I really enjoyed it. I really believe that all dropzones should require some tunnel training as a pre-requisite for AFF. It makes a huge difference. It is a tall order though, regardless; thanks for sharing.
I’m stoked that you enjoyed the video and that it brought back some good memories for you :)
No, tunnel is not needed at all. It's just a nice extra but NOT necessary. Did my 7 levels of AFF with each level only requiring 1 jump without any tunnel at all, no idea what this "cat stuff" in this vid you're talking about. Most students take 9 jumps. Tunnel wouldn't make that much of a difference except it will make a difference to your wallet. Safety wise during AFF it would make no difference at all.
Yeah me too. I jumped for 25 years 4 of which as a full time AFF instructor. I think altitude awareness will be his biggest issue but he seems to do fine.
@@flybeep1661 "Cat stuff" refers to the Category system that the USPA currently uses. It's the Integrated Student Program in section 4 of the SIM. It's how they combine the different progression methods (AFF, IAD, Tandem) into one program. Talking about "levels" is a bit outdated, but from a practical perspective the advancement criteria and actual training that the student gets are basically the same, just a change of verbiage. I agree that tunnel time should not be required, but it does make a huge difference with student performance.
@@flybeep1661it might actually save money, if the student can avoid repeating a level
Great video man! Many thanks for putting this together
Thanks for watching it and I'm stoked you enjoyed it :)
Quality jumps - other than your shirt coming out and blowing over your handles in FF I'd have been more than proud to do that well on my AFF jumps.
Ya that was a newbe move there with my shirt... quickly fixed that for my other jumps. Thanks for watching
Your video was awe inspiring. Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
Glad you liked it!
Blue Skies
Well done! You absolutely nailed it! I have cruised through AFF thanks to my hour and half before my first AFF jump. It is so so helpful, I continue to go once a month and i hope to be sit flying that quick myself!
Glad you liked it and good luck with your free flying!!
I tried tunnel flying after hundreds of skydives. Tunnel flying was much more difficult for me. Blue skies, Bro... Nice flying.
I’ve seen that with other jumpers. It’s a different muscle memory and somewhat of a mind game due to the constrained area
Same here
Thanks for posting this! I'm starting my A license at Skydive Utah in three weeks! Couldn't be more excited watching these videos!
I'm super stoked for you as SDU has the best staff!! Hope to see you around.
@@carnellcI'm looking forward to it man! Likewise!
First AFF tandem and cat A complete - loving it man! Really busy day today though. How much time in the tunnel do you recommend? I'm getting in 10 minutes before cat b soon
@@shoemakerleve9 sorry I’m just now seeing this. If you can get an hour (or more) you should be good. Just remember, the coaches at SDU are super good and unless you have that money to spend, you really don’t have to go to the tunnel but it always helps!
sweet video and to Roger I’m 50 and just finished my AAF course last weekend. I started jumping when i was 18 yrs and completed my B license and then stopped jumping. One of my biggest regrets to stop but 30 yrs later and i’m hooked again! So take it from me get back out there and don’t have any more regrets cause life really is short. Good luck!
I'm in the same boat I'm 52 and stopped jumping in the 90s never been in a wind tunnel or did a tandem jump I started out doing static lines then jumping and pulling as soon as I cleared the plane and gradually building up to free falls..
Are you still jumping Scott?
Awesome video nice to watch! I started with tunnel flying and thinking about doing the AFF next season / year.
There is allot of freedom post AFF training……. As in you don’t have to worry a out smacking into the glass :)
Obviously mileage may vary here.. but is tunnel time something a facility is willing to work with you on cost with? I'm about to get out of the military and really want to get into tunnel flying to fill the adrenaline void, but a hundred bucks for 3 minutes (local rate) is just too steep to do consistently.
@@stevedrumsnaked That's the rate they charge the public for an 'experience'. You want to speak to a DZ near you to recommend an indoor skydiving coach who can skip the profit-making 'experience' selling and instead sell you 10 minute blocks at much closer to cost.
Beautiful. Thank you for the guidance.
WOW, too cool!!!
I love the progression visible in your jumps and the joy is clear. I sit here with 39 freefall jumps under my belt since starting the AFF and a big smile because I can feel my excitement through watching yours.
Thank you very much for sharing and blue skies!!!
Stoked that you liked it!! Thanks for watching :)
I am going the same route as you. Spending a fair bit of time in the tunnel down in Seattle before taking my AFF, hopefully this summer. I have good control with belly flying, I can pretend to reach for the pull cord and maintain a stable flight. I am just being introduced to flying on my back in the tunnel.
A few years ago I did two tandem jumps out of a plane.... honnestly I was bored on both jumps. But everyone is telling me once i start doing the solo jumps, that is when I will have fun.
That’s rad!! Stick with the tunnel as it’s going to be a huge help in your AFF. Stoked to hear about the back flying too. Just wait till you start head down!!
Blue skies!
Amazing capture of your development, congrats to you, Sir!
Firstly, great video! I'm a 68 year old Brit, I did 7 static line jumps in 1975 at Hereford Parachute Club, Shobdon, the first 3 using old USAF rigs with Double L canopies in sleeves which made for slow openings, the other 4 using the bag system. As I progressed I got more and more nervous. On jump 7 I was doing dummy ripcord pulls and my exit wasn't very committed, "hit the step and forgot the handle" so my logbook says, this freaked me out and I never returned. In the last couple of years I've done a couple of sessions at Airkix Indoor Skydiving and it was great fun. Seeing your video makes me realise what I have missed most of my life and I wish I'd had the bottle to continue. Back in the day the progression system was slow; 3 stable exits then 3 stable DRCPs, 3 stable 3 second delays (first freefall) and so on. I wonder if tunnel flying might lead to greater things more quickly, your video certainly makes me think so. Thank you for posting it, it's made me think. Fly safe.
Thanks for sharing your story
You should totally go out and do it. Jumping the first time (again) should and will give you the excitement, Adreline and confidence to continue. On my first tandem jump, I saw a father and his 2 sons doing their course. Wish you luck and blue skies!
@@uttamd898 Thanks for the encouragement Uttam, it certainly would feel like the first time after 46 years.
Go back and DO IT! Your life isn't over, you still have time to fulfill this desire and "what if"! I'm doing my 5th jump AFF so I'm still new too. You've got this!! Live your life to the max!!!
@@StephenNymberg Thanks Stephen, what I realise, the older I get, is that if you want to do something you have to do it now. Good luck with your AFF.
You are a rockstar Carnell. Your emphasis on doing tunnel time is such a valuable pointer.
Thanks :)
Great Video, thanks for sharing the AFF jumps
Thank you so much for this! I’m doing the tunnels right now and I’m hoping to start the AFF course next year. This was actually perfect
Enjoy your time in the tunnel and good luck with AFF!!! You are going to love it.
Holy shit dude. I did hm AFF a few years ago and been in the tunnel since. You’ve made me wanna get back out there realising the skills actually transfer somewhat
Get out there and make it happen :)
enjoyed all of that, great video, great soundtrack, nice pace. Brought back lots of freefall memories
Glad you enjoyed it
Wow! What a truly amazing video brother. Starting aff this spring and have been debating on doing tunnel over the winter to prepare. You convinced me 100% its worth it. Thanks for the video!!!
Thanks for the feed back and stoked for you to start jumping. If you have the time and $$ for the tunnel, it’s not required but totally worth it and you will see the difference one you start jumping. Blue skies
Such an inspiring video!!! Thank u for posting it... I hope someday I will be able to jump too
Stoked that you liked. Hope you get to experience the trill and freedom of skydiving:)
Such a fulfilling video on your experience. Thanks for sharing. Freaking Awesome!!!
Glad you liked it!!
What a great video!
The way you introduce the tunnel practice as a PRE-AFF training is so important to me!
Keep going on!
i know its the instructors job to teach you but big clap to the job they done for you and to see your progression to the end congrats mate. i am waiting to start my AFF course in the UK and eventually dream jump over the palm Dubai
Thanks for that. Good luck with your AFF!
Good luck. That old Palm is on many a skydiver's bucket list. You need 1000 jumps (UK D licence) to jump the Palm. First jump has to be a hop 'n' pop. Tandems (it's a tandem factory) get precedence and you can wait around a bit to get on a lift. Enjoy the view when you get there - then head off to the desert DZ for some consistent jumping.
Welcome to the fam brother!! Happy and proud of you!! Now it's time to jump together!
Yes!!!
This video pumps me up Im a current AFF student. 12:53 is beautiful it makes me cry
I've done a few tandem jumps love them. Going to do tunnel and thinking about doing AFF..
If you can get some tunnel time, I absolutely recommend it though not required.
Awesome man, this has inspired me more so now, I'm doing my AFF in March seriously can't wait!!! Starting wind tunnel training in a few days.
Get it!!! Super stoked for you to start. For both in the tunnel and AFF, slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
Hey how did your aff go for you ?
Going good, I love it. Work commitments kept getting in the way though so I couldn't get alot done, but definitely keen to keep going.
SDU is the best place to learn to skydive. Amazing people, and amazing times. I just got A license this past summer there.
Totally agree!!
Awesome video! We don’t see many AFF students that have a strong tunnel background. Good luck brother!
Thanks Paul, stoked that you liked the video
Dive 3 ...nailed it. Solid. Awesome skills, very interesting video.
Thanks, glad you liked it and I enjoyed making it
I am going to be doing ground school and hopefully get my A license next spring. Ive been tandem twice and fell in love. I am by iFly and will be going to the same DZ. Planning on doing some iFly during the winter, this video was awesome! Thanks for the inspiration.
I’m glad you liked it, go get that A license and enjoy your time at Ifly. It will really pay off.
@@carnellc Just booked 10 minutes of tunnel time for Monday! Excited to learn stability!
@@bradenrypien882 That's like a million dollars. Whew. My wife and I did about 6 mins between both of us I think I did 4 she did 2... Loved it but holy shizzle it was expensiveizzle. :) We are about 1.5 hours away from the iFly as well so... yeah :/ Butw e're def going back. My plan was to try and get 30mins to an hour of time, learn all of the AFF moves if possible prior to doing AFF. Anyhoo. It was smooth watching dude basically nail everything. I've watched way too many AFF's lol
Hey Mate! Great video, thank you for sharing your experience and skills. I completed 7 jumps of the AFF way back in 1997, I never finished (9 jumps to complete course) but they were some of my most memorable and happy days. Have fun, be safe! Thanks.
Hi Chris, I am Chris Ferguson too - I was on jump 7 of 9 AFF in 2003 at Madrid. How strange - I was thinking I had commented here already!! Small world!
@@kontankris Hello Chris Ferguson! 😊 Mate it is a strange small world. I hope you're well and life is good. One of my good friends is in the process of mo ing to Lisbon with his wife. They l ooi VW Spain!
Awesome!......Beautiful Video
Thanks!
Well done! I started with static line in 77 and wondered how much less anxiety there must be with freefall being a familiar environment on your first skydive. I spun like a helicopter blade learning to turn. 4 flat spins and the instructors never even watched the freefall after dispatching me. It was a long lonely journey. :) Tunnel time before the first skydive is definitely the way to go. You are more relaxed I imagine, in control, and a safer skydiver from jump one compared to having no tunnel time.
Glad I had the time in the tunnel before my first AFF jump
The only problem I can see with to much tunnel time is height awareness. I noticed in the last 3 jumps you weren't checking your alti. When I was doing freestyle I wore mine on my chest so you can check you height in different positions.
@@JayDee-xj9lu time in the tunnel had nothing to do with that. Going through AFF, there are new habitats that need to be learned.
Can’t wait to start the training for my a license ever since my first tandem it’s been life changing this sport is something else
Hope you are able to start your training soon. And yes, it’s definitely life changing
Very nice! Just made my first tandem jump .I love the freefall part!
Are you going to do AFF?
GREAT VIDEO!!! Thanks for sharing! This takes me back to my Navy days in 1989 as a Test Parachutist. Back then, there was no such thing as a wind tunnel. It was 10 static lines then on to freefall (all in house) at China Lake. The only difference that you can clearly see, is that this ride seems to never be coming to an end, well that HUGE rock coming to meet you, has other plans.
It's kinda like having fuel in your car (or air in a scuba tank). Eventually you will run out. Just manage that, and ALWWAYS grab the HANDLES that you need. Blue skies!
Being a retired Senior Chief, I can appreciate your perspective :)
Glad you like the video
this was a really nice AFF to see.
Congrats and keep flying :D
Thanks
Thanks for sharing. Really cool!
Ya you bet, glad you liked it
Awesome video! Taking my first AFF next week!
Good luck with your jump. Let me know how it goes!
Great compilation! Its also great that you have videos of all those jumps! Awesome!
This is a neat perspective! I finished my course back in April and the first few days were very stressful, but man it was worth it. I wish that I had done some tunnel practice at iFly or something to build better turbulence control. Great video and congratulations on the license!
Thanks
Amazing, textbook. I went through the AFF system in mid 90s with no tunnel time. I was a lot messier
Wow amazing video, was so nice and relaxing to watch. After my studies I want to get my AFF to. I flew twice in a tunnel but I think I will do it a bit more before my AFF. For a student at that time youre movements are so smooth I think it is totally worth it! Great video, keep going!!
Thanks for the encouragement and feedback. I’m flying out to Florida this week for work and jumping. Every time I have a chance to jump (away from my home DZ) I try to get some sort of coaching when I’m there. Always learning
This video is soo inspiring 🙌🏻 thanks so much for share the journey
Thanks for watching it and I’m happy that you liked it and found it inspiring! Blue Skies
I did my first tandem jump last weekend and ever since it's got me thinking about aff, I will have to check if we have any wind tunnels here. Thank you so much for the video as its great to see what to expect :)
You’re welcome and good luck with your training!
@@carnellc thank you I just need the finds for it as its expensive here in Australia!
@@jamie.miller.inspiring totally understand…. I saved up to get it done
Nice video! I just passed my first AFF jump the other day this was nice to watch
Congratulations!!! Blue skies friend
It is nice to see that even tunnel rats are sky trash during AFF! Makes me feel better about my own AFF journey, with only 50 mins in the tunnel. haha! Bravo! and thanks for sharing. Congrats on your A!
Thanks bro!!! Blue skis and keep feeding that tunnel monster:)
@@carnellc You too Amigo! Come jump Oahu sometime or SDAZ!
You’re the man! Thanks for the video!
Stoked that you liked it!
I did a FF training back in 1990 I made two jumps and on my second jump my left shoulder dislocated meeting the wind from an old skiing injury you kind of put the Kabash on my skydiving otherwise I’d be in a Wingsuit by now. It was amazing watchingYou go through this training brought back some good memories I would like to try the wind tunnel though, they had one down in Branson Missouri but they took it down maybe it’ll be up this summer
I'm with you on that. Almost a month ago I had a hard landing that resulted in me breaking and dislocating both my ankles. I also had a nasty compound fracture in my right ankle. With that and my age, I won't be jumping anymore but I'm glad I have this and my other video to capture those moments.
Like Roger Baldwin who it seems, had nearly exactly the same experience as me in 1975😯 (but I did 12 jumps 😉😁), I thought your video was amazing!!! May you have many more enjoyable descents and thanks for sharing.
Now too old to jump out of aircraft, I fully intend to go indoor skydiving soon.
Glad you enjoyed the video
IMHO the tunnel (say 5 x 2 min sessions in 30 mins vs 3-5 freefall jumps) exerts more pressure on your physique than skydiving - except for the landing of course! Never too old to jump if you're fit enough and have all your marbles. I'm 73 and still jumping. - did my 1000th in Feb 2023.
When I took up skydiving I only had army static line experience. In the 80s we didnt do AFF or tandem. I just did 5 static lines and went straight to free fall. I wish we had these tunnels back then. It would have made such a big difference.
It's a great option (military uses them allot) if you have the money
Awesome video!! I also had about 5 hours tunnel time before I went for my AFF, and the only thing I need to worry during the whole course was landing.
Same here :)
Could you please elaborate your experience? I am planning for AFF this summer. Though I did one tandem jump last year but I’m still scared. Every piece of information would be appreciated 🙂
I want to go through the AFF course. One of the instructors at my dropzone advised me to spend the winter at a local wind tunnel. I'm planning to do this- especially after watching videos about people who have that experience compared to those who don't.
If you have the money to spend, the training is well worth it in the end
Nice! 50 years since my last jump. Damn -- ready to take it up again after watching this vid!
Glad this video brought back those good memories!!
Enjoyed this video, I had around 7hrs in the tunnel prior to aff.
My (tunnel)instructor was a skydiver. Did the course in 3 jumps. So I spend about 7k to save 900ish lol
At jump 85 and fall in love with the sport more every time I go. Totally in love with the tunnel also tho🎉🎉
Rock on!
You got to start AFF with a full face helmet? I had to go without until solo status. Lucky bastard.
Our DZ allows full face and if they didn’t, I would have fought that as I had my own helmet. There were other battles that I lost though like no free flying till I had 50 jumps no mater of my tunnel time one who I was jumping with.
Awesome vedio brother keep going and keep rocking be safe
Thanks!!
Congrats from black forest Germany, nice jumps, easy going!
Thanks
Tunnel time really sped up my stability learning curve on the dives.
If the money is there, it’s a great tool
So good bro. Pretty crazy how different our (APF) AFF course is to yours haha
Thanks Friend. I need to learn more about APF
Awesome. I have a B license and 115 jumps, I think I haven't gotten the stability you have on your first jump.
Prior to that jump, I had about 5 to 6 hours in the tunnel already so for me, it was second nature to be that stable.
You made it look so easy.
A couple years in the tunnel helps with that. If I didn’t have that tunnel time, I’m not sure that I would have trusted myself to go through AFF
Great video I really loved it especially because I am practically in the same position. I am an experienced tunnel flyer but have only ever done one tandem jump. I intend to pass my AFF soon. If you see this (I know the video is from 2 years ago) do you have any tips?
@@arthurliesedessaigne1334 My best advice is to make good connections with the DZ that you are going to do your AFF at. This helped me huge as most of the instructors were aware of my tunnel history so they knew how to best instruct me. That’s why I was able to combine several steps in one jump! Hope this helps and good luck with your AFF
@@carnellc thank you!
So epic. Love to see the progression. Blue skies 🤙
Thanks bro!
Wooooooooow this is awesome, you are really great, gooood job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I am going to jump too 😍😍😍 thanks for this so beautifull video of your journey to profi jumper 🎉
I’m stoked that you enjoyed it!!
I didn't watch every second, but I imagine tracking would be a new thing if you've only been in the tunnel.
Correct, tracking was a new skill that I had to learn. Allot of my post A license jumps were tracking jumps. Something that I’m very serious about learning and getting right
@@carnellc I'm a bigger guy; my tracking was adequate at best for clearing a formation. Then I had the idea to take my 1970's jumpsuit to a seamstress along with a photo of booties. A week later, off to Monterey (c.1998). 1st load, turned & tracked...the 'thrust' was exhilarating.
I landed next to a gal on the 8-way, "Wow; you blasted out of there."
'Course my next suit had winglets. Astonishing control; I could stop on dime.
20-yr-old tech. of course but it made all the difference then..
Wow!! You had more stability as a student than I do at 71 jumps
I owe that to my time in the tunnel
AWESOME! good job, thank you.
What a beautiful angel sitting back there in the plane in the end 😍🤪
wow very well made. I can only dream
I hope that dream becomes a reality :)
Great video man. Blue Skies!
Such a great video!
Thanks!! Glad you liked it
Does anyone knows the name of music, which starts from 2:45? I would be glad if someone can help me to find it.
I don’t know the name of this song off the top of my head but if you search the comments, someone has pointed it out a few times.
That was beautiful and exciting to watch, congratulations.
Thank you very much, glad you liked it
Thanks for sharing your journey i enjoyed it! Did you ever have to cutaway?
One line twist at jump 111 and no cutaways
@@carnellc Thanks for replying! How many jumps are you at now? Oh and did you get the pie at jump 100 lol
@@BWS952 jump 100 was quite as I was jumping in FL at that time. My last jump was last year at 114. I hit low level wind-shear when landing and I shattered both ankles to include a ugly compound fracture. I’ve spent the last year learning to walk again and left me with a ton of new hardware.
@@carnellc man so sorry that happened. Was that just bad luck or were there other factors (you were swooping for example)?
@@BWS952 bad luck. I was the first one down on that load and the weather/winds changed. Everyone slid it in, I took the worst of it. I hit the wind shear at about 15 feet. Didn’t have time to react quick enough. I was the first of several big injuries that season due to the crazy winds.
Jump nr 6 was an amazing exit
Ya that was my first stable exit. I'm working on stable tracking exits now
Awesome video. Skylife 🤟🤟
I spent 10 years Jumping and later became a scuba Instructor used to freak people out with my fast arched descents Jumpings a long way down scuba is a long way up.
Love it
Cool vid, well done.thats Awsome.👍
Thanks
Awesome video!
Thanks
I just did my 3rd jump. There is no better feeling in the world than this!
Congrats on your jumps. Keep it going
Love it! Did the first 3 levels of AFF mid 2000s by Ft Benning but had to stop when I went into military schools and off to my Airborne unit. Regret not continuing but just did a tandem in Dec that got the fire going again. Tomorrow, I'm starting some iFLY tunnel practice before starting STP (Skydiver Training Program) in the next 1-2 months.
Congrats on getting the training started again. Take your time in the tunnel. Just remember to relax and enjoy it and you will see your progress quickly improve!
@@carnellc Thanks! Got my next 10 "flights" in the tunnel purchased and excited to gain confidence. They have amazing instructors that have great advice and make it fun.
@@msven enjoy and best of luck
@@carnellc Came back and watched the videos again! Got my A-license, about 70 jumps now, hit my first stable sit fly this weekend, and need to get back in the tunnel for more. Thanks for the inspiration!
@@msven I’m super stoked on your progress!! Keep it up and you will be head down in no time :)
I’m going for my first jump soon in 12 years & only done 2 other tandems but yeah all I’m doing is watching skydiving videos cause I want to get my license
@@rosscooper3131 good luck on your first jumps, you’re gonna do well
Awesome video! I've made a couple tandem jumps during travel a couple ago and now considering indoor practice until the summer, when my local skydiving facility re-opens. For my budgeting purposes, can you share the cost (per hour) with indoor practice? Thanks!
Depending on the tunnel, I would plan for around $900 an hour. That cost estimate includes coaching.
Very interesting! Good job. I’m halfway through my aff course but not sure I want to continue. I feel like I’ve just gotten more anxious for every jump haha, very strange since it feels like it should be the opposite.
Bro, don't quit! I finished my AFF last month, same feelings. The 6th and 7th jumps are simply the best sensation of life! You will see that once you get out of the plane without your instructor, everything seems much easier than you thought :)) my last jump, once the canope opened and i could see the sun in the horizon, I just kept thinking about how beaultiful e blizzfull skydiving is. (Sorry for my english, im from brazil, but hope you dont quit! It worth it!) "The best things in life are on the other side of fear/on the other side of that door". Blue Skies!
DON'T YOU QUIT!!! I got my A license in late July, and I still get nervous AF (only 31 jumps under my belt).
From doing malfunction junction to climbing to altitude...all of that drives me absolutely nuts. Strangely enough, it ain't until the door opens that I get relaxed.
That anxiety is a son of a bitch, but it is part of the process. My instructor told me it wasn't until jump 150 that that negative anxious feeling turned into a positive kind of one.
So, I'm afraid you and I are gonna have to shovel in that apprehension for a bit longer until we're like, "This shit is starting to taste good!"
Keep jumping, brother, and get your license; if my high-strung, overthinking dumbass can do it, you most certainly can!!!
@@skyscribe Ya.... don't quit!!! I had a bad tandem jump, called my wife and said this sport just might not be for me........ I waited a few weeks, watched a ton of videos (of my friends not AFF) and just got super stoked to try again. I set a goal, if I didn't like my first AFF jump, I was ok to walk away but at least I tried.... So glad I kept at it. You got this!!
I'am with tunnel experience too. After my first AFF jumpt (without tandem jump), in the video room I felt super scared and I was thinking to not jump again. Well... now I'am on my 6th jump after finishing the AFF (finished it with 4 jumps). What helped me is positive talking. In the airplane at the open door I just telling myself "You choose to be here to jump"... :D My brain is getting use to the jumping but still 50% of my mind screams NO, DON'T JUMP. So it is up to you...
That you expect it to be increasingly less anxious exercise is possibly part of the problem. I was anxious during the AFF, which is only natural, but expected it to pass quickly. Then around jump 30 seeing how my anxiety level is virtually the same got me wondering what was going on... Sitting in the plane watching others seemingly so relaxed and just having fun, questioning why I'm still not like that and so on only adds to anxiety. Talking to other skydivers and finding out that even experienced wingsuit pilots and tandem masters with thousands of jumps sometimes feel like that has helped. They may process it differently, they don't fidget, they don't re-check their gear every other second, but it's still there. This has allowed me to temper my expectations and relax. At this point, with 95 jumps, I've actually surrendered to that I will always feel more anxiety than I would love it to be. And I'm ok with that.
Damn that is good sit flying at 50 jumps. That tunnel time really pays off. Only free fall skill you can’t really learn in there is tracking but I see you were working on that in the sky.
Started sitflying a year or two before I started AFF so that was a huge help. Spent some time in FL getting coaching sob that I could work on my angle/tracking.
What happened here? 4:37
It seemed like the instructor was surprised with what the student did.
I'm gonna be doing the AFF course soon as well, I wanna know the common mistakes so I don't make them myself during my course.
On your second job, you should be making 90° turns both to your left and you’re right. That’s why they are holding me with one hand. Brandon also keeps telling me to extend my legs but out of muscle memory from the tunnel, I keep them close in so he starts laughing about that. I fixed that on my third jump.
@@carnellc Oh right I see, good to know.
Inspiring and calm performance 😋
Thanks
3:22 What did the tap on the arm mean?
@@AuroraClair that’s Ryan’s unique way of grabbing someone’s attention to look at their altimeter.
@@carnellc haha, okay, sounds reasonable :D
Utah looks awesome.
Love it here!!! We have been dealing with smoke over the past few months but as you can see (in my early jumps) its a view that beautiful
Have to say I jumped for 10/11 years during which time wind tunnels made their appearance. Never really took to the tunnel. Home from for me was the plane, the noise, the smell the cameraderie and the open door. The fresh air the scenery and 45 secs of freeflying followed by some serious fun under canopy. Burning my bar money for 5 minutes in the tunnel??? Nah.
The fun part of the tunnel for me was that my son and I could fly together.
As far as for freefall, your instructor must have loved you!
I worked on being humble and I found that the AFF coaches were quick to fly with me
I'd say the tunnel work paid big dividends! You looked great!
Thanks!
Thanks, I was looking for this video!
Question:
Im going on a AFF+A-Licence 2 weeks holiday next summer.
What amount of tunnel time gives me the most advantage for making the most progress out of the 2 weeks?
It is including 25jumps but I can book extra jumps after that. I want to push it as far and save as possible :)
Zero skydive experience but many hours paramotor and paragliding experience. I dont know if that's a benefit.
If you can book (and afford) 5 hrs, I think that would be huge for your learning. Keep in mind, my first time in the tunnel I only booked 20 minutes and by the end of that, I was hands off and somewhat stable (and most people are).
So just getting a few hours before you start AFF would set you up real nice.
Good luck friend and blue skies!!
@@carnellc Thanks! so as much as possible :) Blue skies!!
First song name please? Beautiful video!
Glad you like the video..... the song titles are in the comments in a few locations.... I don't have it at the top of my head
Darn good flying too
Thanks Erich
Great Video man! can i pls get the background score name.
I don't have it off the top of my head but all songs are called out in several comments below
@@carnellc Got it.Thanks! The name of the songs are - 1) Into The Water- Lost Portals
2) Feelings That I Know - August Anderrsun