There are many ways to participate in skydiving, including tandem jumps, team formations competitions, accuracy competitions, and more. Skydiving involves jumping from planes between 10,500-13,500 feet with a main parachute and reserve parachute. For those wanting more than a tandem jump, the Accelerated Freefall (AFF) program involves 7 levels of solo jumps with instructors to earn a license. Getting an A-License requires 25 jumps and demonstrating additional skills. While skydiving has risks, with proper training and equipment the risks are very low, with about a 0.0007% chance of a fatality on any given jump. Local drop zones offer tandem jumps for $200-300 and the A

2. There are lots of different ways
you can fly

3. No really
Lots.

4. A lot a lot

5. You can
compete!
Team competitions involve timed
rounds where you make
formations with your teammates.
Depending on the
competition, the formations
could be all on your belly or in
any orientation.

6. Your team jumps out
at 10,500-13,500 ft
Along with your video guy, who
videos the whole jump

7. They take the
video to the judges
on the
ground, who
watch and count
how many
formations your
team made in the
first 35 seconds.

8. The team with the most wins!

9. You can
compete under
canopy too

10. Usually you
compete for
accuracy

11. But speed and
distance
competitions
exist, too

12. Or you can try to make bigger and
bigger formations
instead

13. This can take
multiple planes

14. There’s plenty of ways to goof
around too!

15. And plenty of fun things to jump
out of!

17. Skydivers use ram-air, square
parachutes. You can flare
these, so if done right your
landing should be no harder than
jumping off a step!
You have 2 parachutes – if your
main one fails, you can cut it
away (not literally) and pull your
reserve parachute
Most gear has an AAD
(Automatic Activation Device)
that will deploy for you if you are
falling dangerously fast at a low
altitude (like if you were
unconscious)

18. Obviously the parachute’s the
most important, but there are 3
some other good things to have! 1
1. Altimeter – tells you the
altitude so you know when to
pull
2. Helmet – Protects your
noggin
2
3. Jumpsuit – Covers your
clothes and can make it
easier to control your 4
motions in freefall
4. Ditter – beeps in your ear at
preset altitudes

20. Risks
The inherent risks of skydiving are obvious and
serious
That being said, a lot is done to mitigate these risks.

21. Skydiving Safety Stats
In an ordinary year, there are ~3 MILLION skydives made
at USPA (United States Parachute Association) drop
zones, but only ~21 fatalities. This means that in any given
jump, you have a .0007% chance of dying. More people
die per year in the US from lightning strikes!
Of those fatalities, almost none are due to equipment
failures. Most are experienced skydivers attempting risky
maneuvers under fully functional canopies

23. Your first jump will probably look
like this
This is a tandem jump! You are attached to an instructor

24. For some people, that’s enough. I’ve never
talked to anyone who didn’t enjoy their skydive
(even people who are terrified before hand), but
I’ve talked to plenty who don’t want/need to do it
again. That’s OK!
…but some of us need MORE.

25. For those of us, there’s AFF
(Accelerated FreeFall)
By the end of this 7 jump course you will be allowed to jump solo!

26. Before your first jump, there will be a 5 hour ground course. Your
instructors will talk to you about body position during freefall,
emergency procedures, and how to fly and land your canopy safely.
Then it’s into the air!

27. AFF Level 1 – Deploy your own
parachute at a safe altitude
AFF Level 2 – Forward motion
and turning while instructors
hold onto you
AFF Levels
AFF Level 3 – Instructors
Your first three jumps you will release you for the first time!
have 2 instructors to hold onto Stay stable
you and keep you safe. As your
skills progress, you will only have AFF Level 4 – Released to do
one instructor for jumps four turns
through seven.
AFF Level 5 – Bigger turns
Each level has a central
“goal”, designed to help make AFF Level 6 – Exit solo, back
you a safe skydiver. flips, tracking (fast forward
motion)
AFF Level 7 – Clearance dive:
do all the maneuvers

28. But you’re not done yet!
After AFF you can skydive solo and with one
other (much more experienced) person, but you
can’t jump with whoever you like or do all the
types of jumps you might want to do. To be a full
fledged skydiver, you should get your A-License

29. How do you get an A-License?
Have 25 Jumps
Learn how to pack your own main parachute
Be able to dive after another jumper and dock with them
Land accurately
Do a Hop n’ Pop (exit at 3500 feet, get stable within 3
seconds, and deploy)
Demonstrate understanding of equipment used
Etc

31. AFF 1 + Ground Course - $285
AFF 2 - $200
AFF 3 - $200
Numbers
AFF 4 - $150
For a tandem you should expect
to pay $200-$300, depending on
where you AFF 5 - $ 150
go, cash/credit, weekday/weeke
nd, group discount, college AFF 6 - $150
discount, etc.
AFF 7 - $150
For a video, you should expect to
pay ~$115
Total : $1285
Jumps after that: $25! :D

32. The good news
You don’t need to have $1285 right now!
To stay current you need to do at least one jump
a month. This means you just need to scrape
together $150-$200 a month after AFF 1 – very
doable!
$25/jump is awesome

33. The not-so-good news
Yes you can fail a level (no this doesn’t mean you
die, you just didn’t accomplish the goal of the jump)
You then have to repeat that level.
Taking too long between jumps may make you
rusty, increasing your chances of failing a level.
Gear rental is $20/jump until you sort out getting your
own gear

35. Just a tandem nearby
Finger Lakes Skydivers Skydive CNY
40 minutes away 1 hour away
$275 weekend jump paid $229 college student
cash weekend jump paid cash
($199 for a group of 5+)
Nice view of the Finger
Lakes from altitude
You are on your own to get
I can sometimes find people here
a ride here

36. C-182
Both of these drop zones use a
Cessna 182, a small prop plane
that carries the pilot and 4
skydivers to 10,500 feet AGL

37. But if you’re
more serious
You should go to Endless
Mountain Skydivers.
They offer the AFF program and
a Twin Beech ( holds 14 people)
and goes 12,000-13,500 AGL).
They are 2 hours away (but you
can crash on the drop zone for
free and stay the whole
weekend!)
Tandems here are $210 cash or
for college students

38. That’s all folks!
Questions?
I have cool videos too :D
If enough people finish AFF and are on their way
to getting their A-License, maybe we can form
an official club or sport club!