Becoming a solo skydiver involves taking 7-8 levels of skydiving training. Your solo skydiving school training starts with your first jump, during which you'll be attached to two master skydive instructors throughout your freefall and canopy-guided flight back to the drop zone.Level one of the certification process will teach you body position, turns, altitude awareness, parachute deployment and canopy control. You will begin with a 5 to 6 hour ground school that will go over each and every technique that you are to perform during your first solo sky dive in Nashville.
On the first three jumps in the Accelerated FreeFall (AFF) Program, the trainee is accompanied by two trainers that grip on to the trainee until the trainee deploys their own parachute. These initial category skydives are called "Harness Hold Training," due to the Skydive Georgia AFF instructors' no physical connection to the student aside from the their own grasp. After the student's have launched their parachutes and begin to coast, the instructors will also release and land separately.
The Accelerated FreeFall (AFF) canopy release altitude is commonly set at 5,500 feet above ground level (AGL.) In the event that the student does not release their parachute at the correct AGL, the coaches will try to use hand signals to advise the student to release the canopy. If the student still experiences difficulty, our coaches will assist their student by physically placing the student's hand on the pilot parachute release. If this doesn't work, the coach will deploy the parachute for the student. The instructor has the prerogative to pull the student's main parachute at any time the student appears to be at risk. Extra "pull" handles are installed on student equipment giving more accessibility for coaches.
As soon as the student has proven they can deploy their own parachute on their first handful of skydives, they will be allowed to take more advanced level skydives and will get the chance to prove to our coaches that they have the essential flying capabilities needed to jump without assistance. On release skydives there is a chance that an instructor might not have the ability to dock and assist at pull time, so it is important that the student has absolutely learned the skills required to pull on their own.
The safety of the Accelerated FreeFall program is unquestioned. Every trainer has a minimum altitude or "hard deck" at which they MUST release their own parachute. This ensures the security of the instructor and fellow divers. Each parachute is equipped with a reserve chute in the event a student reaches elevation and their pilot chute has not been released. The AAD (Automatic Activation Device) responds immediately, releasing the reserve to give the student sufficient landing time. Though seldom used, the AAD offers an additional layer of security in case the student loses control and is not able to release their chute.
Skydiving Nashville's Accelerated Freefall Certification course uses consecutive levels that improve each individual skill as the training proceeds. Using hand cues and ground guidance each training instructor will primarily correct and aid the trainee in completing each procedure. On the ground, an instructor has the opportunity to discuss the errors a student may make in air. This permits every trainee to not only observe and feel the appropriate body placements but to also review how to implement them on the next dive. Later categories are composed of only one trainer, and consist of the trainee being asked to complete a series of aerial maneuvers, involving turns, flips and fall rate regulation, illustrating that the student can regain control after a period of instability.
Trainees are required to pass a set of targets during each level of their AFF training. These Targeted Learning Objectives act as benchmarks to determine a student's level of skill mastery. Every AFF instructor has the granted authority to validate each students personal fulfillment of their required TLOs at each level advancement. Each AFF student is given a direct connection for communication with the landing crew to aid them during their free fall, however, all trainees are trained with skills to land on their own should radio malfunction occur.
All Accelerated FreeFall Students will be given an application and urged to sign up with the USPA before finalizing their Accelerated FreeFall training program. Embark upon your ultimate adventure! Call Skydiving Nashville at 931-455-4574 and enroll in skydiving school right now!
