Thailand Accelerated Freefall Skydiving Course

Learn Accelerated Freefall

Accelerated Freefall or Progressive Freefall is simply a method of training you for skydiving. “Accelerated” doesn’t mean you are going to fly through the air any faster but rather that the speed with which you become a solo skydiver is quicker.

The Accelerated Freefall course in Thailand is affiliated with the USPA and consists of Ground School, a tandem jump followed by seven further jumps. Successful completion of the 7 jumps makes you a Skydiver! The first 3 independent jumps that you make are referred to as "Harness Hold Training" as you are accompanied by 2 instructors who physically hold onto you until your parachute is deployed after which they fly away and deploy their own canopies.

The standard deployment height in an AFF program is between 5000 and 5500 feet AGL (Above Ground Level). Should you experience any trouble deploying your parachute the instructors will step or rather hover in; first they will use hand signals to remind you to pull, if that doesn’t work they will place your hand on the pilot chute and their final course of action is to deploy is to deploy your chute for you.

Having proven that you can deploy your parachute you move to the next levels which are focused on flying skills gradually advancing up to disorientating manoeuvres to ensure that you have the ability to regain control.

Accelerated Freefall Skydiving Course in Thailand

If you have lusted after skydiving and know that this is one recreational activity that you really want to pursue then the Accelerated Freefall (AFF) Course in Thailand is definitely for you! Upon completion of the course in Thailand you will be a licensed skydiver and free to skydive and parachute anywhere in the world. Few other sports are able to match skydiving for the adrenaline rush!

Ground School

This is a 5-6 hour session that dissects the recreational sport of skydiving so that you are given everything you ever wanted to know and a whole lot more about Skydiving.

The Tandem Skydive in Thailand

This is part of the AFF course in Thailand that is included so that you experience freefall and can consolidate all that you learned at Ground School.

7 Skydives to Complete the AFF Course

See “Itinerary” for a breakdown of each of the seven modules. In a nutshell during jumps 1-3 you are accompanied by 2 instructors and these modules focus on Parachute Deployment at 5,000 feet and your ability to fly the parachute assisted with radio instruction from the ground. Turns and forward motion are also introduced during these early phases and on your 3rd Jump you practice hover control (i.e. flying on your own for the first time!).

By the 4th Jump you are down to just one instructor and you are practising 90 degree and 180 degree turns. Onwards to the 5th Jump and you are doing 360’s after making a solo exit from the aircraft. A portfolio of acrobatics is introduced during the 6th Jump with front loops, back loops and barrel rolls. Things have started to get exciting! Successful completion of your 7th Jump qualifies you as a Skydiver and all ensuing jumps that you make will be entirely on your own!

The Instructors

All the Instructors that you will work with at the Thailand Drop Zone are either USPA rated AFF Instructors or hold European equivalent ratings and have many thousands of jumps and years of experience.

Licensing

This AFF Course in Thailand is by far the best training method to obtain a Skydiving License and it stringently follows USPA guidelines taking you through seven categories of proficiency (1-7) to qualify you for a USPA "A" License.

During the AFF Course your jumps are tailored to your own abilities which are assessed as you complete the Targeted Learning Objectives (TLO’s).

With multinational staff at the Thailand Drop Zone there is every chance that they will be able to help you fulfil the licensing requirements of most European or other recognized parachuting bodies and organisations.

In fact the Skydiving School guarantees compliance with the licensing requirements from your home country and will certify your logbook and supply copies of your training records and, should you require it a DVD of your graduation (Level 7) skydive.

Following successful completion of the AFF Course in Thailand you graduate through to being a solo jumper who is capable of taking care of yourself. However, you are still rated as a “Student” and therefore continue to be supervised by a Rated Instructor until you obtain an "A" License. An “A” Licence, the holy grail of Skydiving is within your grasp once you have logged a minimum of 25 skydives and the prelude to your “A” Licence is a Skydive during which you switch roles with your instructor. You are then fully qualified to say to the world: "I am a Skydiver"

United States Parachute Association (USPA)

The United States Parachute Association is a non-profit, self governing organisation represents Skydivers and Drop Zone Owners. Headquartered in Virginia, USA, the USPA has written protocols and "Basic Safety Requirements (BSRs)" that guide USPA rated instructors on how to teach students to earn their USPA licences. While a licence is not required to jump legally, the USPA licence will allow the skydiver to travel to other USPA drop zones and use their licence to prove they have the skills required to jump.

Able to trace their roots back to the 1930’s the USPA issues sport and recreational skydiving licenses and longevity/skill/achievement awards. Skydiving training manuals and course guidelines from which instructional ratings are issued are also published and maintained by the USPA. They are proactive in organised skydiving competitions and awards and in the political lobbying arena as well. The Basic Safety Requirements (BSR's) published by the USPA are a set of voluntarily safety guidelines.

The "Integrated Student Program" (ISP) is USPA’s own protocol for training students which comprises a set of modules or categories each containing "Targeted Learning Objectives (TLOs) that must be met before the student progresses to the next level.

The USPA classifies their AFF levels with letters as opposed to numbers, each AFF program consisting of letters A to E. Most AFF programs have 7 jumps though and the reason why there are more jumps than letters is that some categories require more than one jump to complete.

Having completed Category E you are cleared to self-supervise. Categories F, G and H are completed as solo skydives or with the assistance of a rated coach or instructor. Once the student has completed 25 skydives, and has their A licence requirements signed off by an instructor or coach, they are eligible for their A licence and are no longer a student.

Accommodation

When you book the Accelerated Freefall Skydiving course in Thailand you have two choices where accommodation is concerned: 1. Photisan Sports Apartments 2. Pattaya Hotel

Photisan Sports Apartments

By far the cheapest option is to book a room at the Photisan Sports Apartments which provide clean, comfortable but very basic, no frills, accommodation. The added advantage of booking here is that transport to and from the drop zone is also available and they also offer a shuttle service into central Pattaya as well so that you can go and party in Pattaya during the evening completely worry-free.

Single rooms at the Photisan Sports Apartments have a double bed, A/C, Satellite TV etc and prices start below 1000 Thai Baht per night. The largest apartment is 2 bedrooms which could accommodation up to 5 people.

Pattaya Hotels

If you are looking for accommodation that is either a little closer to Pattaya or more comfy there are hundreds of Pattaya hotels to choose from spanning ultra chic five star hotels through to economy stays. Get in touch with us at ZiZ Inspire for further information on Pattaya Hotels at very competitive rates.

Transport

If you are staying at Pattaya Hotels . . . Taxis are cheap in Thailand and if you are staying at a Pattaya hotel it is cheap, easy and quick to commute to the drop zone each day during your Accelerated Freefall Course. Alternatives to taking a taxi to the drop zone each day is to consider hiring a car or motorcycle in Pattaya for the duration of your course or to make use of the shuttle service that runs between Photisarn Sports Apartments and the Drop Zone for which you will be asked to pay a nominal charge.

If you are staying at Photisarn Sports Apartments . . . A complimentary shuttle service in comfy air conditioned minivans is provided between Photisarn Sports Apartments and the Drop Zone.

Get in Touch!

Get in touch with us at ZiZ Asia to being planning your Accelerated Freefall Skydiving Course in Thailand today.

Book the "A" License Accelerated Freefall Skydiving Course in Thailand