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Loved your tandem jump? The next step in your skydiving adventure is here.
Learn To Skydive Solo
Learning to skydive by Accelerated Free Fall or Instructor Assisted Deployment will teach you to fly a parachute without having to be concerned about freefall. After your First Jump Course, you will jump from an airplane, solo, from 4,000 to 14,000 feet. Once your parachute is deployed you will fly it to a landing. Every jump teaches you a few more skills, exposing you to more and more altitude and freefall..
Materials
Students at GliderSports are provided a exclusive comprehensive 66-page book of information to take home. This also includes all the information for your first jump class, a log book, and your A-license card.
Superior Curriculum
Our first jump course exceeds USPA standards. We work very intimately with XCEL Skydiving to EXCEED the standards set forth by the USPA.
Advanced Technology
Skydiving is a sport constantly changing and moving forward with technological advancements. For our most heads up students, we are developing programs to use digital altimeters, GPS flight mapping, and audible altitude awareness assistance. As these programs are further developed, these technologies will become the new standard. No other skydiving center in our area has the ability to provide this. At GliderSports we continue to improve our student program while other training centers only offer min standards to their students.
Dedicated Instructors
We have a dedicated ground instructor who can focus their time on making sure you understand everything fully. Proper preparation leads to more successful skydives. Other dropzones may put a focus on getting you in the air as many times as possible, so they can charge you more, we set you up for the most successful jumps.
Get your “A” License
Whether you’ve just landed from your very first tandem skydive, or you’re ready to jump in head-first, we are ready to teach you what it takes to become a skydiver! Unlike most skydiving centers, we offer a range of training methods to suit your needs, and help you achieve your goals!
Getting Licensed
Stage: 1
Ground School.
What’s Taught?
Literally everything you will need to know to safely exit an aircraft and land your parachute, on the ground, un-assisted.
How Long?
The ground school for skydiving is usually 6-8 hours. Don’t worry, this is probably the most entertaining and engaging class you’ll ever take in your life!
What next?
Once we’ve made sure you’re physically and mentally prepared to make your first skydive, your instructor(s) will set you up on the next plane!
Which Method?
AFF – Quicker, Faster, Skydive Focused
IAD – Slower, Less Expensive, Canopy Focused
Tandem – More interactive, Less Independence, Canopy Focused
Getting Licensed
Stage: 2
Select a training method
AFF vs. IAD Training
After ground school, you’ll have the chance to select your method of training. Accelerated Free Fall is the fastest way to get your license. While Instructor Assisted Deployment provides a less intensive way of learning.
Accelerated Free Fall
THE FAST TRACK: QUICKER, FASTER, SKYDIVE FOCUSED
Our AFF Student Skydiving Course is a accelerated jump program designed as a fast track to solo skydiving – you can achieve the dream of learning to skydive solo in a minimal amount of jumps. All skydiving lessons and student jumps begin with the Glidersports First Jump Course that will teach you everything you need to begin skydiving on your own.
More About our AFF Course.Ground School Differences
AFF teaches you how to make a complete skydive. Every jump that you execute with this method of instruction is a full skydive. Instead of learning just a portion of a skydive at a time, you get to do the whole thing! This allows your progress to be significantly accelerated, thus the name.
The Skydive
During an AFF skydive, you jump with one or two instructors who hold on to you during your skydive from full altitude. They will offer you corrective input with hand signals you learned during your ground school. You will complete a set of advancement criteria that allows you to move on to the next level!
Full Speed Ahead!
Want to take it to the highest level of intensity, fun, and awesomeness? Accelerated Freefall or AFF, is the most advanced (and fastest,) method of skydiving instruction, designed to work with and for almost anyone.
Exit
After your airplane climb to altitude where you’ve spent your time preparing for the jump ahead. You will move towards the door and position yourself for your instructors to assist you on the departure from the aircraft. Hands on the door, looking at the propellers with your head outside the airplane and say UP, DOWN, ARCH as you fall away.
Instructor Assisted Deployment
LEARN THE LESS INTENSIVE WAY: LESS EXPENSIVE, CANOPY FOCUSED
Learning to skydive by instructor assisted deployment will teach you to fly a parachute without having to be concerned about freefall. After your First Jump Course, you will jump from an airplane, solo, from about 4,000 feet. Your parachute will deploy immediately, and you will fly it to a landing. Every jump teaches you a few more skills, exposing you to more and more altitude and freefall.
More about our IAD Course.Differences – Instructor Aided Deployment
AFF teaches you how to make a complete skydive. Every jump that you execute with this method of instruction is a full skydive. Instead of learning just a portion of a skydive at a time, you get to do the whole thing! This allows your progress to be significantly accelerated, thus the name.
Similarities – Instructor Aided Deployment
This methods focus on teaching you to fly a parachute before freefall, this can make it a lower pressure environment. Don’t worry, we will increase the altitude of each jump and teach you freefall after you have mastered the basics.
Getting Licensed
Stage: 3
Your First Solo Dive
How it Works
Each jump counts toward the 25 skydives required for your A-License.
2. The Skydive
You’re now either in freefall or under a parachute depending on the method you choose. You’ll be fully prepared to handle the situation due to your ground school. You’ll be checking your altitude every few seconds, and accomplishing all the goals set prior to your jump. After you’re back on the ground you will gather up your parachute and head back to the building for debriefing and review of the jump with your instructors.
1. Gear Up
Glidersports Skydiving uses only modern, state-of-the-art equipment. We will provide your jumpsuit, helmet, goggles, and altimeter. Your instructor(s) will select a student parachute system appropriate to your size, weight, and experience level.
3. Exit
Just before you reach jump run (with the plane over the target) your instructors will give you one last gear check to make sure everything is still good to go. A red light will come on and door will open. A green light will come on in place of the red, everyone else will start exiting as you move toward the door, the open sky, and your first solo skydive.
Our Facilities
GliderSports offers multiple high tech classrooms in various sizes. These classrooms offer you the privacy needed during your lessons to fully absorb all the material with out outside distraction. Big screen TV’s, computer aided learning & large dry erase boards will help you understand the concepts being presented.