Safety Tip Of the Month

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We have successfully trained over 100,000 First Jump Students, with a safety record that is unsurpassed and recognized by the United States Parachute Association. All of our jumpmasters Certified and licensed by the United States Parachute Association. Many of our staff members have participated in various national, world record attempts and competitions.

We supply you with the latest state-of-the-art equipment, including ram-air (square) main and reserve canopies.

So call Air Adventures West. Our qualified staff will be happy to answer all of your questions and make reservations for your jump.
88) 888-JUMP (5867).

Maximum weight for Tandem & Accelerated Freefall is 225 Pounds.

Weight must be in portion to height.

Please be in good physical health, no recent illness or injury that require a doctor’s evaluation or care. No fixative pins or orthopedic plates. Consult your physician if you are not sure.

Persons taking prescription drugs or under a physician's care must have a doctor's statement certifying that no adverse effects would result from vigorous activity or from making a skydive.

Due to the rapid compression in freefall, it is not recommended to skydive with any type of sinus block. If you have chronic sinus problems please contact your physician if you are considering skydiving.

The First Jump Course teaches the student everything he or she needs to know to safely make the first jump. There are several different programs available for first jumpers; the one you choose will depend on your personal preferences and circumstances. The differences of each are summarized below:

Accelerated Free Fall (AFF)

The AFF program was instituted in 1982 as an "accelerated" learning process as compared to the traditional static line progression. The AFF program will give you a true taste of modern sport skydiving.

The ground training is more extensive than the older static line (~5 hours) because the student will be doing a 50 second freefall (that's right!) on his/her very first jump. The student will exit the aircraft at about 13,000 feet along with two AFF Jumpmasters (JM's) who will assist the student during freefall. The jumpmasters maintain grips on the student from the moment they leave the aircraft untilng, assisting the student as necessary to fall stable, perform practice ripcord pulls, monitor altitude, etc. The student then pulls his/her own ripcord at about 5000 ft.

The AFF program is a 7 level program. Levels 1, 2, & 3 require two freefall Jumpmasters to accompany the student. These dives concentrate on teaching basic safety skills such as altitude awareness, body position, turns, forward movement, and stability during freefall and during the pull sequence, and most importantly, successful ripcord pull.

Levels 4, 5, 6, & 7 require only one freefall JM (less $$) and teach docking on other people, backloops, diving exits from the plane, etc.

After successfully performing the objectives of each level, the student moves on to the next level.

After graduating Level 7, the student enters a more free format of instuctor supervision where they practice and hone their skills by themselves and in small groups until they obtain 20 freefalls and qualify for their A license.

Tandem jumps

Tandem jumps are meant to offer an introduction to the sport. They allow thefirst timer to skydive with an experienced jumper. A tandem jump requires from 30 to 45 minutes of ground preparation (it is not a First Jump Course). It consists of an experienced jumper called a "tandem-instuctor" and the passenger. The passenger and tandem instructor each wear a harness, however only the instuctor wears the parachutes. The passengers's harness attaches to the front of the instructor's harness and the two of them freefall together for up to 60 seconds,together, and land together under one Really BIG Parachute.

Because the tandem training is not a First Jump Course, if you decide to pursue the sport, you will still have to attend a First Jump Course in the AFF Program.

In all of these training methods, students are taught normal and emergency procedures for all aspects of the jump - climb to altitude, exit,ng, canopy control, and landing. They are also shown the equipment and go over it so that they understand how it works.

Clearly, this is the most Frequently-Asked-Question posed by all prospective jumpers.

By law (FAA regulations), all intentional parachute jumps must be made with a single harness, dual parachute system with both a main canopy and a reserve canopy. In other words, you have a second (or spare) canopy in case the first one fails toproperly.

However, it must be noted that the technology utilized in today's sport parachuting equipment is light years ahead of the old military surplus gear used in the '60s and '70s. The canopies are drastically different from the classic G.I. Joe round parachutes. The materials are stronger, lighter and last longer, the packing procedures are simpler, the deployment sequence is much more refined, etc.

The reserve canopies are even more carefully designed and packed. The reserve parachute must be inspected and repacked every 120 days by an FAA rated parachute Rigger - even if it has not been used during that time.

The student's main canopy is always packed either by a rigger or under a rigger's direct supervision by experienced packers.

There are also additional safety features employed to ensure canopy deployment such as Automatic Activation Devices (AAD) and Reserve Static Lines (RSL) which add still more layers of safety. However, we do not depend on these devices.

When you leave the aircraft, you are moving horizontally at the same speed as the aircraft, typically 90-110MPH. During the first 10 seconds, a skydiver accelerates up to about 115-130MPH straight down. (A tandem pair uses a drouge chute to keep them from falling much faster than this). It is possible to change your body position to vary your rate of fall. In a standard face-to-earth position, you can change your fall rate up or down a few (10-20) miles per hour. However, by diving or "standing up" in freefall, any experienced skydiver can learn to reach speeds of over 160-180MPH. Speeds of over 200MPH require significant practice to achieve. The record freefall speed, done without any special equipment, is 321MPH. Obviously, it is desirable to slow back down to 110MPH before parachuteng.

Landing: Right-Hand Pattern and Awareness Breed Safety and Success

Newcomers to Air Adventures West, especially those from larger drop zones, are invariably impressed with the under-canopy discipline of the majority of the jumpers. At a larger drop zone, even one where directional landing patter is "enforced," canopy rides can be terrifying. Even experienced jumpers often find themselves landing "off" just to avoid the wild flock.

That's where Air Adventure West's' right-hand pattern (meaning right turns only on downwind, crosswind, and final approach) pays big dividends. The right-hand patterns help minimize traffic conflicts and keep things, for the most part, predictable.

Still, you have to be prepared for the unexpected all the time. "There are situations where flying a right-hand pattern won't get you back to the grass landing area," explains Danny Goldenberg, chief instructor and Safety and Training Advisor. "But there are so many other safe places to land that you don't have to - and shouldn't - try to force it."

A perfect example is when yousouth of the drop zone on the other side of the canal. If you have even the slightest question about whether or not you can make it across the canal, or even if you know you can but might interfere with traffic in the process, there's no reason to try it.fields abound on both sides of the canal.

"Always do what you know you can do," says Goldenberg. "If there's even a question in mind, go with what you know."

In addition to flying the right-hand pattern, you've got to keep an eye on traffic and respond- or stay the course- as the situation dictates. For example, if an AFF instructor (or anyone for that matter) flying at roughly the same altitude as you starts to spiral, the last thing you want to do is start to spiral. Likely, the instructor is trying to get to the ground to meet an aircraft turnaround or get on the radio to an AFF student. Spiraling with him only complicates things.

Vertical separation, as well as horizontal separation, is your ally under canopy. If you're high and there are a bunch of jumpers under canopy shooting for the landing area below you, stay high. What's the rush? The view is great, and by the time you get to the ground the landing area will probably be all yours.

When you are on the final approach, you want to avoid sashays or going into deep breaks- both can make things an adventure for jumpers under canopy behind you.

And last but not least, the most unpleasant of subjects, hook-turns. They're out at Air Adventures West.

Air Adventures West is committed to providing you with the finest instruction available at reasonable rates. Tandem First Skydive - $175.00 ea. Accelerated Freefall Level 1 - $275.00 ea. See Group rates!

(A $50.00 non-refundable Deposit is Required upon reservation.)

"Want a pin check?"

"No man, it's cool."

Travel from drop zone to drop zone and more likely than not you'll hear those two lines.

Yet main pin checks are a must, not just on the ground, but in the air. One 20- way team from Air Adventures West made pin checks mandatory for everyone at 10,000 feet. As the team captain said, "We sure don't want to lose this meet, or someone, because of a missed pin check."

A dislodged pin on your main in freefall will likely result in a horseshoe malfunction. During a check, you can examine the position of the pin (ask your rigger for his preference) as well as the condition of the closing loop.

These days, with Global Positioning Satellite system on the King Air, spotting isn't too difficult. Yet there are a few things you still need to be aware of to ensure everyone gets a great spot.

When the pilot gives the "two minutes" call, the personng the door should be in position with goggles and helmets on, and pin checks done.

When the flaps go down full, the door should bed completely. The first group should look for air traffic. Skyboarders should take their position in the door.

When the green light comes on, immediately begin climbing out. That means being ready to go (goggles on, etc.) BEFORE the green light comes on.

Intervals between groups should be determined in advance based on factors including ground speed, climb-out times and upper winds (which can affect ground speed and freefall drift). If you're unsure, ask an instructor on board.

Look before you leap. GPS is great, but it won't alert you to air traffic.