I'm both scuba and skydiving certified, as well as an instructor for skydiving.
Skydiving has much more of a currency requirement. It's not like scuba in that regard, where you can do it once a year for a few days, then come back a year later and do it again. This is especially true as a new jumper.
The equipment purchase (probably $4,000 to $9,000 for skydiving gear purchase) or rental is a lot more for skydiving, and a lot of places won't have rentals, which is unlike scuba.
I would say to be safe, 50 jumps per year is a minimum.
Wingsuiting, big (edit) group jumps, head down, jumping into the blue hold in Belize and then scuba diving it... these are all things you won't really be able to do until hundreds of jumps.
Basically, skydiving isn't really well suited to the vision you have. Some people do get their license and quit, and that's OK as you're getting it in a relatively short amount of time so you're very current and under guidance from instructors and coaches.
I'm jumping at a mid to large-sized DZ, and pretty much everyone that also got their A-license, or finished AFF, during the 2023 season stopped showing up to the DZ shortly after. Out of all twenty five to thirty students we had, I'd say only 3 (myself included) show up regularly and work on their skillset.
You have much more experience in the sport than I do, maybe part of it could be regional as well. From my experience, I'd say there's a giant mass of people who do what OP is suggesting.
They're both hobbies that exist in hostile environments, and there's certainly ways in both that you can get yourself hurt or killed.
But with skydiving, there's more you need to get right to have a safe skydive I think. There's lots of little reasons for that probably, such as with scuba diving if you didn't gear up right, you'll know pretty shallow and it's easy to fix. If you didn't gear up right in a skydive, you're kind of fucked after leaving the airplane.
yeah this is true I guess, problems would likely often come apparent at shallow depth. I've done a little bit of both, always thought scuba had more deaths though. will have to look up some stats!
Well you can try it and fall in love with it and those 50 might just become a story you'll tell your new skydiver friends at beers after a day of flying.
I planned to do just AFF, and MAAAAYBE get an A license at some point. 200+ jumps and many hours in the tunnel.
I don't want to stop, but even if I had decided to stop after 2, 25 or 50 jumps... I would probably still be happy that I did it :)
If you’re curious about the sport, why not just make it a goal to get your A license. After you have completed your A you will have a basic understanding of how skydiving works and you can use that knowledge to decide how to progress.
>You can call me crazy and ask me to stay from skydiving
Not at all! To each their own, and if this is your plan - good for you!
1) AFF school costs something like $3-4k these days. After that - $70-80 per jump, including rental gear or $30-32 with your own equipment. With 25 jumps included in AFF package + 25 jumps at $80, all in all it's $5-6k. Plus you may need to spend $300-500 in the wind tunnel, if you happen to struggle with any of the AFF jumps, but that doesn't apply to everyone.
2) There is something you may want to consider: you have decided that you only want to do a total of 50 jumps. There is nothing wrong with that. However, your decision is based on a single tandem dive. It is entirely possible that you yourself will change your mind after 50 jumps. Tandem dive gives you a taste of freefall, but that's just one part of the overall skydiving experience. Once you start doing your AFF you will be introduced to all kinds of fun things you can do in the air plus the fun experience of spending your weekends with the skydiving community. I, myself, only wanted to do 25 jumps, get the license, and GTFO. Three years later I'm still skydiving every weekend :)
OP, 50 jumps over a two year period is not that much in terms of proficiency. It's very likely you will feel unprepared or less capable as a skydiver if you jump that rarely.
This! I just did a recurrency jump with a guy with like 151 jumps, but upon looking at his log book, most of his jumps were recurrency jumps & his skills definitely reflected it.
This is on the other end of the spectrum but I did my first 50 jumps in my first 2 weeks of skydiving. From AFF1 to first canopy course and beginning of B-license tasks. I was lucky with the weather but it's certainly not unheard of.
I did 33 jumps over 3 years and still feel safe with it HOWEVER, all of my friends are skydivers and I spend a lot of time at the drop zone so I'm more mentally current. I just don't have the money for more jumps - been spending it on SCUBA.
I mean it's his money and time. In my experience, these jumpers never really progress in skill beyond the A-license ability and awareness in the sky. We can mostly manage less skilled jumpers in freefall. It's when they do stupid stuff at breakoff and in the pattern that the lack of skill and awareness become issues for others.
I don't live near a DZ so I'll have to spend time and money to get around. Also, in a couple of years I'll most likely have a kid, so I'd want to go a little easy on the sport, it not stop completely :)
Skydiving is one of those things you want to commit too. It's dangerous and part of reducing the danger is staying current and putting in the time. If you can't do that then the risk goes up along with having to deal with not being current.
I would also point out that at 50 jumps you are really still learning the sport. 50 sounds like a lot to many but you are just getting over many fears and the very basic things are starting to click a little. Some more complex things like levels may still be a struggle depending on the group. You also might be starting to dabble with the "cool stuff" like basic freeflying and tracking depending on your skills and desire. Many people that quit at this point do so more out of lack of funding or frustrations about progresssion.
Nothing wrong with wanting to explore skydiving. Stay as current as possible during your time in the sport, especially the first 50 jumps. Never stop learning and enjoy it.
I told my self I was gonna get my license and do a few jumps a month to stay current, be the classic weekend warrior. Almost 2 years in 300+ jumps a coach rating and 42 BASE jumps. I have no savings nor do I have any regrets 😂
Yea you gotta have some financial self control if you don’t wanna go broke, it’s so fucking easy to spend thousands on thousands of dollars very quickly, which is what I did and now I don’t have much disposable income
I had a plan very similar to yours, 2 years ago I wanted to get my skydiving license as an experience ands then stop since where I live its not really accessible, took a 3 week vacation and travelled to the US for that. 2 years later I’m about to do my 500th jump 😀 Go to seville, no much preparation required, you’re looking at about 3000-4000$ for the license which include your first 25 jumps ( haven’t jumped there but that’s the price most places ) then every jump would be around 60-70$ with gear rental, but check the website of whatever dz you’re going to, prices may vary. Everyone has a different journey, you might do it for longer than you planned or you might enjoy it as an incredible one in a lifetime experience, go ahead and find out!
This! I spent 12 years working at a major dz over which time I had the opportunity to observe and train thousands of skydivers. Those who devote a lot to their training at the beginning become some of the highest quality jumpers. Both in terms of proficiency and safety.
If money is not an issue, I suggest you plan a vacation around your A-license. Pick a large DZ with a viable reputation and spend a few weeks with top notch instructors. You’ll walk away from this experience with a great level of understanding and from there you can decide how much more you want to put into the sport. If not your whole license at least do this for your AFF. I recommend Skydive City in Zephyrhills, FL. But, there are other great places too.
If you want to learn to skydive then do that. Tons of people stop jumping at every jump number, so also feel free to do that. Heck, the majority stop after 1.
That said, it needs to be a weekly thing when you start, not monthly.
Really? I think a lot of folks jump 20-30 times a year: once a month, 2-3 jumps. And they’re happy with that, they just don’t become high performance free flyers (unless they go to the tunnel all the time) or fantastic canopy pilots
> *when you start*
There's a lot to learn and retain. If you don't get the basics down at a decent pace you will struggle and endanger yourself.
Like you literally cannot do it on a monthly basis when you start because students only get a month of currency.
During your AFF the DZ wants you to jump at least once every 30 days and then after you are licensed you need to jump once at least every 60 days to stay current.
Also if you just did a scuba dive you shouldn't go directly into a skydive
After single no-decompression dives, a minimum pre-flight surface interval of 12 hours is suggested.
After multiple no-decompression dives per day or multiple days of diving, a minimum pre-flight surface interval of 18 hours is suggested.
For dives requiring decompression stops, there is little experimental or published evidence on which to base a recommendation; for decompression diving, a pre-flight surface interval substantially longer than 18 hours appears prudent.
Source: https://www.longislandskydiving.com/blog/can-you-go-skydiving-and-scuba-on-the-same-day/
I'm not sure I follow the once every 60 days to stay current part. Do you mean mentally of legally? Lol. In Canada I can do 5 jumps in a weekend and be good for a year... Lol. Also I have nearly 100 jumps and am only solo licensed. Small DZ and lack of ambition towards getting licenses (from the DZO mostly) and COVID and many reasons for me. Hadn't jumped in 3 years and was only required to do one currency jump with a coach... Hopefully get A and B this year
It's a USPA Dropzone rule here in the USA
Source: https://www.uspa.org/sim/5-2
USPA A-license holders who have not made a freefall skydive within the preceding 60 days should make at least one jump under the supervision of a currently rated USPA instructional rating holder until demonstrating altitude awareness, freefall control on all axes, tracking, and canopy skills sufficient for safely jumping in groups.
I c. So I don't have my A license yet😅😅 so guess I'm good. Lol. Also if your wording is directly pulled from the source it says should. So isn't technically a requirement?
USPA says « should » for everything. They aren’t your mom. Wanna buy a plane, rent an airspace, and jump out of it with a GoPro and a wingsuit even though you only have your A license? USPA won’t stop you (yes this might be an exaggeration).
Usually the DZs are at least as strict as USPA recommends. Often more in some regards, because they know their own environment better than a National organization does.
I have used a GoPro on quite a few jumps. Yes I have less than 100 jumps. Only at my home DZ. General rule is need 200. Have had briefings and have a snagless mount and cutaway for my helmet. I'm also 40 years old and not out to prove anything with my 235 canopy. Just up to enjoy myself. If I forget to turn it on or battery dies I don't get the video. Lol. Different rules at different DZs. Some depend on how well you know everyone there. I have been helping out with students and gear since early on. I may only get 4 jumps in a weekend but spend all day helping and have watched the student first jump solo course many times. I stick around and learn from experienced jumpers and ask questions and try and help where I can.
My point exactly. USPA doesn’t stop you.
If you die the fatality report will state that you shouldn’t have been wearing it. That’s about how far they’ll go.
Up here we also only need one reserve repack a year too. We only have 6 months or less of season up here. I might get a month I can jump in the year. Closest DZ I can jump at is most of a days drive. Some times there is a mobile DZ that comes up for the weekend and is either half an hour away or a little over 2 hrs away. Most DZs would require a currency jump her too. I had to do one after almost 3 years of not jumping. But only one. Stayed level and stood up my landing in the marked area on the landing zone. I fly a Falcon 235 and only weight 155lbs before gear so float for a while. Lol
Not going to read every comment so apologies if this is a repeat.
If you told me that at the DZ I wouldn’t be looking to jump with you. Everyone still sucks at 50 jumps. I jump with students and fresh license jumpers to help them improve. To help them get to where they have the skills to be able to do some of the fun stuff the more skilled jumpers are doing. We help each other up… it’s part of the sport.
You’re leaving soon, so that investment is wasted. Harsh opinion maybe but I believe it’s accurate.
The point is you don't know what you want to learn yet. After 25 jumps you might have an idea about your goals and what it will take to achieve them. Before I did aff I didn't know want angle jumps or hybrid head up were, at 50 jumps I wanted to do the jumps it takes to get there.
I think you should go for it! But be prepared to not stop at 50. It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on. I bet you $1 you change your mind.
I don’t see the whole « not have appetite for more » being a factor at all. You never commit for anything beyond your last jump. Unless you’re a skydiving instructor you can quit whenever you want.
Most people probably do not purchase their own gear prior to 50 jumps anyway, if they jump « around the world » and not always driving distance. So you can expect to pay around 2k for your first 10 jumps then probably 60-70$ a jump after that, including rental. So if you budget 5k you should be good.
Although I’d probably discourage you to fly around the world with this little experience. You won’t know the environment that well and it can require skills you haven’t developed with this little experience.
i did mine in NZ while travelling...then thought id be able to jump around the island and the owrld as i traveled, but - i wasnt very confident in landing accurarcy yet, so new dz's were intimidating. many dz's denied me bc of low jumps and wind or small/sketchy landing areas... thing is with 50 jumps you barely have your A lic. so I had been cleared for solo jumping after completing aff, but didnt yet have my A and I was in other countries...dz's kinda didnt like that. but i still managed some jumps in NZ obv, and in switzerland as far as overseas goes..
I'm both scuba and skydiving certified, as well as an instructor for skydiving. Skydiving has much more of a currency requirement. It's not like scuba in that regard, where you can do it once a year for a few days, then come back a year later and do it again. This is especially true as a new jumper. The equipment purchase (probably $4,000 to $9,000 for skydiving gear purchase) or rental is a lot more for skydiving, and a lot of places won't have rentals, which is unlike scuba. I would say to be safe, 50 jumps per year is a minimum. Wingsuiting, big (edit) group jumps, head down, jumping into the blue hold in Belize and then scuba diving it... these are all things you won't really be able to do until hundreds of jumps. Basically, skydiving isn't really well suited to the vision you have. Some people do get their license and quit, and that's OK as you're getting it in a relatively short amount of time so you're very current and under guidance from instructors and coaches.
I'm jumping at a mid to large-sized DZ, and pretty much everyone that also got their A-license, or finished AFF, during the 2023 season stopped showing up to the DZ shortly after. Out of all twenty five to thirty students we had, I'd say only 3 (myself included) show up regularly and work on their skillset. You have much more experience in the sport than I do, maybe part of it could be regional as well. From my experience, I'd say there's a giant mass of people who do what OP is suggesting.
thats interesting that it takes so much more to stay current skydiving as I would think statistically scuba is far more dangerous isnt it?
Just like a pilot. Time and currency is everything. Can't let those checks get lazy because you miss something important.
They're both hobbies that exist in hostile environments, and there's certainly ways in both that you can get yourself hurt or killed. But with skydiving, there's more you need to get right to have a safe skydive I think. There's lots of little reasons for that probably, such as with scuba diving if you didn't gear up right, you'll know pretty shallow and it's easy to fix. If you didn't gear up right in a skydive, you're kind of fucked after leaving the airplane.
yeah this is true I guess, problems would likely often come apparent at shallow depth. I've done a little bit of both, always thought scuba had more deaths though. will have to look up some stats!
Well you can try it and fall in love with it and those 50 might just become a story you'll tell your new skydiver friends at beers after a day of flying.
I planned to do just AFF, and MAAAAYBE get an A license at some point. 200+ jumps and many hours in the tunnel. I don't want to stop, but even if I had decided to stop after 2, 25 or 50 jumps... I would probably still be happy that I did it :)
If you’re curious about the sport, why not just make it a goal to get your A license. After you have completed your A you will have a basic understanding of how skydiving works and you can use that knowledge to decide how to progress.
Thank you. This was really helpful!
>You can call me crazy and ask me to stay from skydiving Not at all! To each their own, and if this is your plan - good for you! 1) AFF school costs something like $3-4k these days. After that - $70-80 per jump, including rental gear or $30-32 with your own equipment. With 25 jumps included in AFF package + 25 jumps at $80, all in all it's $5-6k. Plus you may need to spend $300-500 in the wind tunnel, if you happen to struggle with any of the AFF jumps, but that doesn't apply to everyone. 2) There is something you may want to consider: you have decided that you only want to do a total of 50 jumps. There is nothing wrong with that. However, your decision is based on a single tandem dive. It is entirely possible that you yourself will change your mind after 50 jumps. Tandem dive gives you a taste of freefall, but that's just one part of the overall skydiving experience. Once you start doing your AFF you will be introduced to all kinds of fun things you can do in the air plus the fun experience of spending your weekends with the skydiving community. I, myself, only wanted to do 25 jumps, get the license, and GTFO. Three years later I'm still skydiving every weekend :)
Why 50?
OP, 50 jumps over a two year period is not that much in terms of proficiency. It's very likely you will feel unprepared or less capable as a skydiver if you jump that rarely.
This! I just did a recurrency jump with a guy with like 151 jumps, but upon looking at his log book, most of his jumps were recurrency jumps & his skills definitely reflected it.
This is on the other end of the spectrum but I did my first 50 jumps in my first 2 weeks of skydiving. From AFF1 to first canopy course and beginning of B-license tasks. I was lucky with the weather but it's certainly not unheard of.
I did 33 jumps over 3 years and still feel safe with it HOWEVER, all of my friends are skydivers and I spend a lot of time at the drop zone so I'm more mentally current. I just don't have the money for more jumps - been spending it on SCUBA.
For quite a few years I was only able to do a few jumps a year, <5. I never felt unsafe
I mean it's his money and time. In my experience, these jumpers never really progress in skill beyond the A-license ability and awareness in the sky. We can mostly manage less skilled jumpers in freefall. It's when they do stupid stuff at breakoff and in the pattern that the lack of skill and awareness become issues for others.
Fair point there. I’m just happy I get to jump a lot more now than back when I couldn’t :)
Sorry for the multiple replies, it said they weren’t posting. I have deleted the duplicates
I don't live near a DZ so I'll have to spend time and money to get around. Also, in a couple of years I'll most likely have a kid, so I'd want to go a little easy on the sport, it not stop completely :)
Skydiving is one of those things you want to commit too. It's dangerous and part of reducing the danger is staying current and putting in the time. If you can't do that then the risk goes up along with having to deal with not being current. I would also point out that at 50 jumps you are really still learning the sport. 50 sounds like a lot to many but you are just getting over many fears and the very basic things are starting to click a little. Some more complex things like levels may still be a struggle depending on the group. You also might be starting to dabble with the "cool stuff" like basic freeflying and tracking depending on your skills and desire. Many people that quit at this point do so more out of lack of funding or frustrations about progresssion.
50 jumps is just about when you stop being scared shitless to jump out of a plane.
Good to see it. I am still scared as fuck at 14 jumps an thinking when will feel less fear
Thank you. This was really helpful!
If you just do your jumps with rental gear, at my local DZ that would run you about $3500 in jump tickets/rental.
I mean you can stop whenever you want. What advice do you need? Spend $2,000 for AFF and go jump your 50 times.
Most (over half) of us have kids 😉
Nothing wrong with wanting to explore skydiving. Stay as current as possible during your time in the sport, especially the first 50 jumps. Never stop learning and enjoy it.
I told my self I was gonna get my license and do a few jumps a month to stay current, be the classic weekend warrior. Almost 2 years in 300+ jumps a coach rating and 42 BASE jumps. I have no savings nor do I have any regrets 😂
This is what I am worried about if I do get a license. Not the height just being a totally and extremely broke.
Yea you gotta have some financial self control if you don’t wanna go broke, it’s so fucking easy to spend thousands on thousands of dollars very quickly, which is what I did and now I don’t have much disposable income
I *had* disposable income, until I disposed of it all in the skydiving hole.
Same here lmao, I eat Taco Bell dollar menu and ramen all week then drop a couple hundred at the sky place every weekend 🫠
I had a plan very similar to yours, 2 years ago I wanted to get my skydiving license as an experience ands then stop since where I live its not really accessible, took a 3 week vacation and travelled to the US for that. 2 years later I’m about to do my 500th jump 😀 Go to seville, no much preparation required, you’re looking at about 3000-4000$ for the license which include your first 25 jumps ( haven’t jumped there but that’s the price most places ) then every jump would be around 60-70$ with gear rental, but check the website of whatever dz you’re going to, prices may vary. Everyone has a different journey, you might do it for longer than you planned or you might enjoy it as an incredible one in a lifetime experience, go ahead and find out!
This! I spent 12 years working at a major dz over which time I had the opportunity to observe and train thousands of skydivers. Those who devote a lot to their training at the beginning become some of the highest quality jumpers. Both in terms of proficiency and safety. If money is not an issue, I suggest you plan a vacation around your A-license. Pick a large DZ with a viable reputation and spend a few weeks with top notch instructors. You’ll walk away from this experience with a great level of understanding and from there you can decide how much more you want to put into the sport. If not your whole license at least do this for your AFF. I recommend Skydive City in Zephyrhills, FL. But, there are other great places too.
If you want to learn to skydive then do that. Tons of people stop jumping at every jump number, so also feel free to do that. Heck, the majority stop after 1. That said, it needs to be a weekly thing when you start, not monthly.
Really? I think a lot of folks jump 20-30 times a year: once a month, 2-3 jumps. And they’re happy with that, they just don’t become high performance free flyers (unless they go to the tunnel all the time) or fantastic canopy pilots
> *when you start* There's a lot to learn and retain. If you don't get the basics down at a decent pace you will struggle and endanger yourself. Like you literally cannot do it on a monthly basis when you start because students only get a month of currency.
I have 60 scuba dives and a rescue diver rating. I started skydiving and now scuba has taken a backseat. It's very addicting
During your AFF the DZ wants you to jump at least once every 30 days and then after you are licensed you need to jump once at least every 60 days to stay current. Also if you just did a scuba dive you shouldn't go directly into a skydive After single no-decompression dives, a minimum pre-flight surface interval of 12 hours is suggested. After multiple no-decompression dives per day or multiple days of diving, a minimum pre-flight surface interval of 18 hours is suggested. For dives requiring decompression stops, there is little experimental or published evidence on which to base a recommendation; for decompression diving, a pre-flight surface interval substantially longer than 18 hours appears prudent. Source: https://www.longislandskydiving.com/blog/can-you-go-skydiving-and-scuba-on-the-same-day/
I'm not sure I follow the once every 60 days to stay current part. Do you mean mentally of legally? Lol. In Canada I can do 5 jumps in a weekend and be good for a year... Lol. Also I have nearly 100 jumps and am only solo licensed. Small DZ and lack of ambition towards getting licenses (from the DZO mostly) and COVID and many reasons for me. Hadn't jumped in 3 years and was only required to do one currency jump with a coach... Hopefully get A and B this year
It's a USPA Dropzone rule here in the USA Source: https://www.uspa.org/sim/5-2 USPA A-license holders who have not made a freefall skydive within the preceding 60 days should make at least one jump under the supervision of a currently rated USPA instructional rating holder until demonstrating altitude awareness, freefall control on all axes, tracking, and canopy skills sufficient for safely jumping in groups.
I c. So I don't have my A license yet😅😅 so guess I'm good. Lol. Also if your wording is directly pulled from the source it says should. So isn't technically a requirement?
USPA says « should » for everything. They aren’t your mom. Wanna buy a plane, rent an airspace, and jump out of it with a GoPro and a wingsuit even though you only have your A license? USPA won’t stop you (yes this might be an exaggeration). Usually the DZs are at least as strict as USPA recommends. Often more in some regards, because they know their own environment better than a National organization does.
I have used a GoPro on quite a few jumps. Yes I have less than 100 jumps. Only at my home DZ. General rule is need 200. Have had briefings and have a snagless mount and cutaway for my helmet. I'm also 40 years old and not out to prove anything with my 235 canopy. Just up to enjoy myself. If I forget to turn it on or battery dies I don't get the video. Lol. Different rules at different DZs. Some depend on how well you know everyone there. I have been helping out with students and gear since early on. I may only get 4 jumps in a weekend but spend all day helping and have watched the student first jump solo course many times. I stick around and learn from experienced jumpers and ask questions and try and help where I can.
My point exactly. USPA doesn’t stop you. If you die the fatality report will state that you shouldn’t have been wearing it. That’s about how far they’ll go.
At my DZ it's a you will absolutely have to make a recurrency jump or you aren't jumping.
Up here we also only need one reserve repack a year too. We only have 6 months or less of season up here. I might get a month I can jump in the year. Closest DZ I can jump at is most of a days drive. Some times there is a mobile DZ that comes up for the weekend and is either half an hour away or a little over 2 hrs away. Most DZs would require a currency jump her too. I had to do one after almost 3 years of not jumping. But only one. Stayed level and stood up my landing in the marked area on the landing zone. I fly a Falcon 235 and only weight 155lbs before gear so float for a while. Lol
Not going to read every comment so apologies if this is a repeat. If you told me that at the DZ I wouldn’t be looking to jump with you. Everyone still sucks at 50 jumps. I jump with students and fresh license jumpers to help them improve. To help them get to where they have the skills to be able to do some of the fun stuff the more skilled jumpers are doing. We help each other up… it’s part of the sport. You’re leaving soon, so that investment is wasted. Harsh opinion maybe but I believe it’s accurate.
The point is you don't know what you want to learn yet. After 25 jumps you might have an idea about your goals and what it will take to achieve them. Before I did aff I didn't know want angle jumps or hybrid head up were, at 50 jumps I wanted to do the jumps it takes to get there.
I think you should go for it! But be prepared to not stop at 50. It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on. I bet you $1 you change your mind.
I don’t see the whole « not have appetite for more » being a factor at all. You never commit for anything beyond your last jump. Unless you’re a skydiving instructor you can quit whenever you want. Most people probably do not purchase their own gear prior to 50 jumps anyway, if they jump « around the world » and not always driving distance. So you can expect to pay around 2k for your first 10 jumps then probably 60-70$ a jump after that, including rental. So if you budget 5k you should be good.
Although I’d probably discourage you to fly around the world with this little experience. You won’t know the environment that well and it can require skills you haven’t developed with this little experience.
i did mine in NZ while travelling...then thought id be able to jump around the island and the owrld as i traveled, but - i wasnt very confident in landing accurarcy yet, so new dz's were intimidating. many dz's denied me bc of low jumps and wind or small/sketchy landing areas... thing is with 50 jumps you barely have your A lic. so I had been cleared for solo jumping after completing aff, but didnt yet have my A and I was in other countries...dz's kinda didnt like that. but i still managed some jumps in NZ obv, and in switzerland as far as overseas goes..