UK Parachuting is a full time skydiving company which is ideally located to serve London & the South East, Middlesex, Essex, East Anglia, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire & the Midlands.
We jump with people who have never skydived before as a TANDEM SKYDIVER, & teach people to solo skydive which is called AFF.
Our qualified skydivers have a strong club through which we run many events & competitions. The club is expanding all the time in every discipline. We jump from a Cessna Caravan 208, a 14 place Turbine – & are awaiting the arrival of a Black Hawk, a 20 seat plane.
Come & find out more, just turn up to watch or speak with our team to get in on the fun!!
 This is the best way to experience freefall, with the minimum of fuss… A once in a lifetime experience!
Tandem Skydiving… |
Services
UK Parachuting was established 25 years ago as Ipswich Parachute Centre & operated for many years at Ipswich Airport. The company are the booking agent for two British Skydiving (BS) Parachute Training Organisations (PTO) at Beccles & Sibson. The Beccles Drop Zone is located 15 miles south west of Norwich in the heart of rural East Anglia. The airfield we use was originally built as a USAF base in World War 2 but is now home to a Cessna Caravan turbine aircraft. The Sibson Drop Zone is situated 5 miles from Peterborough & has great access from the A1. It is only 1 hour from central London & have 2 x Cessna Caravan turbine aircraft.
UK Parachuting also provides the 2 PTO’s Beccles & Sibson skydivers with their aircraft & operate 12 months of the year, weather permitting.
UK Parachuting own 4 x Cessna Caravan aircraft. Each aircraft can take 18 jumpers to 13000ft in less than 20 minutes
AFF Level 1 Course – With UK Parachuting
If you are serious about becoming a skydiver, the Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) program is the course for you. It’s the fast-track route to becoming a British Skydiving ‘Category 8′ Qualified Solo Skydiver. This is our most intensive course, so you will be in a group of no more than four students, ensuring individual attention. The programme is termed ‘Accelerated’ because the learning process is three to five times faster than alternative training systems – sorry, you don’t fall faster! To achieve this, AFF instructors accompany you in free fall & provide direct tuition during each 50 second skydive, assessing & improving your performance moment by moment, giving you both time & help to gain confidence & overcome any fears.
LEVELS 2 & 3
A skydive with two instructors & they will be able to give you a bit more freedom & both should be able to release you on the Level 3 jump. You need to show us that you can monitor your altitude, hold a good body position, control your orientation in the sky & deploy your own parachute before moving onto the next levels.
AFF LEVELS 4 & 5
Now that you’ve shown us you’ve learnt the basics you only need one instructor with you. On these jumps you’ll practice controlling your heading or direction, starting & stopping turns, progressing onto 360 degree turns on Level 5.
AFF LEVEL 6
For the first time, you will be jumping out of the plane without an instructor holding onto you. Level 6 gives you the chance to demonstrate you can regain stability by performing a back loop with recovery & then practice tracking, an important skill that allows you to move forwards which is essential once you start jumping with other people.
If all goes to plan your instructor won’t need do hold onto you at all on this jump, but they will be right there just in case you need a h&.
AFF LEVEL 7
Now you’ve learnt all these new skills you’ll be asked to show us them in a sequence. Once you are proficient in these areas & your instructors are satisfied with your performance, you can be cleared to jump without an instructor with you in free fall.
AFF LEVEL 8
A solo skydive from 5000ft with just a short delay before opening your parachute completes your training. This skydive is to simulate an unplanned low altitude exit.
CONSOLODATION JUMPS
You are now required to complete 10 solo skydives with exercises given by your instructor for each skydive. Once completed you will take an open book written exam. Pass this & congratulations you are a licensed skydiver!!
So what’s next, you are close to finishing your AFF course & are looking to the next step. On this page we are going to help you along the way & make the next stages as easy as your AFF course was.
Stage 1 – A Licence (Category 8 & at least Canopy Training CT)
You have completed your 8 levels of AFF & 10 Consolidation Jumps.
Fill out the following form & go your Chief Instructor (CI) to sign, along with 2 passport Photos. BS Form 190A (Application for “A” Licence)
Complete your (it’s easy just copy the answers directly from the CT Manual. ) H& this to your CI along with the “A” Licence paperwork
Complete a BS Form 114 (Declaration of Fitness) as you are no longer a student
Get some Coaching – UK Parachuting offers Formation Skydiving (FS) Coaching. To hook up with a coach join our FS Coaches Facebook group & they will help you out. For all FS coaching prices see bottom of this page
Stage 2 – B Licence (BS ‘A’ Licence, 50 descents & at least CT 1 & Jump Master (JM) Grade 1)
Completed all parts of your JM1 Form. This includes some lectures so keep your eye on Facebook & the events page for dates when these will be held at the Drop Zone
Complete your CT 1 exam, (it’s easy just copy the answers directly from the CT Manual.
Complete your BS Form 190B (Application for “B” Licence) Get your CI to sign this form.
Get some more Coaching – contact our coaches though the Facebook group to make arrangements & for more information on all types of coaching.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the AFF course take?
The duration of the course depends on each individual while each student sets his own pace for the jumps & depends also on other factors like weather, sunset times, condition etc. However, the average duration to finish the complete AFF course is appr. 3-4 days. In another 2-3 days, all your needed solo jumps (consolidation jumps) can be managed as well.
When do AFF courses start?
There are no set course dates as the courses are run individually for each student & can be organised during the whole year (365 days). Pick your best suitable dates for your trip & contact us with them
How many jumps can I do per day?
The number of daily jumps depends on you, your energy & physical condition (adrenaline takes a lot of energy) as well as your budget. Most students reach an average of 3-5 AFF jumps & an average of 4-6 consolidation jumps per day.
What do I need to bring to the course?
As we will provide you with all the necessary skydiving kit (jumpsuit, helmet, goggles, altimeter), please make sure to bring comfortable & sportive clothing & shoes. Trainers are preferred for jumping. During the winter, we also recommend to wear long sleeves & to bring tight gloves, hat & warm layers according to the seasonal climate. If you wear glasses, bring your sporting glasses or lenses. If needed you can wear your glasses during the jump, for the skydive we will provide you with skydiving goggles to wear on top of your own glasses.
Do I need to see a doctor & bring a medical?
For the AFF course there is no need to bring a doctors medical. If you are uncertain about any possible physical limitations however, we recommend to consult your doctor (regular house doctor, no flight doctor required) – just to be on the safe side. Prior to start the course, you will have to sign our “student waiver” which excludes any physical limitations that might impair the skydiving activity, such as heart problems, epilepsy, diabetes, etc. If you have any doubt, please contact us for double checking prior to book your course.
I have never jumped before. Is the tandem skydive the first jump?
Without any previous experience, you can start your AFF course right away & jump AFF Level 1 as your first skydive. The courses are designed for beginners & you will be taught all the necessary requirements in the ground school prior to jumping in order to feel secure & confident about your first jump. The tandem jump is not mandatory, however a good way to be introduced to the free fall in a more relaxed & less pressured environment.
If you are uncertain about purchasing the full AFF Course, you have the option to try first the tandem skydive or to book the AFF First jump course which consists only on AFF Level 1 jump (& ground school).
What exactly are the so called “consolidation jumps” or „solo jumps“?
Once you have been graduated from your AFF Course, you are still officially a “student in consolidation status” being supervised by an instructor. During the next jumps which you will do on your own, there are still some skills for you to learn & to perform while receiving learning aims & feedback of your previous AFF instructor on each jump. During those appr. 10 solo jumps you will gain more confidence & routine before working on the next step of your skydiving career: the A-license which you can acquire with a minimum of 25 jumps in total.
When I finish my AFF Course, do I get my license right away?
Finishing & passing the AFF Course does not make you eligible for the A-license right away as this would be a later hurdle & requiring more skills. For the A-license, there is a minimum of 25 jumps needed as well as fulfilment of other skills like formation skydiving basics, packing a parachute etc. For all of that you need appr. 2-3 weeks time to finish it.
What happens if I do not finish my AFF Course?
In case you are not able to finish your AFF Course for whatever reason, the remaining of the course can be finished at a later point. The unused AFF Level jumps will be credited & will be on hold for a timeframe up to one year (12 months) after booking.
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