I Got My A-License - Now What?

 

You’ve done it.

Congratulations! You put in the time, the work, the jumps and you’ve earned your USPA A-License. All those days spent practicing your arch on the carpet in your living room, reading through the SIM while at your desk at work, and watching canopy malfunction videos like they were your favorite horror movie have paid off. But now, you go to the dropzone and you don’t have an Instructor or a Coach telling you what to do on your next jump and you’re feeling a little… lost. Fear not, baby bird! This feeling is completely normal for newly licensed jumpers. Here are some tips on what to do next with that fresh A-License:

Take Advantage of The Mentor Program

If you have under 50 total skydives, you are eligible to participate in our Mentor Program. Just pay for your jump ticket (and gear rental, if needed), and get free coaching from our DZ-approved Mentors. If you don’t know who our Mentors are, ask one of our Instructors or Manifest. Our knowledgeable staff can tell you which Mentors are at the DZ that day and get you on a load for a Mentor jump!

Newly licensed jumpers get free coaching and a buddy to jump with.
Our DZ-approved Mentors get to practice their teaching skills.
Our skydiving community as a whole gets well-rounded skydivers who focus on skills and safety. 

 

Dial your Canopy Skills on Hop and Pops

Challenge yourself by creating canopy piloting goals, like working on accuracy and timing your landing flare juuuust right. Ask Manifest to get on a load for Hop and Pop, load the plane last, and let the pilot know that you’re getting out “low”. When you exit the plane, deploy your parachute within a few seconds, and you’ll have the sky (mostly) to yourself. Use this open air space to work on canopy skills, like low turn recovery drills, turn reversals, and half braked turns. Pick an accuracy spot in the landing area and try to land as close to it as safely possible, making sure to record this distance in your log book for future license progression. 

 

Work Towards Your B-License

Now that you have your A-License, start working towards your B-License, the second of 4 licenses awarded by USPA. Keeping an accurate record in your logbook is essential for further license progression in skydiving. You’ll need at least 50 jumps, 30 minutes of freefall time, 10 landing accuracy jumps, and 10 group skydives to apply for a B-License, and recording all of the essential information in your logbook after each jump will make keeping track of this much easier. 

Per the USPA SIM, Chapter 3, to be eligible for a B-License, a skydiver must fulfil these requirements:

  • Complete 50 jumps

  • Accumulate at least 30 minutes of controlled freefall time

  • Land within 33 feet of target center on 10 jumps

  • Successfully complete the planned formation(s) on 10 skydives, at least five of which, must involve at least three participants

  • Documentation of live water-landing training with full equipment in accordance with the procedures in the Skydiver's Information Manual

  • Complete all the requirements listed on the B-License Canopy Piloting Proficiency Card

  • Pass the written USPA B-License Exam conducted by a current USPA Instructor, S&TA, Examiner, Judge or board member

Group Jump with Other Skydivers

This is the reason why many people get their skydiving license: so they can jump out of an airplane with their friends! If you don’t have friends at the DZ yet, you only have to take a look around the hangar to see dozens of people who also love skydiving. Introduce yourself by asking other skydivers how their jump went: skydivers love talking about their skydives!

Do some self reflection and make a limit for yourself on the maximum number of people you’d feel comfortable jumping with. Groups of 4 or less are generally recommended when you’re a newer jumper. Talk to an Instructor on the precautions you should take if jumping with a larger group!

 

Get Help Buying Gear

Buying your own gear can be overwhelming, to say the least. The 4 main parts you need to complete a rig are 1) a container, 2)  a main parachute, 3) a reserve parachute, and 4) an automatic activation device (AAD). You should determine your budget and decide whether you would like to buy used gear or new gear. Currently, a used gear setup could run you around $5,000, and a new gear setup somewhere around $8,000+. Used gear is generally recommended for beginners as your skydiving skills and preferences may drastically change in the first few years of your skydiving career. Talk with your Instructors on what kind of gear they would recommend for you.

 

Travel

Taking skydiving-specific vacations can be a unique way to travel. You can use USPA’s Dropzone Locator to find dropzones all over the world. Many dropzones will advertise events on their websites, in the “Events” section of Parachutist magazine, and social media pages. Be on the lookout for events that coincide with your goals. 

Skills camps provide small group coaching to improve in specific disciplines of skydiving. These skills could include formation skydiving (belly), vertical formation skydiving (freeflying), movement (angles), and canopy piloting. 

Scrambles are informal competitions. Most often seen for formation skydiving, these are geared towards newer jumpers to improve group freefall skills. Jumpers are randomly assigned groups and must complete the assigned formations for points as many times as possible during freefall. Scrambles events make it easy to meet other skydivers of similar skill level.

Boogies are gatherings of skydivers at one dropzone, akin to a party or a festival. It’s common practice for dropzones to bring in multiple or specialty aircraft during the event (did someone say “Skyvan?!”) Load organizers of every discipline can be found at boogies at larger dropzones, so there’s something for everyone!