Accelerated Freefall Or Tandem?: RushCube Skydive Tips

Recently via social media (our Twitter/Instagram DMs to be exact) we've been contacted by our followers asking whether or to participate in a free fall or tandem jump when skydiving.  So we've decided to address the difference between (Accelerated) Free Fall & Tandem Jumps and how to become an independent skydiver.

First let's start with (Accelerated) Free Fall and what it actually is:

AFF or Accelerated Free Fall is an intensive course to become a skydiver in as few as 10 jumps. You make your first skydive from 12,000 feet with an instructor each time. The idea is that your brain has time to get past the 'sensory overload' you feel for the first few seconds after leaving the plane. There can be such a cacophony of sensations that it's difficult to process. But the ever-adaptable brain soon adjusts, and thinking power is restored. When the 'lights come on', the instructors communicate with hand signals. You will do some 'circles of awareness', looking at the ground, the altimeter, and reading it aloud to the instructor. Then some practice pulls, and open your parachute for real at around 5,000 feet.

The 10 AFF levels are:

1. Body Position. Altitude Awareness. Parachute-deployment, piloting and landing skills. Two Instructors.
2. Level 1 and Forward Movement. Two Instructors.
3. Level 1 and Turning/Hover Control.Two Instructors.
4. Level 1 and Turning/Hover Control. One Instructor.
5. Level 1 and 360 degree turns. One Instructor.
6. Level 1 and Stability Recovery. One Instructor.
7. Consolidation of Levels 1-6. One Instructor.
8. Consolidation of Levels 1-6. Solo.
9. Spin Test. Solo.
10. Clear and Pull. Solo.

Now let's speak about Tandem Skydiving which by definition refers to a type of skydiving where a student skydiver is connected to a harness attached to a tandem instructor.

There you have it, Accelerated Freefall (AFF) is the modern, rapid way to becoming a safe and independent skydiver. So if you feel this is for you, first (give us a call 860.969.3888) enjoy a tandem jump & start your process.