WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STATIC LINE COURSE AND AN ACCELERATED FREEFALL (AFF) COURSE?
A static line student makes his/her first jumps from a lower altitude. The static line is attached at one end to the aircraft and temporarily attached to the parachute rig with the other end; it opens the parachute after the jumper is clear of the plane. Five static line jumps are required to make a freefall jump. For the last three static line jumps, the student pulls a practice ripcord while the static line is still attached to the airplane. Once cleared for freefall, the student learns to pull his/her own parachute and jumps from higher altitudes as skill increases. A student is usually jumping from full altitude (10,000’) by 10-15 jumps.
