Skydiving Licence

Enzo_V12

So I've been set on learing how to skydive, specifically, doing an AFF course but me question is... does it matter in the long run where you actually achieve your skydive licence?

I'm Irish and have recently moved to the Netherlands to work. It is possible to get my licence with the Dutch!? The do require different requirements with regard to differnt levels of a skydiving licence but not much else is different. I will have to opertunity in the future to get my license in Australia, also its possible to be in the States long enough to get it there.

I'm wondering if its best to get qualified in Ireland or with other associations like the USPA, BPA or the APF or should I just go ahead and get a Dutch skydiving licence???

What should be the deciding factors in my decision?

Any tips are welcome... where are you from, and who did you get affiliated with?

Cheers!

carveone

I'm from Ireland, got my licences in Canada so I have a CSPA licence. No problem jumping in the US or Ireland. Just Britain, because the BPA are, well, dicks. They require you to join the association to jump, which effectively means paying them money and nothing else. Plus they have a different reserve repack cycle for their own members - when I jumped it was 6 month for BPA and 3 month for everyone else.

Aside from that, when I jumped in the States, I joined the USPA for a month anyway, primarily for the 3rd party insurance that the CSPA membership wouldn't otherwise cover.

Of course in Florida there were a myriad of jumpers from all over the world that had Irish and German and British and Australian licences - once you had a licence that entitled you to jump unsupervised you were pretty much OK. For other dropzones in other countries, the answer is "it depends". The more international the DZ, the less problems you will have. European jumpers are always jumping in Spain and in the US for example - so you'll have minimum problems in those countries...

quietsailor

For anyone reading this thread in the future with the same question;

THe best people to ask are the governing body for the sport, its called the Parachute Association of Ireland (PAI) PAI Link.

skydivedemon

Regardless of where in the world you earn your Skydiving License, or Certificate of Proficiency, so long as it is approved & recognised by the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) then you should have no issues jumping at other FAI member countries. The FAI, specifically the IPC department (International Parachuting Commission) has set a World Wide "standard" of International Parachuting Certificates of Proficiency (commonly known as 'licences'). So if you possess a "A, B, C, or D" License from a FAI member nation then you're license will be recognised in another. If you are a visiting jumper, then there shouldn't be any hassle. However if you earned your License in another country & are then residing somewhere else, you may be required to meet any additional standards as set by the national body in order to progress with their progression & ratings system.

IMPORTANT: Be aware of that if you earn your skydiving license & Ratings at a non-FAI affiliated centre, Drop Zone, or country then you're license may not be recognised when you travel abroad or even when visiting another centre in the same country that is an FAI member.

The PAI is a long standing member of the FAI & therefore complies with the minimum standards as established by the FAI. PAI Licenses are recognised & accepted in other FAI member nations.

I hope that this info was helpful?

FAI:
http://www.fai.org/ipc-our-sport/certificates-of-proficiency

PAI:
http://www.thepai.ie/index.html

quietsailor

I'm still a student jumper so my advice should be taken with a large grain of salt - as far as I know there are only 2 dropzones teaching students in the republic, Skydive Ireland and the IPC. There is a third in Kilkenny but it only jumps with tandems

Of those two training students the IPC is affiliated with the PAI (Parachute Association of Ireland) and thus with the FAI and USPA and you can jump anywhere in the world where that dropzone is affiliated with the FAI/USPA.

I can't say for certain that Skydive Ireland is affiliated with the PAI but I think it isn't and thus you won't be able to jump in some Dropzones around the world - most DZs worldwide I think are USPA/FAI affiliated

xflyer

quietsailor wrote: »

I can't say for certain that Skydive Ireland is affiliated with the PAI but I think it isn't and thus you won't be able to jump in some Dropzones around the world - most DZs worldwide I think are USPA/FAI affiliated

Whether SDI is affiliated with PAI or not I don't know but This doesn't seem to stop people trained there getting a licence jumping all around the the world.

http://www.skydiveireland.ie/shop-25jump.php

http://www.skydiveireland.ie/packages-license.php

Your Skydiving License is approved by the Irish Aviation Authority and is reqognised all over the world.

jeepers101

xflyer wrote: »

Whether SDI is affiliated with PAI or not I don't know but This doesn't seem to stop people trained there getting a licence jumping all around the the world.

http://www.skydiveireland.ie/shop-25jump.php

http://www.skydiveireland.ie/packages-license.php

Who issues the licence? That 25 jump course doesn't meet either the PAI or USPA criteria for an A licence.

xflyer

That I wouldn't know. Probably best to give them a call. Obviously they have it all worked out.