Post-AFF Progression
After AFF: Finding Your Footing as a New Licensed Jumper
The structure disappears after your A-license. Here's how to find your place at the DZ, who to jump with, and what to actually work on once you're on the load.
AFF is the most structured part of learning to skydive. Every category has clear objectives, and you jump with a coach or instructor on every skydive. Then AFF ends, and you move into the post-AFF phase — solos become part of the picture for the first time, and you're building jump numbers alongside the remaining requirements.
Then you pass your A-license and the structure is gone entirely. You can jump with any licensed skydiver, but figuring out who, what to work on, and how to find your place at the DZ is now on you.
Most new A-license holders show up the following weekend, do a solo because they aren't sure how else to get on a jump, and go home wondering if this is what skydiving is supposed to feel like now. It isn't.
You have more resources than you think — and a clear path forward. Here's where to start.
How to find your footing
Six ways to stop doing solos and start building a crew
Start with people who already know you
Your coaches and former instructors are a real resource. Reach out and ask who you should be jumping with and what you should be working on at your current jump number. They know your flying. That introduction to the right person at your DZ is worth more than approaching strangers cold.
Find the load organizer
At larger DZs, load organizers put jumps together for people at all experience levels. Introduce yourself, tell them where you're at, and ask what would be appropriate for you. Most will have an answer and a group that fits.
Use DZ events
Most dropzones run events that bring people together specifically for jumping and socializing. These are the easiest entry point for meeting people without having to figure out the social dynamics on a random jump day. Check your DZ calendar and put them on yours.
Stay until the end of the day
Most DZ friendships don't start in the air. They start at the end of the day when people are packing, standing around outside the hangar, or sitting by a fire. New jumpers tend to head home after the last load. The ones who stay are the ones who end up with a crew.
No connection yet? Approach a solo or two-way
If you don't have a coach relationship to lean on and your DZ doesn't have a load organizer, look for people jumping alone or in a two-way group and approach them directly. They're a more natural fit than a group that's already dirt-diving a fully planned jump. Be upfront about your skill level — that's what lets them decide if it's a good match.
Give it more than one visit
Some DZs take longer to read than others, and the jumpers who seem unapproachable on day one are often just mid-conversation about their own jump, not uninterested in you.
Making the jump count
Skills-Based Jumps vs. Other Jumps: You Need Both
Fun jumps and silly exits are a real part of this sport, and they should stay part of it. The issue isn't that fun jumps exist. It's when a skills-based jump never happens alongside them.
A skills-based jump and a fun jump serve different purposes. One is for extending what you know how to do. The other is for enjoying what you already know how to do. Both matter. A jumper who only does one or the other either burns out on drills or plateaus on skill, and neither is the goal.
The practical takeaway: keep doing the fun jumps. Just make sure some of your jumps are skills-based, on purpose, before you exit the plane.
Keep your early post-license jumps to two or three-way groups. Smaller groups are less stressful and easier to actually keep track of at breakoff, which gives you more room to focus on the specific skill you came to work on. Only move to larger groups if there are more experienced people on that jump with you. Newer jumpers tend to be so focused on their own part of the jump that seeing the bigger picture at breakoff is hard, and tracking skills usually aren't fully developed yet either. Experienced people on the load help cover both.
What to work on
What a Skills-Based Jump Actually Works On
Exit positions
While working on your A-license, you covered a few different exit positions that work with two people. Once more people are added to a jump, there's a much greater variety of exit positions and roles to take on. Whenever you're approaching a position you haven't done before, ask what the key points to watch out for are, and what tends to make it successful.
Adjusting fall rate
On your coach jumps, you had to match your coach's fall rate, but your coach was only moving up or down by about five feet to challenge you. Jumping with others, that distance can be much greater, and sometimes an entire jump ends up being an exercise in catching up with each other.
This is where the phrase "dress for success" comes in, if you haven't heard it used this way before. It refers to choosing a jumpsuit based on relative body size and shape within the group you're jumping with. A jumper with a slower average fall rate generally needs a tighter suit, and a jumper with a faster average fall rate generally needs a baggier one. The right suit choice can close a fall rate gap before you ever leave the plane.
Knowing when to let go on exit
The common problem isn't letting go too early. Most newer jumpers hold on too long, worried that letting go will make it hard to get back into formation. The opposite tends to be true. Holding on too long is what typically causes the exit to funnel, and then everyone wastes time getting sorted back out. Letting go on time, even when it feels early, is usually the better instinct to build.
What to work toward
Give yourself a goal: the B-license
Knowing what you're working toward makes everything easier — including asking experienced jumpers to jump with you. A specific ask is easier to say yes to than a general one.
The B-license gives you back the structure AFF provided. It pushes you to develop real canopy skills, formation flying experience, and the judgment to jump safely in a wider range of conditions. Most skydivers complete it in 4 to 6 months after their A-license with a strategic approach.
We put together a complete roadmap that walks through every requirement, how to approach each one, and a checklist you can keep in your logbook.
See the B-License Requirements →
Download the Free B-License Roadmap
A 7-page strategic guide to completing your B-license, including a progress tracking checklist for every requirement.
- Requirement-by-requirement strategy and timing
- The most common mistakes that slow progression
- Complete progress checklist with jump number tracking
- Budget planning and realistic cost breakdown
Created by Experienced USPA Examiners
Christina Arango
USPA Coach Examiner
AFF Instructor
Jumping since 2001
Juan Arango
USPA Tandem Examiner
AFF Instructor · FAA Senior Rigger
Jumping since 2001