What is Accelerated Freefall?

Accelerated Freefall (also known as AFF) was developed in the USA to allow anyone to experience, learn and enjoy one-on-one training during freefall. It is now recognised worldwide as the best way to learn to skydive. Skydive Euphoria can teach you to become a skydiver in less than a week with no previous experience needed.

The Accelerated Freefall course consists of eight levels (one jump per level).

  • Jump solo (but with 2 instructors in freefall) on your very first skydive from 15,000ft.
  • Open, fly and land your own parachute.
  • Be cleared for unsupervised freefall in as few as 7 jumps.
  • Work towards obtaining your skydiving licence

8 levels are required with 10 solo consolidation jumps are required for the basic A licence.

DAY 1 – Ground Training

Starting at 8.30 am, one full day of ground-training teaches you everything you need to know to complete your first solo skydive from 15,000ft. We will try to do this first jump after the ground school.

During the day you will learn:

  • Orientation around the drop zone & documentation.
  • Get familiar with all the kit. learn the parachute deployment sequence & easy to deal with nuisances that can happen to your parachute.
  • After Landing procedures.
  • How to fly your body in free-fall, & what to do on your first jump once out of the plane in free-fall.
  • Aircraft drills & emergencies.
  • Practice the parachute landing fall (P.L.F)
  • How to fly the parachute & land safely.
  • How to land in a strange place & how to deal with it.
  • What is a malfunction & how to deal with it.
  • Practical training for malfunctions.
  • In a real hanging harness how to deal with what you have learned during the day.
  • How to fit the equipment & get ready for your skydive.
  • Have a written test to check that you have all the information you need to skydive safely.

DAY 2 & beyond – Your first jump!

We do when possible try to do the level 1 jump on your first day if time and the weather allows.

Initially you will skydive with two instructors, who will be there in free-fall to guide you through this once in a lifetime experience. Wearing your own parachute, you will carry out the series of free-fall exercises you have previously been taught, then open, fly and land the canopy all by yourself. We maintain radio communication whilst you are under canopy for added reassurance, that backs up your canopy flight training. The equipment at Skydive Algarve is state-of-the-art and you will learn to fly a modern rectangular canopy that is fully controllable.

Progressing through the levels your free-fall awareness will increase, building your confidence and your enjoyment of the skydive. During Levels 4-6 you will be accompanied by only one instructor and will start to learn more advanced skills, such as turns and forwards movement in the air. Your AFF course finishes with a qualifying dive on Level 7 and low altitude exit from 5000ft on Level 8.

Before each subsequent AFF level you will receive an extensive brief and afterwards your instructor will provide feedback during your de-brief using video footage taken during your AFF jump. All the footage is free for you to take at no extra cost. On your Level 7 where you truly demonstrate what you’ve learned, we often will use a stills camera to capture some cool shots of you free-falling over the Algarve. Again, all footage & stills are yours & free.

Once you have demonstrated the ability to look after yourself in free-fall you will be cleared for solo consolidation jumps.

More questions? Read our FAQ