It's called Accelerated FreeFall (AFF) because the learning process is 3-5 times faster than conventional methods of learning to skydive. It was developed by Ken Coleman back in the 1970s and went live in the US in 1980. The first AFF School in UK was set up in 1986 and the system is now well established and very successful worldwide. The same basic system is used throughout the world although there are regional variations, and some countries have added bits to it to fit with their own local requirements (notably the addition of the AFF level 8 in UK and the level 9 in Australia). Each of these have their own merits and they each support the evolutiuon of the training system which had previously been based on the "old school" military model.
AFF has been compared to the PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) system for teaching scuba diving, and Ithis viewpoint may have some merit, although the actual comparison stops short of a global licencing body for AFF Instructors and AFF progression. This is primarily because of the need for third party insurance for skydivers and the need of host countries to legislate aviation sports against the backdrop of increasingly crowded airlanes, and litigation.
Just to put one rumour to bed - accelerated free fall has got absolutely nothing to do with how fast we fall..Most people fall around about the same speed. If you are into physics and math, this is how it goes;
Acceleration due to gravity = 9.81 metres per second - per second.
The terminal velocity of a body in free fall in a free fall "box" (also known as "stable spread" is approximately 120 mph (176 feet per second).
It takes us about 10-12 second to accelerate to terminal velocity.
Assumptions;
1. Normal position (some advancd skydivers use diving, head first or feet first positions to acheieve faster acceleration and faster max speed)
2. Normal dress/gear (some speed skydivers use tight fitting andlow friction materials and fairings to go faster)
