Stage 7 is the culmination of the entire AFF program — a comprehensive consolidation jump that demonstrates all skills learned from Stage 1 through Stage 6 before the student makes their first truly solo jump from 3,500 feet. This is the jump that your instructors use to evaluate whether you are ready to be turned loose as an independently licensed skydiver, and it should be approached with the full seriousness that such a milestone deserves.
What Stage 7 Is Designed to Test
The primary purpose of Stage 7 is to confirm that you have achieved competency across all the fundamental skills required for safe solo skydiving. Your instructors are not teaching you substantially new material in this stage — they are evaluating what you already know. The jump will include elements of forward flight, turns in multiple directions, altitude transitions, backfly orientation, and a clean independent deployment, all performed under instructor observation but without instructor intervention.
Your instructors will be looking for consistency and reliability, not just the ability to perform each skill once. Have you demonstrated that you can reliably maintain stable body position? Can you consistently execute a correct deployment? Do you consistently monitor altitude and make appropriate decisions based on that monitoring? These are the questions they are answering during your Stage 7 jump.
The evaluation criteria for Stage 7 are typically documented in your drop zone's training manual and reviewed with you during the pre-jump briefing. Know these criteria before you get on the aircraft. If there is any ambiguity, ask your instructors to clarify exactly what they will be evaluating.
The Comprehensive Skills Demonstration
A typical Stage 7 jump will include a sequence of maneuvers designed to demonstrate the full range of skills you have learned. You might start with stable forward flight, then execute a 90-degree turn in one direction, recover to stable flight, execute a 90-degree turn in the opposite direction, recover again, transition to backfly for a specified duration, transition back to forward flight, execute a 180-degree turn, and then proceed to deployment.
The specific sequence will vary by drop zone and instructor preference, but the underlying principle is the same: demonstrate that you can perform any of the skills you have learned, in any order, reliably and consistently. Your instructors may call out specific maneuvers during the jump, testing your ability to respond to external direction while managing your altitude budget and body position simultaneously.
During the entire sequence, your altitude monitoring must be flawless. Your instructors will not remind you to check your altimeter. They will be watching to see whether your eyes move to your wrist at appropriate intervals, whether you verbally call your altitude, and whether your altitude management decisions reflect genuine awareness of where you are in the sky.
Deployment Under Observation
Your deployment in Stage 7 should be identical to your Stage 6 self-deployment — you determine the altitude, you initiate the deployment, and you execute the sequence independently. The difference is that in Stage 7, your instructors are specifically observing the quality of your deployment technique, not just whether you successfully deployed.
They will be looking at whether your grip on the pilot chute handle is correct, whether your throw is directional and complete, whether your follow-through is proper, and whether your body position during deployment is stable. Any weakness in your deployment technique that was tolerable in earlier stages may be flagged for additional practice before you can progress.
Remember that a deployment from an unstable orientation is a serious deficiency. If you are in the middle of a turn when deployment altitude arrives, complete the turn to a stable orientation before reaching for your pilot chute. Never rush deployment for the sake of demonstrating the skill at a specific altitude — stability and correctness are always more important than timing.
The Debrief and Evaluation
The Stage 7 debrief is more comprehensive than any previous stage. Your instructors will review every element of the jump in detail, using the video footage as the objective record of what happened. They will note every skill that met standard, every skill that needs work, and will make a determination about whether you are ready to progress to the mandatory solo jump requirement.
If your instructors determine that you need additional practice — either repeating Stage 7 or practicing specific skills in earlier stages — accept this feedback gracefully. The Stage 7 evaluation exists precisely to catch any remaining gaps before you are licensed to jump independently. The consequences of being turned loose before you are ready are severe, potentially fatal, and irreversible.
If you pass Stage 7, you will typically be scheduled for your first true solo jump — a jump from 3,500 feet with no instructors in the sky with you at all. This is the final requirement of the AFF program before you can apply for your A license. The solo jump is typically uneventful — you have already demonstrated all the skills you need — but it carries enormous psychological weight as the moment you transition from student to skydiver.
After AFF: The A-License Requirements
Completing AFF Stage 7 and the subsequent solo jump is not the end of training — it is the beginning. To earn your A license, you must complete additional requirements including a minimum number of jumps (typically 25 to 30 total jumps including AFF and solo jumps), a solo landing requirement under instructor observation, and satisfactory completion of a USPA A-license proficiency card.
The A license qualifies you to jump at any drop zone in the world with a valid license and current currency. Currency requirements — typically a minimum of one jump every 30 or 60 days — apply to ensure that license holders maintain their skills. After earning your A license, you can begin learning more advanced disciplines like formation skydiving, canopy formation, and accuracy landing.
The journey from A license through B, C, and D licenses represents years of progressive skill development. Each license level opens new capabilities — larger, faster canopies; higher altitudes; more complex freefall maneuvers; and eventually, the ability to coach and instruct other skydivers. AFF is just the first step in what can become a lifelong pursuit of mastery in one of the most extraordinary sports on Earth.