I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, basic movement - stable freefall, turns, dives etc only takes a few minutes to get the hang of - most Accelerated Free Fall courses will get someone basic control in 7-15 jumps, with less than 60s free fall per jump. The main limiting factor is cost - freefall is flippin expensive in terms of £/second unless you use one of those indoor turbine things.
Don't forget you have to voluntarily and for no other reason than the desire to have some fun, throw yourself out of an aeroplane... beyond most people IME
Have you ever made yourself stable after being thrown out in a ball? Not as easy as you might think, but rather essential...
The risk of sensory overload at the time to dump your pilot chute to open is high... hence AFF jumps they hold on to you until you can prove you;re capable
When I was doing it, it was £17 a jump. Plenty of regular skydivers are not high earners... only AFF and tandem cost a lot - to cover the insurance I believe. Once you're packing for yourself, the only costs you have to cover are your share of the fuel and the lease on the plane
cynic-al - I was quoting from the link - Geoffrey Robson was studying for a phD in wingsuits. He was giving a presentation after his fellow jumper/teacher(?) got killed. If you go on to finish the page the presenter himself is now dead trying the same jump - misjudged the ground by 2m. 🙁
