Formation Flying

[dmccormack]

I had to ferry a Model 35 Bonanza to repair shop last week. The owner flew the A36 slightly behind, above, and to the right and I realized that was the closest I've been to another airplane in cruise.

The A36 was about 1/2 mile away but it sure seemed close! I told him before we took off we weren't going to do "formation flying" (I don't trust his straight and level skills that much and neither of us had formation flying training).

We used air-to-air freq to communicate (I had to use a handheld -- no electric power) and it worked well.

It's really quite a sight to watch another airplane in flight -- especially a retractable (the only time you see it wheels up is a few hundred feet AGL from the ground).

At some point I'll add a formation flying class to my logbook, but that can wait for some higher priority stuff.

But it's still pretty cool!

 

[poadeleted20]

Speaking as an FFI-certified formation flight lead with a bunch of military fighter experience, if the other airplane "sure seemed close," you were doing a formation flight whether you thought you were or not. Even 3000 feet of separation can disappear faster than you'd believe in planes moving over 300 feet per second, especially if you haven't been trained how to tell when closure is starting (see Alton Marsh's article, below).

For anyone contemplating formation flying without formation training, I strongly urge you to read how fast it can all go bad as well as good advice in the following articles:

http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/1996/near_miss9611.html
http://www.avweb.com/news/airman/184315-1.html
http://www.aopa.org/members/ftmag/article.cfm?article=571
http://www.aopa.org/members/ftmag/article.cfm?article=6170
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2001/prof0101.html
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2002/fast0201.html
http://www.aopa.org/asf/asfarticles/2001/sp0107.html

If you're interested in learning this skill, there are several sources for the training through either FAST (for warbirds) or FFI (for other light planes). Most training is conducted through type clubs, since dissimilar formation is an advanced art. You can reach FFI at:

Stu McCurdy
Formation Flying, Inc.
3509 Gattis School Road
Round Rock, Texas 78664

If you fly a Grumman (AA-1/5-type), a formation clinic that will help you towards FFI certification is scheduled for June in Indiana -- see
http://www.setterberglaw.com/formation/ for more information.

 

[dmccormack]

Speaking as an FFI-certified formation flight lead with a bunch of military fighter experience, if the other airplane "sure seemed close," you were doing a formation flight whether you thought you were or not. Even 3000 feet of separation can disappear faster than you'd believe in planes moving over 300 feet per second, especially if you haven't been trained how to tell when closure is starting (see Alton Marsh's article, below).

It did seem close, but I had as much separation from the accompanying traffic as I normally do in a pattern ( a bit less than a mile). The difference was that instead of passing each other, our tracks were parallel, so there was time for a look.

I agree wholeheartedly that formation flying is a learned skill. As a Tank Platoon leader I drilled formations constantly, and it usually took a while before things were flawless and regularly predictable.

Tanks use the wingman concept as well, and if you tossed in a new Tank Commander, the learning process started all over again. The members of the team have to sense each other's moods, moves, and hiccups.

 

[write-stuff]

We did an interview with Greg Bitzer on the radio show last week and discussed formation flying he's done with TEAM RV. You can download it at:
www.GoldSealLive.com if you're interested in learning more about formation flight.

Cessnas2Oshkosh is conducting formation flying clinics right now in preparation for their mass fly-in on July 26. More about that in the Library of www.172guide.com if you want the details.