Formation Without Perspiration

In fact, most of the assignment was easy. The T-38 ride came at the end of the third day, and that was obviously the highlight of the trip. I had recently completed an article on the F-15 Eagle at Nellis AFB, Nev., and the Air Force had been pleased with the result, so they authorized two instructors in a pair of T-38s to fly on my pseudo training mission. Your tax dollars at work.

About halfway through our flight, I asked if we could do a little tail chasing, and the two instructors eagerly agreed. At the time, I had flown about 200 air-to-air sessions for this and other magazines, and I deluded myself into thinking I was pretty good at it. Of course, my airplanes had all been general aviation singles, twins and turboprops, nothing in the performance class of the T-38, affectionately known as the Little White Rocket. I knew ACM (air combat maneuvering) in the T-38 would be far more aggressive.

It was. I fell back into lead's seven o'clock position, roughly 30 feet left and behind, and my pilot counted down from five to zero. I thought I was ready for an extreme maneuver, but I wasn't even remotely prepared for what came next. At the count of zero, the leader rolled hard right so fast he seemed to practically disappear before I had a chance to even move the stick.

I could almost hear my pilot smiling into his oxygen mask, "We do things a little quicker here at Reese," he said.

Back on the ground, the lead pilot said he had pulled about seven Gs in the turnaway, the limit on the T-38.

Fortunately, general aviation formation flying is considerably less demanding. In fact, forming up in a loose flight of two is extremely easy, if you follow a few simple rules. There are a few flight schools around the U.S. that teach formation flying, but by definition, they're fairly expensive. Learning the skill demands a minimum of two airplanes of comparable performance.

For those learning formation on their own, don't worry about the legality of your first formation attempt as long as the weather is appropriate, the airspace is clear, both airplanes are in good shape and the pilots are in agreement as to who will do what and when. Good two-way radio contact is mandatory for beginning formation flyers. Don't even think about launching a formation flight without good radio contact, so everyone knows what's coming next.

High wing versus low wing isn't normally a major problem, though its always best if the high-wing airplane flies lead since the wingman will be below him. If a high wing must fly on a low-wing leader, he'll want to maintain a slightly higher station, to let lead keep him in sight. Once again, when both pilots become proficient at formation, lead won't be looking back at his wingman.

Ideally, launch your flight as close to the middle of the day as possible, so the light source will be high, and no one will have the sun in his eyes. Photo formation sometimes demands a low sun, but it's not necessary for practicing formation flights.

Regardless of whether you're departing a controlled airport or an uncontrolled runway, try to keep the leader in sight during the departure and climbout. If you're flying from a controlled airport with a tower, ask the controller for a sequential release so the wingman can depart directly behind the leader without any aircraft in between.

No matter how good you think you are, formation takeoffs aren't a good idea unless you have military experience (in which case, you probably won't need to read this article, anyway.) The question becomes academic at many controlled airports, as local authorities often forbid any form of formation departure.

You may have to wait a few minutes for a hole in traffic that will allow release of two aircraft, but it's worth it to avoid having to poke around looking for each other in the sky. Keep the leader in sight at all times, but if for some reason you do lose visual contact, agree to meet over a given checkpoint at a specified altitude.

Lead will always reach his altitude first, so he should plan to reduce power to perhaps 45% or less to help the wingman catch up. If you're flying wing and aren't catching lead, ask him to make a few standard rate S-turns, always returning to the primary heading. This will allow you to turn inside his arc and catch up quicker.

Don't consider any plan that suggests, "Let's meet over the VOR at 4:30 at 5,500 feet." A VOR, NDB or other navaid is the worst possible place to meet. Cross-country traffic may be using that checkpoint for transition through the airspace, and that's no place to be looking for your formation buddy.

Conversely, be aware that's it's a very big sky, and you may be surprised how difficult it can be to spot another airplane at "5,500 feet circling over the big, red barn."

Don't be in a hurry on the form-up, though the join will depend partially on the drag profile of the wingman's airplane. I once flew a TV air-to-air session in a Bellanca Super Decathlon, flying rolls, loops and hammerheads; then rejoining for some closeups. The Super was a wonderful acro trainer, but its drag profile was fairly high. I found I could fly forward to practically a line abreast position, chop throttle and practically match the camera ship's speed in place.

Normally, however, be advised that what looks like a fairly slow overtake from a mile back suddenly becomes very quick when you're only 100 yards behind. Better to take your time and ease into position, rather than expect to fly up and stop in place. If you're having trouble catching lead, ask him to throttle back a little. Graduate your rate of overtake so you can slip into position easily.

You'll discover later in formation flying that it's sometimes easier to fly a precise position in close than farther out, but plan to start off at least five single wingspans away from the leader. On most general aviation aircraft with spans of 30 to 40 feet, half of that is 20 feet, so you should consider stepping into position 100 feet out. That's plenty close for your first experience.

It's important that the airplanes be evenly matched in performance. (Given no other choice, I once flew an air-to-air photo session in a Citation, flying on a Skyhawk photo ship over Sedona, Ariz., and that was probably the least fun I've had in an airplane in the last 50 years.) Mooneys, Bonanzas, Comanches, Malibus, Centurions and other models in the 150- to 170-knot class do well with each other. Similarly, Skyhawks, Cardinals, Warriors, Archers, Tigers and similar 110- to 125-knot types also are usually harmonious.

You'll make the task more comfortable if the lead airplane flies a target indicated airspeed 15 to 20 knots below max cruise, perhaps 130 knots for the retractables and 110 knots for slower, fixed-gear models. This isn't a race, and those speeds should guarantee good control response and good overtake with reasonable stability.

Altitude is pretty much your choice, but smooth air and uncongested airspace are the ideal. It's important to stay as far from other traffic as possible, as formation flights always seem to attract looky-loos who'll sometimes want to join in the fun.

The most comfortable formation position is left echelon, with the wingman stepped back and slightly down for easier visibility. Two other common formations are line abreast/side by side, and line astern/aircraft nose to tail. The latter two are slightly more difficult to fly, so stick to echelon in the beginning. There's no wake to worry about, as there may be with line astern.

The usual rule in a two-plane formation is that lead looks for traffic and advises his playmate of any possible conflict while the wingman concentrates on simply holding the desired formation position.

In other words, perhaps contrary to what some folks believe, the leader has major responsibilities during formation flight. He's charged with finding smooth air (if possible), making any maneuvers slow and gentle with plenty of warning to the wingman, looking for traffic and keeping speed at a reasonable number. Any climb or descent also needs to be slow and deliberate. The whole idea is to keep any maneuvers as unhurried as possible. If you haven't flown formation before, merely holding a straight-and-level station will be challenging enough.

Since most general aviation airplanes seat the pilot on the left, the wingman should probably form up on the left side of lead so the pilots can keep an eye on one another. Later, when everyone is comfortable with standard formation, the leader should be able to concentrate on flying his position and not having to monitor his wingman. (That's one reason most military fighter aircraft seat their two-man flight crews in tandem rather than side by side. A fighter pilot flying wing can fly left or right echelon with few restrictions to visibility.)

Lead can make everyone's job easier by announcing well in advance what he plans to do so wing can prepare for the maneuver. During photo formation, we use the five-second rule. If lead wants to turn left or right to a new heading for a better sun line, he should announce, "Turning left in five seconds," and give his wingman the chance to say, "No turn," if he's not ready. Even a gently banked heading change will cause the inside airplane to fly a tighter circle at a slightly reduced speed, so if the wingman is flying slightly out of position, more in line abreast, he'll have more trouble adapting to a left turn.

Conversely, if he's flying farther aft, and the turn goes away from him, he'll have to work harder and use more power to catch up.

Don't be afraid to apply whatever throttle is necessary to hold position. If you have speed brakes, by all means use them to help you decelerate when you're too fast. I once flew with the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds in their little, two-seat, side-by-side Canadair Tudors, and the airplane's large speed brakes, mounted on both sides of the aft fuselage, had been modified to deflect fully in about a second. With nine airplanes in the full formation, the Snowbird pilots were experts at rejoins, and their ability to tuck all Tudors into tight formation was a joy to behold.

You can trade lead back and forth by flying out wide at the same altitude and powering past the lead as soon as he says he has you in sight. When you've assumed lead, you should announce, "I have the lead," and it's your playmate's turn to fly on you.

Just remember the cardinal rule of formation flight: The wingman always keeps his leader in sight. If wing loses the leader, he should announce, roll away in a safe direction (usually left) and start the process all over.