All procedures are GENERALIZED.
Fly the maneuver in accordance with the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH)
and/or current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Advantages:
- Provides good visual communication between aircraft, making it easier for the lead to maintain positive control
- Minimum use of airspace
- Presents a professional military appearance
Disadvantages:
- Less maneuverable than a single aircraft or a tactical formation
- The wingman constantly adjusts power, which results in fatigue and higher fuel consumption
- It restricts the wingman's lookout doctrine
Relative Motion:
- As wing, attempt to "zero out" motion
- Scan the entire aircraft, not just the key locations
- Elevator controls vertical movement
- Power controls fore and aft movement
- Aileron controls lateral movement
- When flying multi-plane forms, flying with increased lateral separation will reduce the relative motions making it easier to fly a smooth platform
Corrections:
- Corrections should be slight (as you gain experience you can do all 3 simultaneously)
- Corrections require 3 separate actions: ("3 part power corrections")
- Initiate movement toward the desired position
- Arrest the aircraft's momentum once the position has been achieved
- Maintain the desired position
- A: Step down
- B: Bearing
- C: Relative closeness
- Acute: forward of the bearing line
- Sucked: aft of the bearing line
- Can be with both power and aileron to maintain that bearing line
Balanced Parade:
- After joining up in echelon, three and four plane formations will normally be placed in balance parade formation
- Dash-2 will "auto balance"
- Dash-3 will step out until the exhaust nozzles on Dash-2 are flush
- This will leave enough space between Dash-3 and Lead for
Dash-2 to cross under into echelon - Turns:
- Dash-3 steps out opposite the formation of Dash-2, far enough back so that Dash-2's exhaust nozzles are flush, on lead's bearing line (bearing and step-down on lead, nose-to-tail off Dash-2)
- Dash-4 in parade on Dash-3
Fingertip Parade:
- When it is necessary to enter IFR conditions with a three or four plane formation, the lead will direct the flight to assume fingertip formation
- Dash-3 moves up directly opposite Dash-2 on lead into close parade on the lead
- All turns are instrument "welded wing" turns
Tips:
- Try not to over control the aircraft
- Trim the aircraft
- Brace your forearm on your knee board (rudders set back to provide higher knees)
- Relax! Try wiggling your fingers and toes - it's magic, it works!
- Control your breathing
- Walk the throttles and use small movements of the stick
- If you start to PIO, don't fix it all at once; stop the PIO then move back into position
- Scan lead, front to back, continuously
- Bring up the HUD on the DDI closest to lead to judge relative attitude
Conclusion:
- Consider practicing maneuvers on a flight simulator to introduce yourself to maneuvers or knock off rust
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