Formation Flying

Parade position 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

• 

Parade Position 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

Cross-under Mechanics

• Throttles control nose-to-tail
• Nose controls step-down
• Angle of bank controls crossing rate
• All corrections should be "3 part power corrections"

Cross-under Procedure

1. 

2. 
   WARNING:
   All procedures are GENERALIZED.
   Use the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) procedures for specific aircraft performance and limitations.
   and/or current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
3. LEAD: Check the wingman is in position and the area is clear
4. LEAD: Give the cross-under signal
   • The cross-under signal is a fist held vertically [Figure 1]
5. WING: Acknowledge receipt of the signal with a head-nod
6. WING: Simultaneously reduce the power slightly and pitch down to increase step-down

7. Perform the Step-down:

   • Box Method:

     • Move straight back and down to achieve 10' of nose-to-tail and 15' of vertical separation
     • If the horizontal stabilizer is swept, you will be looking roughly down the leading edge
     • If the horizontal stabilizer is straight, you will be looking at the forward tip of the stabilizer moving toward the trailing edge of the wing
     • Add power to stabilize in position

   • V-Method:

     • Move back at an angle while descending to establish 10' of nose-to-tail and 15' of vertical separation, established in column behind lead
     • Add power to stabilize in position

8. Perform the Cross-under:

   • Box Method:

     • Simultaneously add power while increasing bank angle to move laterally to the same position, but on the other side of lead
     • Wing must achieve a controlled move to the other side of lead without disturbing the nose-to-tail clearance
       • Wings nose should never be under leads tail, EVER
       • Project yourself outside of leads wingtip to avoid driving too close
     • Add power to stabilize in the stepped-down position
     • Visual cues will remain the same as on the other side of lead

   • V Method:

     • N/A

9. Return to Parade Position:

   • Box Method:

     • Simultaneously add power and increase pitch to maneuver back into parade position

   • V Method:

     • Complete the other side of the V, simultaneously adding power and increasing pitch to move back into parade position

10. 

Cross-under Common Errors

• Failure to observer/recognize the cross-under signal given by lead
• Excessive control inputs
• Not applying power early enough to prevent excessive drift aft of lead

Aircraft Checks

• While in the marshall/run-up area, the formation will perform aircraft checks whereby each pilot reviews the aircraft to their left/right
• Checks include:
  • Taxi light on (day); off (night)
  • Nose wheel straight
  • Safety pins removed
  • No fluids leaking
  • Panels all closed
  • Flaps set for takeoff
  • Stabs trimmed for takeoff
  • Speed brake/spoilers retracted
• With checks complete, all aircraft will give the thumbs up to lead, and if outside of visual range (-4), report up on the internal frequency

Formation Takeoff Positioning

• Lead will normally take the downwind side of the runway
  • Downwind is preferred to mitigate wake turbulence for those that follow
  • If winds are calm, positioning does not matter
• If crosswind is not a factor (less than 10 knots) lead can take either side (usually the far side for jet blast on line up)
• Rule of Thumb: the windsock always points to the wingman (i.e. upwind)
• If IMC conditions are expected and winds are not a factor it may be desirable to place your wingman on the outside of the turn

• Section Positioning:

  • Each aircraft will take the center of their half of the runway

• Three-Plane/Division Light Positioning:

  • Lead downwind, -2 centerline and -3 on the upwind side
  • -2 will be on bearing but -3 will be acute (tactical banana)

• Division Positioning:

  • Same as three plane but -4 will wait until clear to take the runway if less than 200' wide

Takeoff Options

• Section Takeoff:

  • Section takeoffs are used to launch multiple aircraft quickly without the necessity for rendezvous post-takeoff, especially if a flight must be established on course quickly or if poor weather conditions prevail
    • Section takeoffs further mitigate FOD considerations, expedite departure, and establish mutual support
  • Lead will operate at slightly less power to give wing a power advantage
  • Throughout the maneuver, wing will maintain parade
  • When two sections are to begin takeoff roll from the same point on the runway, the second section must delay takeoff roll until 10 seconds after the first section starts the takeoff roll
    • When 2,000' of runway separation exists at the beginning of takeoff roll, use a 5-second delay instead of 10 seconds
  • Differences in flying characteristics, especially stall speeds because of gross weight and/or configuration, and atmospherics like crosswind velocity shall be considered
  • Similar configurations are required
  • The inidivdual pilot is still responsible for aircraft limitations such as gear and flaps; fall back and take control if needed
  • Section takeoffs are not performed if: the maximum crosswind component, temperature, takeoff roll, or significant difference in gross weight exceeds acceptable limits
  • "Give me some" called by wing instructs lead to reduce power slightly
  • "Power" called by wing instructs lead to increase power slightly
  • Early lift-off by the wingman creates a less than ideal situation due to:
    • Low altitude
    • Step up on the lead
    • Difficulty in keeping sight
  • Leads impending rotation can be predicted by:
    • Lead's stab deflection increasing
    • Lead's nose strut beginning to extend
    • Lead's nose gear (and perhaps main gear) leaving the runway

• Interval Takeoff:

  • If situations permit a section or simo takeoff for FOD considerations
  • Done to provide sufficient separation between aircraft on the takeoff roll so the trail aircraft can safely stop if the aircraft ahead aborts
  • Used any time the winds are out of limits or when more than two aircraft are on the runway together
  • Recommended minimum widths:
    • 3-plane: 150'
    • 4-plane: 200'
• Simultaneous (Simo) takeoff (dual runways): For FOD and abort considerations

Interval Takeoff Procedure

• Essentially, execute a normal takeoff with delay (5-10 seconds depending on standard operating procedure)
• After all aircraft are lined up on the runway a thumbs up will be passed through to lead
• Lead will give the run-up signal
• Run up to 80% as normal
• Check engine instruments and perform a wipeout as normal
• Check adjacent aircraft are ready for takeoff
• You will give each other a thumbs up
• When everyone is set for takeoff, -2 will give a thumbs up to lead
• Lead will give the kiss off signal and execute own takeoff
• The entire flight will remain at 80%
• 5-10 seconds after the aircraft in front of you has rolled - begin your takeoff
• Safely airborne, raise the gear and flaps and stabilize
• Lead will be ~90% to facilitate join-up
• Last aircraft may taxi onto the runway when lead or -3 has begun their roll and there is no potential for jet blast or FOD
• Dash last shall report "Dash [#], airborne" on frequency

Simultaneous Takeoff

• Simultaneous takeoff procedures (dual runways) is nearly identical to interval takeoffs
• Use of radio will be necessary to substitute coordination otherwise conducted with hand/arm signals

Formation Takeoff Tips

• Resists the temptation to point at lead during the initial climbout
• Rendezvous are most efficient if you accelerate to the briefed rendezvous speed and then raise the nose to maintain this speed at full power

Night Considerations

• Wing taxi lights should be off