- The purpose of a cross-under is to move the Wing from the parade position on one side of lead to the other
- Cross unders may be used to:
- Minimize Wing's exposure to sun
- Area management
- Breakup and rendezvous
- Returning to the airfield (overhead maneuver)
- The maneuver is performed slowly to control movement, and should be not be performed faster than a walking pace
- There are two methods to perform this maneuver, the box, and the V
- Throttles control nose-to-tail
- Nose controls step-down
- Angle of bank controls crossing rate
- All corrections should be "3 part power corrections"
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Cross-under Signal
- LEAD: Check the wingman is in position and the area is clear
- LEAD: Give the cross-under signal
- The cross-under signal is a fist held vertically [Figure 1]
- WING: Acknowledge receipt of the signal with a head-nod
- WING: Simultaneously reduce the power slightly and pitch down to increase step-down
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- Simultaneously add power and increase pitch to maneuver back into parade position
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- Complete the other side of the V, simultaneously adding power and increasing pitch to move back into parade position
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Cross-under Signal
- 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
- Formation maneuvers are unfamiliar to most in general aviation, requiring in-depth preflight briefing, communication, and practice
- Do NOT treat these maneuvers haphazardly as the risk of mid-aid collision is clearly greater
- Maneuvers should always be practiced with an instructor experienced in formation flight before attempting
- Consider practicing maneuvers on a flight simulator to introduce yourself to maneuvers or knock off rust
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