Formation Flying Course

Thoughts on completing a formation flying course . . . due for
publication in our club newsletter
(Relevant photos can be seen at http://peterlewisdesign.web1000.com/pics/ )

Sunday morning, late winter, a time for a good sleep-in followed by a
late breakfast. Instead, I am in a Grumman trainer over the Hunua ranges
with someone else's wingtip in my face. How did I get here?
We have all seen flying displays at air shows, where several aircraft
swoop gracefully in formation, acting as one. It looks much more fun
than simply boring holes in the sky flying from A to B. Like a lot of
seductive ideas, its not that simple.
Firstly, the ground course. The major part of the session revolves
around explaining the hand signals involved. I don't know why they
bother. Surely we will start so far part that any hand signals will be
invisible. Then, the Grumman. I've never even sat in one. An hours dual
followed by three landings solo solves that part of the problem.
So now onto the real thing. A formation takeoff, two aircraft. We seem
to be close. Really close. I had hoped that we would start things off a
bit further apart, like a mile or two, and then work our way in. No such
luck. We are right there; I count the rivets in his aileron.
“You have control”, says the Instructor. Immediately, the other aircraft
shoots upwards fifty feet. How clumsy of him. “That's not him, its you”
I'm told. I chase. In fact, I spend the next 20 minutes chasing. I can
see why some of the military formation teams have flown into mountains,
one after the other. I have no idea where we are, what airspeed we are
doing, or what altitude we have. I'm totally fixated on lining up
against the other machine. It will be a relief when we change the lead
and he has to follow me.
Now we are the lead. I have to work out where we are, where we need to
go, and how to get there not just with one aircraft but with two,
maintaining exactly 1600ft and exactly 2250 rpm and remembering to hand
signal my intentions before any maneuvers. By the time we land, I'm
mentally drained. I haven't felt this wrung-out since pre-solo days.
In subsequent flights we work our way into three-ship and four-ship
formations, form vic, echelon and line astern patterns. And yes, it is
possible to see hand signals from the leader, though the occasional yelp
on the radio also helps sort things out.
Finally, the day when the Instructors walk away and we do this solo.
(Formation solo - is that possible?) We do a stream takeoff, one after
the other. Climb out and formate on the lead aircraft. It goes
reasonably well. A few turns, climb and descend, change formation and
back, maybe we have got the hang of this. Returning overhead the
airfield, aware that we are being inspected from below, I'm able to line
up across from the other wingman as well as maintain a bearing line on
the leader. From the downwind leg, time to break formation for a stream
landing. All down in one piece and no damage sustained.
I now have a whole new admiration for teams like the Red Arrows who not
only do this but perform aerobatics at the same time.