The majority of ab initio instruction and modern-day best practice emphasises the need to keep away from other traffic. It is therefore no surprise to find pilots flying formation for the first time to be nervous of close proximity to other aircraft – even though we do it naturally in cars on a busy motorway!
An essential element of all training sorties is to have a comprehensive and clearly understood briefing. Exactly what is supposed to happen, the formation elements to be practiced, the safety clearances needed and escape pathways (in case you need to move away quickly to avoid conflict). The big difference from flying by yourself is not looking where you are going but instead your focus is almost entirely on the lead aircraft. This is where the trust quotient is at its highest.
Safe formation flying demands complete faith in your team-mate’s ability and personality. The other priority is practicing together, on a regular basis, if possible. Do all the thinking on the ground first. A complete walk-through of the sortie really helps to clarify the task ahead, so ignore all the onlookers who think you’re behaving strangely! There is no deeper sinking feeling than losing the plot when airborne or losing sight of the lead aircraft. Easily done when the horizon is at strange angles that you are not paying attention to!
When two or more pilots come to me for instruction in the art of safe, precision formation flying it is important that each student has a one-to-one trainer. This can be achieved with professionals from Ultimate Aerobatics, usually from their base at White Waltham. If this isn’t practical then other options can be explored.
Formations are a common feature of air displays and can only be undertaken with an established team of pilots who have practiced thoroughly. As a Display Authorising Evaluator on behalf of the CAA, I can mentor and authorise formations, normally up to a maximum of four.
I have sometimes mentored larger balbo type formations, where section leaders are nominated and work together. A recent example is Club Fournier International where ten examples of type – the Fournier RF4 – fly together to form special shapes for flypast ceremonies.
What’s involved:
A typical training syllabus might cover the following mix of classroom and cockpit coaching and can be spread over a timeframe that works for you: