| by |
Jennifer Whitley |
| Photographs by Jennifer Whitley
|
Every
student pilot has heard the admonition to "keep your eyes outside."
When we're flying VFR, we're told, at least 70 percent of our time should be
spent looking outside the airplane. One of my instructors once referred to me
as "human TCAS," and I'm still proud of my ability to spot traffic
and otherwise ensure plenty of separation from those with whom I share the
skies. Apart from a couple of interesting pattern maneuvers with NORDO pilots
who obviously hadn't checked the windsock, I hadn't ever gotten very close to
an airplane in flight, and I thought I liked it that way.
I didn't know what I was missing.
The Art Of Formation Flying
Turns out there are a lot of folks out there who quite enjoy getting up
close and personal with other airplanes. Formation flying demands an
exceptionally high level of pilot skill; it's demanding, disciplined,
rewarding, and a lot of fun … come to think of it, it's all about why many
of us learned to fly in the first place.
If you want to fly formation, you must first adhere to the FARs and do so
"by arrangement with the pilot in command of each aircraft in the
formation" (FAR 91.111 (b)). You should also have excellent
stick-and-rudder skills, a high level of flight discipline, and the ability to
place trust in your leader. Specific training from an experienced instructor
is highly recommended (more on that later). And when you and your team attain
sufficient grace that you want to share your skill with an air show audience,
you must be evaluated and approved by Formation Flying Inc. (FFI), the
FAA-sanctioned issuer of non-aerobatic, non-warbird formation-flying
credentials.
A Little History...
FFI's
story begins in 1997, when the FAA began requiring local Flight Standards
District Offices to include, in their air show approvals, a stipulation that
anyone participating in non-aerobatic formation flight during an air show
possess a training and evaluation credential acceptable to the FAA. The
Formation and Safety Team (FAST), an organization of warbird groups, had
developed FAA-approved credentials, but FAST was recognized by the FAA as a
warbird-only organization. The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS),
which still issues aerobatic formation cards, terminated the issuance of
non-aerobatic cards in 1998 as not appropriate to their core mission.
Suddenly, a large and diverse group of competent formation flyers was left
without an agency to issue air show credentials.
And that left a man named Stu McCurdy who, in the best tradition of
grassroots general-aviation flying, saw a problem, rolled up his sleeves, and
went to work. A retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with over 30 years of
formation-flying experience in T-38s, F-4s and other aircraft, Stu is an RV-3
owner and is currently building an RV-8. If you were at EAA Airventure Oshkosh
in 1997, you may have seen him lead the 25-ship formation flight for Van's
Aircraft's 25th anniversary.
Working closely with the FAA, FAST and other organizations, Stu founded FFI
and developed a comprehensive evaluation guide, the FFI Formation Standards
and Proficiency Program. Patterned after the well-proven, FAA-approved FAST
program, FFI's program also has much in common with the Practical Test
Standards we all know and love: It clearly delineates areas of required
knowledge and competency for formation flyers, and spells out precisely what
constitutes qualified and unqualified performance. On April 21, 1999, the FAA
approved FFI as the issuer of non-aerobatic, non-warbird formation-flying
credentials. Its stated mission is "to provide standards for formation
training and flying, a system for proficiency evaluation, and a method for
monitoring currency."
...Going Flying!
I
was privileged to observe FFI's work firsthand, thanks to my friend Bill Gunn,
the training director of the Texas DOT Aviation Division and an accomplished
pilot and RV-4 owner. Four other pilots — who, like Bill, were being
evaluated as wingmen for an FFI formation-flying card — joined me on a clear,
calm morning at Georgetown, Texas (GTU), to put their skills to the test.
Minimum qualifications for an FFI-approved wingman include a Private Pilot
certificate, 100 hours total time, 20 hours formation time, a current medical
and EAA membership, ten flights in a four-ship formation, recommendation by a
flight lead or check pilot ... and passing the FFI check ride. Naturally,
standards for flight leads are more extensive. Your FFI credential can be
reissued annually provided you maintain and document your currency: Wingmen,
for instance, must fly in a four-ship formation at least four times yearly.
First up was a thorough, hour-long preflight briefing. Stu, acting as both
check pilot and lead on this particular flight, briefed the team on every
aspect of the flight, from engine start to shutdown. Wingmen are evaluated on
eleven discrete areas of operation, flight leads on nine. Formation flyers are
expected to possess and demonstrate an understanding of the mechanics and
safety of every operation they might encounter, including hand and aircraft
signals, ground and radio operations, takeoffs, energy management, multiple
formations, configuration changes, landing procedures, and emergency
operations.
Satisfied that we were prepared for the flight, Stu released us to the
flight line, and I climbed in to the back seat of Bill's RV-4. It was a
beautiful day to fly. "Some people think this is really dangerous,"
Bill told me. "They say, 'I'd never do that in an airplane!' But you do
it every day driving down the highway."
We
took off in two-by-two formation and headed out to the practice area, where
Stu put us through the paces. We climbed, turned and descended in fingertip,
echelon, trail, and route formations, executing cross-unders, pitchouts and
rejoins. Breaking to an extended-trail formation, Bill let me take the ship
briefly, explaining that my task was to hold my position relative to the
aircraft beside me by keeping an element of its airframe (an aileron hinge,
for example) in precisely the same place in my visual field. Flight leads,
always experienced wingmen themselves, handle all navigation, communications,
and traffic scanning; they also plan and execute all maneuvers so as to make
things easy on their wingmen. Wingmen, well ... we look at aileron hinges.
It's an entirely different way to fly, I realized quickly; it is
exceptionally precise, and one in which trust in your partners is paramount.
(Of course good wingmen, like Bill, take the airplane back after a few minutes
of this!) After a few more maneuvers we decided to have a little fun, and
conducted barrel rolls and loops in extended trail, and a formation flyby over
a nearby airport; finally we descended to our home base. After a solid
debriefing, including a critique of performance and lessons learned, the
members of the team became the proud recipients of FFI's formation-flying
cards.
Wanna Try?
Formation
flying is a challenging and rewarding addition to a pilot's repertoire,
provided that it is conducted with a hearty dose of flight discipline and a
respect for safety. In other words: Kids, don't try this at home without
appropriate training and preparation. Though the FARs are fairly quiet on the
issue of formation flight, NTSB accident reports are considerably more vocal,
particularly where impromptu formations are concerned. In one of the more
highly publicized incidents, a Piper Aerostar and a Bell 412 collided as the
helicopter maneuvered underneath the airplane to check a reported landing-gear
malfunction. After making a low pass by the tower (who reported the plane's
gear as extended), the Aerostar pilot accepted the Bell pilot's offer to join
up for a closer look. The Bell converged from the left rear, intending to pass
under and to the right of the Aerostar; moments later the aircraft collided
and crashed to the ground. The NTSB report notes that "none of the pilots
had training for flight in close proximity to another aircraft."
What's Involved In That Training?
First,
you should be very current in and confident of your stick-and-rudder skills.
(While the Practical Test Standards for the Private Pilot certificate allow
100 feet of altitude here and there, being 30 feet from another airplane is
not the time to take those liberties!) As Stu told me, "a pilot should
have the feeling he is strapping on his air machine to go fly, not climbing in
to go for a ride." Next, there's ground school — there are plenty of new
terms and procedures to learn in formation flight. FFI incorporates such
resources as the T-34 Association's "Formation Flight Manual,"
Darton's video "Formation Flying, The Art," and FAST training
materials. FFI, while not a training organization itself, can provide
suggestions on resources to get you started, and probably put you in touch
with an experienced instructor.
Finally — Flying!
Find an experienced formation instructor or clinic and practice, practice,
practice. The new formation wingman, working with a trusted and experienced
flight lead, starts out wide, perhaps a wingspan or two out, and works at
developing smooth control response. When any tendency to over-control is gone,
the pilot gradually moves in closer and actually "begins to work as an
extension of the flight lead's wing," Stu told me. As proficiency
increases, the type and complexity of formation maneuvers will gradually
increase. Stu concluded, "the pilot should always remember that for the
period he is flying formation on the wing, he gives total trust and dedication
to the leader. If he doesn't trust the leader, he should not be in the
formation."
See You At The Air Show!
In
addition to conducting evaluations for formation pilots, Stu also travels
throughout the country, performing with FFI card-holders at events like EAA
Airventure Oshkosh, Sun 'N Fun, Van's Aircraft Homecoming Fly-ins, the Texas
Independence Day Capital Flyover, and scores of regional air shows. He's also
building a database of formation-flying groups in the U.S., and requests that
all formation groups contact him via email
with your names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, name of the
formation, number and types of aircraft, and a summary of formation
experience. You can also send snail mail to:
Stu McCurdy
3509 Gattis School Road
Round Rock, Texas 78664
After my experience, I can only enthusiastically recommend formation flying
as a fun and challenging way to enhance your skills as a pilot. And when you
and your team decide to share your talents with an air show audience, drop Stu
a line and set up your FFI check ride. I'll be down on the flight line
watching, wishing I was up there with you!
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