The Keys to Formation Flying?

[Bajora]

I watched several very competent pilots do an amazingly good job of flying their models in formation this past weekend. Almost all of us have at one time or another thought, or verbalized: "Wouldn't it be cool to fly our models in a tight formation?!". Any of us who have tried it KNOW it is not as easy as it looks. So I am curious what you'all here think are the keys to doing it successfully?

Here are a few photos I shot while I watched. If you have any cool formation photos to share, please add them to the thread.



A pair of FlightLineRC P-38s! (Rob and Vic)



An E-Flite 1.2m Corsair chases down a FlightLineRC P-38. (Tony and Vic)



An E-flite 1.2M Corsair and a FlightLineRC Sea Fury mix it up. (Tony and Alpha)

[xplaneguy]

Competent/skilled pilots, a solid flight plan, good communication throughout the flight, maintaining safe separation, good situational awareness and outstanding depth perception all help. :)

[Bajora]

Tnx Tony ... Your last item mentioned is probably why I am not that great at it! :)

[fhhuber]

Lead plane flies the path... second+ chase and maintain some blue between the planes.

Spotters help (always) by warning of other stuff in the air.

Lead has to be the most predictable guy in the attempt.

[Alpha]

Planning beforehand is very helpful. Make a flightplan, discuss the pattern, number of flat passes, number of low passes, which maneuvers, etc.

During the flight, communication is key. When we fly formation, typically one person calls the shots.

Flying formation with multiples of the same size aircraft is easier than flying differently sized aircraft. Seeing all the same size plane in a turn, for example, helps you gauge relative distance and depth, because you know that they should all be the same size and that's what your fingers are trying to make happen.

When I lead, I like to call out countdowns, especially during turns or reaching certain waypoints. For example, turning downwind to base to final, I'll say something like "Shallow turn here, half power. Level in three, two, one, level out." This gives the other pilots notice of when they need to level out, and we all do so in sync. I'll also count out distance to the camera with something like "Over the runway in five, four, three, two, one". This gives pilots time to tighten up for the camera pass, which typically occurs as we're crossing the runway threshold.

[PappaBear]

Personally I have never tried formation flying. I have friends in the UK that have and some are very good at it. I read an article the other day about it actually. If you want to see the article yourself. Its in February edition of Model Airplane News on page 106. Its an RC model flying formation with a full size.

Martin

[crxmanpat]

I've flown formation with Tony a few times. I like him to take the lead as he is very good about calling out turns and throttle settings. Always a blast to see two or more planes in formation.

One of the best I ever saw though were Andy (falcon5) and Brent (corsair nut) flying formation at Ace In The Hole 2013 in Vegas. Andy was flying his large scratch A-4 in Blue Angels colors, and Brent was flying his large scratch T-38. They did this a couple times, and it was simply amazing!

[xviper]

Somebody leads (usually a decent flyer), flies sedately and predictably, calls out all the maneuvers. Everybody else follows like elephants in the circus (except no touching), do not pass if at all possible. It helps (but not necessary) if everyone has a similar plane. Easiest when sailplanes are involved and everyone has telemetry (for altitude) - slow and floaty, no motors running, nobody gets a body part chopped off and collisions are usually gentle and recoverable. Then powered formation flying becomes much easier.

[Alpha]

One of the best I ever saw though were Andy (falcon5) and Brent (corsair nut) flying formation at Ace In The Hole 2013 in Vegas. Andy was flying his large scratch A-4 in Blue Angels colors, and Brent was flying his large scratch T-38. They did this a couple times, and it was simply amazing!

I wasn't there but I seem to remember seeing video of that formation flight? Andy brought his A-4 to Big Jolt that year as well, or was it the next year, I forget. But to look under the canopy and see all blue foam, especially on a model that size, is very impressive. Down to the high AoA nose strut.

[Shirty]

Pretty much what everyone has said. Have a lead who calls the shots, and it's up to trail to match. If you are just starting out wth formation flying, just try having the lead fly around in a big rectangle pattern, with a fixed throttle setting and fixed altitude, and get trail to practice matching. Then swap. As you get a better feel for it, you can start planning more advanced stuff. :)

[Bajora]

The flight I wanted to see was the one Tony and Alpha talked about doing with the two Allied Green P38s ... In formation but with one inverted! Would have loved to shoot THAT photo. :)

[Alpha]

April 9, it's happening! I still have Tony's receiver in my greenie. We should have at least six there... The fun bit will be convincing two other P-38 pilots to stay level while both Tony and I invert over them. THAT's the shot you want!

[OV10]

Speaking of that, last year myself and another very accomplished pilot in the club did the infamous "Danger Zone" flight right from good ol' Top Gun scene where they were in inverted over the Mig(which was really an F5). We were using 2 FMS 1400 T-28 for this maneuver however but still a neat event. I entered the runway inverted about 40' AGL and set the pace and he come in under me with about 10' of separation. Made two circuits like that and ended up being the talk of the day.

[xplaneguy]

Oh yeah.....fun with foam! :)

[AceMigKiller]

Know yourself, know what equipment is capable of, and have both trust and confidence in your buddies' abilities.
Having a plan is good, but rarely do they "work out" and you'll end up falling back on all that.

Some other key points to mention:

- The "best" pilot doesn't always need to take lead. It is invaluable to have a solid and predictable leader that can bring the team together.

- A "slot" or "trail" position is often more work, as far as flying goes, than being lead. Being in that spot makes you ultimately responsible for how tight and clean the flight looks! All those minor speed, altitude, and heading corrections... etc.

- Communication is key. I've seen a lot of people get in to trouble by not talking enough, or not talking clearly; on the other hand, talking too much can also screw you up!
Keep everything clear and understandable. I talk a lot of slang when flying formation with some of my buddies, but we've also been doing it for over 10 years and know what we're talking about.

- Last, but certainly not least, is maintaining situational awareness. That means knowing where everyone in your flight is and what's coming up next.
You absolutely need to know where the other guys are in order to judge your corrections, closure rate, etc. Also, If you can't predict what's about to happen in the next 2-3 seconds, you're probably way behind the formation and about to cause a problem...

Worst case scenario, if you feel uncomfortable, unsure of what's going on, in fear of adequate separation or some other hazard, call it out and *BREAK AWAY!*
You can always regroup and try it again. You can't regroup and try it again if you and/or your buddy crashes! :p
It's definitely not the easiest thing to do, especially with high performance aircraft. The more you practice it the better you'll get at it.

Semi off topic, but a rather odd observation I made a while back --- I get more nervous flying formation RC than I ever did doing it full-scale! :D

Vic

Here's a video from a few years back at LA Jets.

https://youtu.be/gnoSlOXzIAY