Announcing THE book on airshow flying

Cheers for that, EDR, but what are the corresponding points you match on
each airplane? I'm not sure I understand the relationships from what you
wrote.

Shawn
"EDR" wrote in message
...

Just out of curiousity, do you have any formation time in Pitts
Specials?
If so, what do you use as visual references in echelon to keep your
position? We've gotten some conflicting advice about the best position.

Hi Shawn, when flying formation, it is important to keepy your eyes
moving to detect relative motion. Stare at any one point and and you
may get sucked in to your leader.

Try this:
- wingtip on your side
- bottom rear corner of the canopy on your side
- tailwheel

Keep your eyes moving to these three points in order.
If the position of the object changes, you have relative motion and
must correct to put the object back in its original poition.

In article ,
ShawnD2112 wrote:


Not certain what you mean when you say "match on each airplane".
There only one leader.
The wingman (#2) looks at the flight lead aircraft (#1) in the manner I
described, eyes moving from wingtip to canopy to tailwheel to wingtip,
etc.
When the wingman is flying in an echelon position, his head is kept
still, and the position of each of the three focus points will appear
in a specific place on the wingman's canopy/window/windscreen. (Maybe
the wingtip is by the bugsplat, the canopy is by a scratch and the
tailwheel appears by another scratch.)
As you fly, you will notice that the relative position of each of the
focus points with respect to their reference on the your canopy, will
move slightly.
If everything is spreading out, you are moving closer to the leader.
If everything is shrinking inward, you are moving away.
You control your position relative to your leader by keeping all the
focus points in the same place in reference to your canopy for a given
distance from the leader.

Also, more important than a working radio, is preflight briefing.
Somewhere, I have a formation briefing card file. I will find it and
send it to you. It is a pdf designed to fit on a 5x8 inch card that
fits nicely on a kneeboard.

Flying formation is not something Dudley nor I can put in a brief
posting. There is alot to it.

Lead is responsible for the safety of the flight. The lead must make
all changes slowly and smoothly. For each throttle change the lead
makes, the wing will make three.

There is not alot written that is freely available. I haven't been to
one of the new formation seminars, I was flying formation before that
was required. I don't know what they have now, but the original T-34
groups $5 formation flying handbook was useless. The US Navy T-34C
manual has an excellent chapter on formation flying. The best civilian
book that contains information on formation flying is a book call,
"EVERY MAN A TIGER". I purchased it at the USAF Museum over 20 years
ago.

Cheers for that, EDR, but what are the corresponding points you match on
each airplane? I'm not sure I understand the relationships from what you
wrote.
Shawn

"EDR" wrote in message
...

Just out of curiousity, do you have any formation time in Pitts
Specials?
If so, what do you use as visual references in echelon to keep your
position? We've gotten some conflicting advice about the best position.

Hi Shawn, when flying formation, it is important to keepy your eyes
moving to detect relative motion. Stare at any one point and and you
may get sucked in to your leader.

Try this:
- wingtip on your side
- bottom rear corner of the canopy on your side
- tailwheel

Keep your eyes moving to these three points in order.
If the position of the object changes, you have relative motion and
must correct to put the object back in its original poition.