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Mooney Caravan Formation Clinic - Martinsburg, WV 5/17-5/19

Sled

By Sled
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Sled Apprentice

Sled

Posted
Posted
Greetings fellow Mooney pilots! Join an active and fun bunch of your fellow Mooney enthusiasts and arrive at EAA Airventure in Oshkosh in style by flying in the Mooney Caravan! If you live in the Northeast part of the country (or Southeast for our friends north of the border) then your first step is to attend this regional clinic in Martinsburg to teach yourself basic formation flying skills. This is not flight instruction but a forum in which after some basic ground school you fly your own airplane with an observer in the right seat as a safety pilot and mentor. The goal of the clinic is to enable you to acquire and demonstrate basic formation skills that are prerequisite for participation in the annual Mooney Caravan to Oshkosh. And...besides that, it is great fun and some of the most challenging and rewarding flying you will do.
 
It will be a blast of a weekend so even if you cannot make it to OSH this year, come out and join the fun. 
There's no formal registration, just give me an email or a phone call with your basics and any questions you may have.
You are on your own for hotel reservations but we will have a van for ground transport to/from the airport. 
 
All participants must download and become familiar with the basic 2-ship maneuvers described in the Mooney Caravan Formation Guide. Download it using the the link below and READ IT SEVERAL TIMES before arrival in Martinsburg. The ground school will be short and is attended as a review of this material and a forum for discussion and your questions. Attendees that are unfamiliar with this material will not fly close to other airplanes!
 
 
See you there!
 
- Adam "Sled"Carney
 
 
MOONEY FORMATION CLINIC - NORTHEAST REGION
 
 
Dates: May 15-17
Location: Martinsburg, WV (KMRB - Eastern WV Regional)
Contact: Adam Carney (adam@mooney27d.com)
 
Fee: $50 cash includes:
• Event Tee Shirt
• Pack of line up cards
• Coffee/Snacks Sat/Sun
• Lunch Sat
• Local Transportation (van)
• Incidentals
 
Registration Deadline: May 3
 
Please register with Adam Carney by email or phone
adam@mooney27d.com
732-433-7764
 
Specify tee-shirt size, arrival date (Friday or Saturday), type/model aircraft, time
in type, prior formation experience (if any) and name of co-pilot/passenger.
 
Hotel: Hampton Inn Martinsburg
975 Foxcroft Ave
Martinsburg, WV 25401
304-267-2900
 
FBO: Aero-Smith, Inc. 304-262-2507 / 800-550-2507
 
Schedule
 
Friday May 15
 
Arrive by 18:00
Group Dinner for early arrivals: TBD
 
Saturday May 16 Basic Training - 2 Ship
 
Basic Ground School: 08:30
Basic Training and Recurrent Training Sorties remainder of day
Debriefs & Lunch on Field
Group Dinner / Social near the hotel
 
Sunday May 17 Basic Training - 2 Ship
 
Basic and Recurrent Training 2-ship sorties
Mass Formation / Caravan Simulation TBD
Don Scorese Explorer

Don Scorese

Posted
Posted

This was a great weekend of flying last year with a very knowlegable and fun group of people. Count me in! I have done the Mooney Caravan twice so far and recommend it to anyone who wants to go to Oshkosh. See you at MRB, Sled.

Seth Grand Master

Seth

Posted
Posted

I plan to sign up as long as my wife is okay.  She'll be at 38 weeks by that Saturday.  Due date June 2nd.  Good news is if I have to leave, it's a very quick flight to GAI (Gaithersburg, MD).  As many of you have read from the first formation flying thread years ago, I've always wanted to receive proper training.

 

Who else is signing up?  NJ Mooney group?  It's not that far! I can count 15 pilots/aircraft I've met at our get togethers who may enjoy this.

 

 

-Seth

  • Like 1
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Houman Mentor

Houman

Posted
Posted

Had a great day today flying both lead and then later wingman, Adam is a great safety pilot and put alot of effort organizing it.

Would love to do it again soon.

Thanks for all the efforts for organizing this weekend !

Seth Grand Master

Seth

Posted
Posted

Great experience. Thanks to Adam, Woody, and the others for putting this together. 

 

Will upload some pics and videos shortly.

 

-Seth

Seth Grand Master

Seth

Posted
Posted

My final flight of the weekend was a four ship flight.  I was the #2 ship - right wing off lead.

 

We took off, created a Diamond formation for the first two passes over the filed and then transitioned to an Echelon formation for an overhead break and landing.

 

I learned a lot this weekend.  It's just like learning to fly a Mooney for the first time - it's ahead of you and very quickly you get ahead of the aircraft.  I have a lot to learn still but I wanted to thank Joe, a member here on MooneySpace for being my safety pilot most of the time.  He flew #3 ship (left wing) in the diamond formation and was #3 for the Echelon pass.

 

These videos were taken by another pilot attending the event from the ground.  I think the Diamond Pass is the best of the three.

 

-Seth

Diamond Formation Pass.MOV

Echelon Overhead Break.MOV

Four Ship Formation Departure.MOV

RocketAviator Mentor

RocketAviator

Posted
Posted

Sled,

I am beyond excited for you guys!!!   Thanks to you and all those that helped put on this clinic, well done!  

I wish I could have gotten there to help. I will do my best if any way possible to try and come help next year if you put on another clinic... (& I SURE HOPE YOU DO), appreciate as much advance notice of a date as possible to enable me to participate.

 

HATS OFF TO YOU ALL!!!!

 

It is great to see action in the East Coast!

 

Keep up the Great Work....

 

Oh there is one last detail that needs to be worked out.... What are you going to NAME your Group....

We have the Gunfighters from the Yuma Clinic

Texas Wing (yea you know where we are from....El Paso, Kerrville, San Marcos)

The group from CA I think they go by Norcal.... but I am not sure.

SO WHO & WHAT ARE YOU ALL GOING TO BE KNOWN AS???

 

Be aware there might just be a little friendly "throw down competition"....  Texas Wing is the odds to win favorite of course!!!

 

Fly safe and thanks again to everyone,

Lacee / RocketAviator (RocketMan)

Houman Mentor

Houman

Posted
Posted

Sled,

I am beyond excited for you guys!!!   Thanks to you and all those that helped put on this clinic, well done!  

I wish I could have gotten there to help. I will do my best if any way possible to try and come help next year if you put on another clinic... (& I SURE HOPE YOU DO), appreciate as much advance notice of a date as possible to enable me to participate.

 

HATS OFF TO YOU ALL!!!!

 

It is great to see action in the East Coast!

 

Keep up the Great Work....

 

Oh there is one last detail that needs to be worked out.... What are you going to NAME your Group....

We have the Gunfighters from the Yuma Clinic

Texas Wing (yea you know where we are from....El Paso, Kerrville, San Marcos)

The group from CA I think they go by Norcal.... but I am not sure.

SO WHO & WHAT ARE YOU ALL GOING TO BE KNOWN AS???

 

Be aware there might just be a little friendly "throw down competition"....  Texas Wing is the odds to win favorite of course!!!

 

Fly safe and thanks again to everyone,

Lacee / RocketAviator (RocketMan)

It would have been great to meet you there, I was the only Rocket owner there.

Sled Apprentice

Sled

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi Everyone,

 

Let me take this opportunity to declare the first Northeast Regional Formation Clinic a complete success! The weather turned out better than forecast and afforded us two full days of perfectly flyable, if not CAVU conditions. So we had a little mist and low clouds, nothing we can't handle.

 

Everybody that said they were coming, came. We flew all day, both days. All the first-timers got wing time and did great. It really is amazing how much skills improve in just two days. The eastern region may be lightly represented in the Mooney Caravan, but we are coming on strong.

 

Thanks again to the Northeast Bonanza Group which came through with safety pilots (thanks Woodie, Mike, Andy and Eric) and  all the ground-ops support. 

 

I've got nothing but positive feedback on the event (lousy Subway sandwiches not withstanding) and can't wait to do it all again. I wish I could quit my day job.

Oh, and after riding in a Rocket, I think I'm airplane shopping again.

 

I was so busy that I didn't take much in the way of pics and video - so if you got some good pics/clips, send them my way so I can put together a montage for posting.

 

Fly safe and keep your calendar open for practice!

See you BEFORE Oshkosh!

 

And Lacee....

I'm thinking about it.....carefully

 

-Adam "Sled" Carney

  • Like 2
Houman Mentor

Houman

Posted
Posted

Sled, I got couple of videos that are a bit large in file size, I haven't converted them to .mov format, if you want I can send them by email or if you have a dropbox or something. Some of them are already on my facebook, including the one when I was right seat with you.

Hank Grand Master

Hank

Posted
Posted

We'll have to get a better camera next time so the flybys and air to air shots are that much better. We want to look like George Perry's Eagle in the air to air shots!

It's really neat to have a picture of yourself flying your own airplane.

-Seth

I'll second that! This is me departing Sunday, I'm actually recognizable if you zoom in. Hope to one day get a higher photo.

Hmmm . . . Looks like the gear was still going up.

post-6921-0-77447300-1433260716_thumb.jp

  • Like 1
  • 1 year later...
Belg Newbie

Belg

Posted
Posted

Good morning.... introductions later but I'm starting to work on my PPL this year and was wondering if this happens every year? 

I'm right under the downwind at martinsburg and would like to see a mooney up close and personal; my dad swears by them. 

 

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but it beats the alternatives on my phone :-)

Thanks,

Mark

 

 

carusoam Grand Master

carusoam

Posted
Posted (edited)

Good morning Mark!

Resurrecting old threads intentionally is perfectly fine.  Resurrecting one accidently is fine to, it just looks a bit funny...

Formation flying is a year round event occurring in different parts of North America. regional groups get together for an annual event out in Oshkosh, Wi.

Start training, there is always room for more.  Search for Mooney Caravan for additional information...

Best regards,

-a-

Edited by carusoam
  • 2 weeks later...
Bob_Belville Grand Master

Bob_Belville

Posted
Posted
19 minutes ago, Oscar Avalle said:

Good morning to everybody! I was wondering if there were some news about the dates for the formation clinic for us on the East Coast?

 

Oscar

Oscar, I have not seen anything final on date and place. We've been promised that as soon as that is set it will be communicated, including here. Lee (Sox) Fox, who is on MS, will know.

  • Like 1
Oscar Avalle Grand Master

Oscar Avalle

Posted
Posted
Oscar, I have not seen anything final on date and place. We've been promised that as soon as that is set it will be communicated, including here. Lee (Sox) Fox, who is on MS, will know.

Great. Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Fly By Contributor

Fly By

Posted
Posted

You can expect a posting very shortly.  Goat is working out some last minute details, but the Mid-Atlantic Clinic will be at LYH (Lynchburg, VA) on June 23-25.  Thanks for your interest and eagerness.  Stay tuned!

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