Sunset Formation flight

[yvesg]

Ned and I went to practice today. Co-pilot was able to capture this nice sunset shot.

Yves

 

[yvesg]

And here is a nice join-up..

 

[Ned Gravel]

I had Ute with me in our aircraft and this is what she was able to take out of the hour or so we flew.  I think we are going to have to do something about the autofocus (it focussed on the compass for the landing) and stabilizing a hand-held camera.  This video also tells me that we need to leave the zoom alone for the most part and just change it when transitioning from the formation to the landing.

It is almost 13 minutes long.  You can see when Yves leads (QKM) and when he is wing.  Our setup for the landing was flawed in that we were too far apart, but the touchdown was pretty good.

More practice!!!!!

 

[carusoam]

How is your heart rate while working this hard?

It looks a bit stressful for an hour of flight.

Or is it just me, stressing while watching you guys fly?

Best regards,

-a-

[yvesg]

5 minutes ago, carusoam said:

How is your heart rate while working this hard?

It looks a bit stressful for an hour of flight.

Or is it just me, stressing while watching you guys fly?

Best regards,

-a-

I was OK but the wife's heart might have raced a bit!

Yves

[Ned Gravel]

Carusoam:

There is an old saying among pilots who are learning formation or have gained some experience in it.  It goes like this: "If you are not sweating, you are obviously out of position."  Or words to that effect.  Staying in position still takes work for me.  I do not have Blue Angels experience so it is not as second nature to me.  

When flying as anyone's wing, I do not even look at instruments unless things are very stable and I can afford it.  That is the crew's job - do the scan and let me know if anything is out of place.

In flying formation, the aircraft is normally set up before the takeoff roll and I leave things alone (except the gear of course).  Even the governor stays at 2700 rpm from the takeoff.  The only thing we play with is the throttle, the control column and the rudder pedals.  For the GUMPS check (still do it three times regardless of formation or not) it is all muscle memory.  Touch the fuel pump switch, touch the gear handle, touch the mixture, touch the prop - all without looking at them.  Looking is reserved for the other aircraft that is flying all-too-close to me.

So your first instinct about being stressful is entirely appropriate.  The difference for me is that while I accept the increase in stress, it is actually less than it was when I started.  Why the difference?  Because now I know I can do it and do it safely.  And I will fly with others that can too.  Yves and I have probably gained between 25 and 30 hours of formation time over the last four years.  As in all things related to flying a Mooney - practice makes the difference.  We do not do as much formation flying as the Texas Wing, but I have a good feeling about going through our training every year.

Have you ever considered taking the training and participating?  You might surprise yourself.  You already have the advantage of flying an aircraft that does not let you get away with being sloppy.  

[carusoam]

Thank you guys for the responses.

I have been in contact with the Caravan folks since I first got my C.  They used to require the IR as means of qualification.

I peaked with the O and an IR but failed to put the time together. Then I learned about the class III SI...

Fast forward to this year, I've tried to help organize a North East version of the formation training.  

I'm the closest I've ever got to getting the training.  Just weather dependent this time around...

One of these days...

Best regards,

-a-

[KSMooniac]

Do it!  It is a lot of fun, and yes, quite stressful initially.  I got more comfortable with each sortie during the training, and am looking forward to more practice with other Wichita locals.  I had not done anything "new" with my Mooney in quite a while, so it was fun to try a new challenge.  Commercial rating is coming up next too.

[Bob - S50]

I have not done formation flying in the Mooney yet, but hope to before long.  Nice video.  Just one comment for future consideration.

In pilot training, one of the things we used to grade the lead on was wingman consideration.  In your video, as flight lead, I would have instructed the wingman to rejoin on the right side to avoid looking into the sun.  Same thing goes during turns.  If my wingman and low angle sun were on the left, and I needed to make a left turn that would end up making my wingman stare at the sun, then as I turned through the sun (pointing at it), I would signal a crossunder to have the wingman move to the right side.  They would only look at the sun for a few seconds as they passed my tail.  They would end up on the right looking away from the sun.  Much better than making them stare at the sun while trying to maintain position.

Technique only, not procedure.

[yvesg]

Bob, you are correct that we should avoid having the wing stear at the sun. I recall a practice we did a couple of years ago where Ned was lead and while turning I did loose him which triggered a break from formation. On the sunset video above, since my wife liked the perspective I stayed there to allow her capturing this nice sight on film. I knew the sun could become a problem and I did not want to get in close formation because of that so I stayed far enough to not loose him in the sun... At this point, we were at the end of our practice and were deciding to which airport we were going to land for the debrief (Ned and I are not based at the same airport)

Yves

[Bob - S50]

Good to hear you listen to your wife!  You have a better chance of staying happy that way.  I wondered if it was just for photo reasons.

Bob

[Dave Marten]

Nice work guys! Keep it up.