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Formation Flying and Instruction this year


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Anyone from the Mooney Caravan team here?   

It would be great if someone could setup the ground instruction portion of formation flying on-line this summer.   It doesn't have to be free.   Either pre-recorded, or do a few weekend or evening sessions over Zoom/WebEx/etc.   

It would be great if people could do the ground portion right now and then meet with one or two other ships to get flight training while practicing social distancing.

I know the normal clinics are cancelled, can we find a way to still do training this year?

Right now, I'm stuck on YouTube in the 50s:  

 

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Yep, there are a few of us here.

I can't speak for the whole organization, but I don't think there will be any "official" Caravan activities this year. But that doesn't preclude anyone from learning to fly formation. 

A few things...

We've done a major overhaul to the Mooney Caravan website which hopefully makes it easier to get the information you need to get involved and fly formation. Even now, when no clinics are happening and everything is shut down.

There is a ground school class video posted on the Caravan website. The manuals and training materials are all posted and available for download as well. There is also a list of qualified Safety Pilots posted. 

Many of us who are Caravan Safety Pilots and long time participants, are continuing to fly formation. And we're happy for you to ride along, and then fly along with us. 

For example, a couple of us are going flying this Saturday morning. We've already been talking, planning, and have filled out briefing cards for review. We'll brief over the phone on Saturday morning just before launch. (We are at different airports). We will meet up in the air over a specific fix, join up and practice for a couple of hours. All of this has been briefed in detail including altitudes, type of join, speeds, etc. After we break off and return to our respective airports, we'll get back on the phone and debrief.

If you were here in Denver, I'd invite you to ride along and see what it's all about. Then the next time, I'd be happy to ride along with you, as you do the flying. 

Send me a PM and we can take the conversation off line and I can connect you with some pilots in your area who you might fly with.

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Anyone from the Mooney Caravan team here?   
It would be great if someone could setup the ground instruction portion of formation flying on-line this summer.   It doesn't have to be free.   Either pre-recorded, or do a few weekend or evening sessions over Zoom/WebEx/etc.   
It would be great if people could do the ground portion right now and then meet with one or two other ships to get flight training while practicing social distancing.
I know the normal clinics are cancelled, can we find a way to still do training this year?
Right now, I'm stuck on YouTube in the 50s:  
 

The basics haven’t changed from the WWII training films (always fun to watch) or, for that matter, even von Richtofen’s Flying Circus. Today, the FAA recognizes specific organizations as evaluators for specific formation accreditation, and competent formators observe those standard procedures and practices.

The Caravan doesn’t provide “instruction.” And the designated Caravan safety pilots (of which GSXRPilot is one) definitely don’t charge for coming out to fly with us. Some of our most experienced safeties are not instructors, though many are. But we are a charitable organization and everyone donates their time, gas and expertise.

Even though there is no Caravan this year, pilots in each region are still flying formation (and maintaining social distancing by briefing by phone, we are 6’ apart in our planes). Go to the website and make contact with the regional lead nearest you, and they should be able to get you in the loop for local clinics.

PM GSXRPilot or me if you don’t make progress, hope to see ya at a clinic.
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