Mooney Caravan and why you should consider learning more!!

[Marc_B]

https://www.mooneycaravan.com/web/Mooney/Default.asp

Previous post made me realize that people new to Mooneys might not be familiar with the Mooney Caravan or with formation flying.  Certainly would be great to introduce others to formation flying and dispel some of the myths that "it's too dangerous" or "it's too difficult."  The Mooney Caravan is the Mass Arrival into EAA Airventure each year.  We all meet in Madison, WI (KMSN) and have an organized get together/dinner/brief and all stay at the same hotel with food, bus, and logistic support.  Mandatory brief is at 5PM on Friday...if you miss it you don't fly in the Caravan.  Then we all depart in a 3 ship element, 15 seconds between elements.  EVERY pilot in the Caravan has attended a formation clinic and gotten checked off/approved by a safety observer.  In fact, most of the pilots have attended several clinics across the country (and some even attend the B2Osh clinics which have a great informal relationship with the Mooneys).  The flight profile for the Caravan is simple:  5 second interval takeoffs (15 sec between leads, 30 seconds between section leads), climb out at 100kts/500FPM climb, once the tail is up and level, then speed up to 120kts, coming closer to Osh lead slows everyone down to 105, then 90 kt descent to land.  This is a profile that any Mooney can fly.

There are many things about Formation flying that need to be learned prior to safe formation flight.  Some of this is self directed study guides, learning the lingo, the overall flow, and reading more about the "big picture."  Some of this can only be learned from the cockpit.  So a typical first timer clinic will find the prospective pilot flying right seat with another seasoned teacher for a demo flight.  This way you can start to see what close looks like, how to tell when you're out of position (lots of time for that), and how to start learning how to anticipate corrections, be smoother with controls, and what it means to be a good formation pilot.  Flying in proximity to someone else gives you the ability to hone and refine those stick and rudder skills! 

PHOTO: coming in on element landing (looks WAY closer than it was, but, thanks for the cool shot telephoto lens!)

After a demo flight, you'll hop back in your own Mooney for the next sortie with a safety pilot in the right seat.  For your first formation flight it will be a 2 ship.  So just you and your lead.  Every maneuver will be briefed using a standard caravan briefing card.  First sortie will be basic station keeping.  You'll do an interval takeoff, join with your lead, then you'll get put out to route (wider spacing so you can take care of things in the cockpit), then get brought back into fingertip formation.  In fingertip, the only thing occupying your vision is your lead...never look away from lead...you don't need to.  But say something doesn't sound right...then you move out to route first, then you can look inside the cockpit.  We'll first work on some straight and level flight with a constant corrections and finding out your "wobble box"...your aircraft is constantly moving in all dimensions in relation to your lead...any change makes 2 or 3 other changes, so you're constantly working on keeping that perfect picture.  Then we'll move to some gentle turns in fingertip so you can see that inside turns and outside turns have entirely different control requirements...in fingertip you strive to keep the same site picture of your lead, so inside turn you descend some and you have a shorter radius--so need less throttle; outside turns you have to climb a little and are outside the radius of lead so you have to anticipate the need to add throttle to keep up!  Once the maneuvers are done, you'll go back out to route, check fuel, adjust freqs, and then RTB.  Depending on the weather and runways, you'll likely perform a break to land so that you have spacing from your lead and land individually.  By then your hands will be sweaty, your throat will be dry, and you'll immediately be thinking "that was awesome, when can we do it again!"  So what happens if you try it and something doesn't click, you feel stressed, or it just doesn't feel right??  Simple..."knock it off".  Any time and for whatever reason you can end the maneuver, end the flight, or just take a breather.  Also worth noting, if the safety observer doesn't feel you're ready for solo formation (or if they don't feel you're ready for the Caravan), then they won't check you off to get in over your head.  But not today doesn't mean never and the safety pilots and leads will do everything they can to work with you to help you understand what's going wrong and how to fix it.  This is infrequent, but does occasionally happen.  Accidents happen when a pilot isn't flying the brief or isn't paying attention...and these are the two biggest disqualifiers.  Brief the flight, fly the brief, and follow your lead...pretty simple!

The Mooney Caravan is a fun, safe, and efficient way to get a ton of aircraft into Airventure.  We had 52 Mooneys this year and we usually occupy the runway for less than 7 minutes from first aircraft to last.  The Caravan has a standard profile, and since I've been flying with them (2022/2023/2024) they have really improved the safety focus.  You typically have pilots in your element from the clinics you attended or from the region you fly so that you have a friendly face beside you and in the cockpits around you...this means you're almost guaranteed to be flying with someone you have flown with before.  At Osh, the Caravan has a big tent that's relatively close to the showers (but not too close to be noisy), we have breakfasts at the beginning of the week included, we have a great place to crash at the end of the night and have a drink (LL or UL) with your old friends, new friends, and soon to be friends; and you have plenty of people to share the amazing Osh experience with.  I think it's the best way to experience Osh, and is absolutely 100% the best way to fly into your FIRST osh!  Even if you've never been, I'm sure your lead will have been several times and will help with packing list, good things to bring, and how maximize your Osh experience.  Plus all you need to do is follow your lead...no radios, no navigation, no Fisk freaky flyers...and you'll likely land on 36R all by yourself!  Pretty amazing the first time you hear "Welcome to Osh!"

So if you're interested, put one of the regional clinics on your calendar next year and come join!  I can almost guarantee you'll have a smile on your face and be a much better pilot for it.  And if this isn't for you, then no worries.  We all have aspects of flying we embrace and some we avoid...be it weather, terrain, water, or an aircraft off your wing.  As an aside, formation can sometimes be used not just for fun...I have a buddy who had an alternator issue in the backcountry that was able to fly off the wing another buddy so that the lead was able to make all the radio communications, check his gear coming in, and would be there to assist if needed.  So formation is not just fun, it's a useful skill for mutual support!