2006 SW Formation Clinic in So Cal - Part I
I wrote this little report up last year after attending the So Cal formation flying clinic. Seems like a good time to post it. I hope the So Cal folks don't mind.
FIGHTER PILOT FANTASY CAMP:
A NEWBIE?S IMPRESSIONS OF THE SOUTHWEST FORMATION CLINIC
Okay, it wasn?t advertised as a fantasy camp and I hadn?t attended with any intention of playing fighter pilot. It just ended up seeming like a fantasy camp. The Southern California RV Formation Squadron had joined with Texas-based Stu McCurdy of Formation Flying, Inc. (FFI) to offer a ?weekend-long immersion into the study of safe formation flying.? The marketing, such as it was, promised ?to advance the knowledge and proficiency of all pilots who attend, regardless of prior exposure.?
AM I READY?
The clinic struck my fancy for three reasons. One, I had owned my RV-6 for over a year, logged over 200 hours, and was looking for ways to improve my skills and precision. Two, I knew almost nothing about safe flying in a group and, thus, rightfully struck terror into the hearts of other pilots if I flew near them. Three, my family cabin was only a 10-minute flight from the clinic site and I had hoped to find a way to meet some So Cal RV pilots. I checked out the more detailed information. The price was a bargain. Only $150 would cover enrollment, tie-down fee, lots of snacks, transportation to and from the hotel, and a nice tee shirt. Not covered were fuel and hotel costs. I was impressed that all indications on the website suggested that the clinic organizers would ensure safety as the foremost consideration.
Only one area of pre-clinic information gave me pause. I carefully reviewed the Preparation page and found that I already met all pre-requisites except two. The first requirement was easy and cheap enough to accomplish. I would have to swap out my vernier throttle for a push-pull control. The second caused more concern: ?Must have EXCELLENT stick & rudder skills and complete mastery of your airplane. We are teaching formation, not basic flying skills.? Well, I know a few RV pilots with ?excellent? stick & rudder skills, and I?m not one of them. On the other hand, I?m comfortable beyond basic flying skills. I decided to take a chance that I would prove adequate and compensated by studiously reviewing the pre-clinic reading assignments and embracing the last clinic pre-requisite, ?Ability to accept criticism in a positive manner. Check your ego at the door?pick it back up on the way to the bar!? I decided that attending the ground school and flying as a passenger with the other pilots would be valuable experiences. I would accept being washed out from PIC after the first attempt at formation flying, if that?s what happened.
FORMATION FLIGHT TRAINING AND TESTING
Twenty-four RVs of nearly every type (4, 6, 6A, 7, 7A, 8, 8A, and 10) graced the Apple Valley (KAPV), California, ramp by 8:00 am on Friday October 21st. The morning session included an extensive ground school on formation flying and, specifically, the RV training/certification program developed by session leader Stu McCurdy (Falcon) and a briefing for the afternoon introduction flight.
The clinic attempted to accomplish many things during each flying session and, remarkably, seemed to succeed. Falcon used the weekend for check-out rides for several experienced formation pilots. In order to participate in formation flights at air shows, RV pilots must obtain a certification from FFI or one other organization. There are two levels of certification. Flight Lead and Wingman. Falcon was the only Check Pilot last fall, although he mentioned that he planned to expand the list of FFI Check Pilots soon. The certification test flights require an FFI Flight Lead and two FFI Wingmen in addition to Falcon (who trails behind to watch) and the applicant, who performs as a third wingman. An applicant trying to upgrade to Flight Lead would, of course, act as the flight lead with three Wingmen.
One of several FFI check flights prepares to depart with Falcon in the rear as the fifth (observation) ship. Photo by Hog (Dave Klages).
One of the challenges for the weekend was a lack of experienced flight leads. Only four FFI Flight Lead pilots attended and the concurrent certification check rides took Falcon and one other FL away from the basic training flights. Thus, FFI Wingmen stepped up for leads positions (for at least one, a first experience) and ?advanced? pilots often served as newbie-mentors. I was matched with KB (Michael Smith) on two flights and Dagger (Brad Sharp) on another. While they may not have yet carried FFI cards, they had no lack of experience. Dagger spent 30 years as an Air Force fighter pilot and KB has ~2000 hours of instructor time from his Air Force days.
KB (front) and Dagger (back) take-off for a little 2-ship action. Photo by Hog.
The first flight for most of us saw ?newbies? placed as passengers in the planes of experienced pilot in four-ship flights. It was a chance to experience the formation procedures and visual lines. My flight had the added benefits of fly in (and even piloting) an RV-7A for the first time. The second flights kept the same groups but switched planes and PICs, giving the newbies our first formal experience at formation flying.
Some folks took advantage of the beautiful weather to brief outside. Photo by Hog.
Following the first, introductory flight, the weekend moved into a pattern of looking at the chalkboard to determine your flight team, sitting down with the team as the flight lead thoroughly briefed the team, flying a three or (more commonly) four-ship formation for about 40 minutes, then de-briefing every detail of the flight in sequence. I fail to understand how the flight leads seemingly remembered every detail of each segment of the flight. It seemed that the organizers resisted ?washing out? newbies and I was allowed to continue flying all weekend. I don?t know if any pilot was asked to not fly due to inadequate skill but two planes were mothballed. One plane had a venier throttle, a clear and objective no-no in the pre-clinic announcements. The other rejected plane was the RV-10.
Every (40 minute) flight was followed by a mandatory debrief that often lasted about 30 minutes.
