My thoughts on Displaying a Formation

Andy EvansBlade 1

My Background• RAF (20 years)

• ENJJPT• First tourist instructor (Jet Provost/Tucano)• Jaguar pilot (6 & 41(F) Sqns)• Red Arrows• Saudi Hawks

• 2Excel Aviation – The Blades (13 years)• 8000 hours• 1200 Public/Private Displays

Scope

• Make up of formation • Work-up Display design • High Risk Areas• Opposition manoeuvres• The Pre-flight brief

Make up of formation

• Pilots• Exact number / pool of pilots• Flying currency• Display currency• Aircraft currency• Experience Military/Civilian Background

Military v Civilian

• No formation experience• Basic formation technique• Technique for changing formation position• R/T procedures• Formation Break out & rejoin

• Lead and Lag• Initial reaction to What Ifs different• Different method of flying

• Competition straight lines v formation techniques

Make up of formation

• Aircraft• Single type

• All the same• Mixed formation

• Aircraft performance• Aircraft limitations• Aircraft manoeuvrability

• Display restrictions on aircraft• Numbers of aircraft / spare aircraft

Display work-up

• Time available• When to start / amount of training required• Pilot availability• COST!!• Location of training• Permission required / in place• Identify a suitable DAE and their availability

Designing your display

• Every flying machine has its own unique characteristics, some good, some not so good. Pilots naturally fly the craft in such a manner as to take advantage of its good characteristics and avoid the areas where it is not so good.

• — Neil Armstrong, quoted in Popular Mechanicsmagazine, June 2009.

Designing your display

• Do you need a set display?• Blades set display / Wingwalkers do vary display

• What is aim of display• Graceful and majestic / thrilling and dynamic

• Complexity v Pilot experience and currency• How long? How many manoeuvres• Full / Rolling / Flat - Can you switch between

shows or decision made in the brief

Designing your display

• Formation shapes• Who is the formation reference

• SOPs• Standard display v 1-Off flypast with mixed

formation• Understanding of SOPs• Formation numbering

High Risk Areas

• Formation rejoins• Photo sorties• Escape manoeuvres and What Ifs

Formation Rejoins

• Can be riskier than close formation• Full concentration required!

• Larger the formation – more concentration required!• Can be disorientating• Terrain and weather can be a big factor

Formation RejoinsTools to help

• Basic Rules• Who is responsible for collision avoidance• When has the aircraft ahead joined formation

• SOPs• Pre-Flight Brief!

Formation RejoinsCollision Responsibility

1

2

3

Formation RejoinsCollision Responsibility

1

2

3

2

Once crossed to other side of leader, can’t cross back!

3 no longer responsible for collision avoidance on 2

Formation RejoinsCollision Responsibility

Thoughts?

1

Formation RejoinsSolution

• Leader doesn’t change direction• Possible solution

• Height sanctuary• Inside turn goes low• Outside turn goes high

High Risk AreasPhoto Sorties

• Not the normal sortie

• Photographers not normally pilots

• Photographers have no clue about danger!

• Decide the shots required on the ground• Plan them carefully• Who calls smoke (if equipped)

• Very careful and thorough brief

• Check understanding

• DISCUSS ESCAPE ROUTES

High Risk Areas

• You've got to expect things are going to go wrong. And we always need to prepare ourselves for handling the unexpected.

• — Neil Armstrong, 2005 movie Magnificent Desolation: Walking On The Moon.

High Risk AreasEscapes and What Ifs

Why escape?• Emergency• Lost sight of aircraft • Danger to formation

High Risk AreasEmergency

• Should you always escape?• Reasons to escape (emergency)

• Cannot maintain position• Maintaining position would increase risk

EmergencyCan maintain position

# Fly it through# xxx has had a birdstrike

Leader can finish manoeuvre, get into best formation for xxx to exit

EmergencyEscape required

• # xxx escaping (if possible before escaping)• Fly briefed escape manoeuvre• When appropriate state emergency

EmergencyEscape manoeuvre

Up and outGo to appropriate side

Leader must make it very positive, otherwise others will start to follow

EmergencyEscape manoeuvre

EmergencyEscape manoeuvre

Pull out, continue in same direction as roll

EmergencyEscape manoeuvre

# 1 Exit# 3 Clear# 2 Clear

Escape/Loser PlanFull

(>1800’)Rolling

(<1800’, >1500’)Flat

(<1500’, >800’)

‘Pyramid Go’ ‘2,3’‘Starting Full’

Pyramid Loop…

‘Starting Rolling’Pyramid Loop…

‘Box Go’ ‘2,3’

‘Starting Flat’Pyramid overfly (if <1000’, crowd right Box

arrival)

‘Box Go’ ‘2,3’Box

‘Crossfire Go’ ‘2,3 ‘G0’ (from 3),4

Falling Angels‘Rudder GO’

‘2 Visual’Crossfire Break (smoke off from 1)

‘Break, break , GO’

Crossfire Break (smoke off from 1)

‘Break, break , GO’

2 & 3 - 1v1 (roll/snap/pull to cross & turn through 90, pitch roll & snap)(No visual calls, unless blind)

‘Going Flat’ (From 1, pre-Crossfire Break)2 & 3 - 1v1 (wingover to cross turn through 90,

pitch roll & snap)(No visual calls, unless blind)

1 & 4 – Pattern to tail slides‘Going Rolling’

1 & 4 Roll and Humpty Bump‘Going Flat’

1 & 4 – Pattern to Pull & 720° Roll

4 Solo 4 Solo (Derrys)

Crazy‘Smoke on GO’

‘1 Rolling In’ -- ‘1 Rolling Out’‘Smoke off GO’

Loop to TwistLoop to Twist‘Going Flat’ ’4’

‘4 Clear Out’ ‘4’

Bend‘Staying Flat’ ’4’‘4 Clear Out’ ‘4’

Escape/Loser PlanManoeuvre Escape Dep Lead Remarks

Pyramid 1 Pull, 2, 3 & 4 off back. 4

Box 1 & 4 Pull, 2 & 3 off back. 2

Falling Angels 1 Pull, 4 Push. 2 & 3 Pull and escape to their side. 2 2 Call ‘Rudder Go’

Crossfire 1 & 4 Vertical, then L/R respectively 2 & 3 L/R, then up

4 1 or 4 ease formation opposite direction, climb over crowd if required

1v1 (3 & 2) Fly it through – then call what doingStandard Blind/Exit – 2 On crowd, 3 off crowd

Pairs Tail Slide (1 & 4) Fly it through – then call what doingStandard Blind/Exit – 1 On crowd, 4 Off Crowd

Crazy 1,2,3 Call Exit, hold line.4 Clear, 3 Clear, 2 Clear

2 Contract (with 4) active from ‘SOnG’ until ‘Complete’ from 4

Box loop to twist 1, 2 & 3 Pull then when sure clear, ease R,R & L respectively, 4 off back

2 3 beware ground

Hammerhead If on plane, push. If deep, push, if shallow, pull 2 Call out, do not rejoin until cleared (2 Call ‘Rudder Go’)

The Opposition Pass

• Basics• Theory• Safety

Opposition Pass - Basics

Runway

Line

Cross Points

On Crowd Edge

Off Crowd Edge

Crowd

DatumOn Crowd

Wind

Off Crowd Wind

Crowd Left Wind???

Crowd Right Wind???

Theory

Blades SOPs

• 3.5 OPPOSITION PASSES• The lead element always sets up the pass, flying the

on-crowd side of the pass. The subordinate member’s responsibility is to avoid the lead element, set up the miss distance and fly off-crowd of the lead element.

Opposition Pass

No 2 – Lead Element No 3 – Subordinate

Safety

Opposition Pass – Both Visual

No 2 – Lead Element No 3 – Subordinate

VISUALVISUAL

Opposition Pass – What Ifs

No 2 – Lead Element No 3 – Subordinate

BLIND

Opposition Pass – What Ifs

No 2 – Lead Element No 3 – Subordinate

BLINDCONTINUE

Lead responsible for collision avoidance

Opposition Pass – What Ifs

No 2 – Lead Element No 3 – Subordinate

BLINDCONTINUE

VISUALLEAD

Opposition Pass – What Ifs

No 2 – Lead Element No 3 – Subordinate

BLINDEXIT

Pairs Cross – No Wind

Pairs Cross – Strong Wind from Left

Blades SOPs AL1• 3.5 OPPOSITION PASSES• The lead element always sets up the pass, flying the on-

crowd side of the pass. The subordinate member’s responsibility is to avoid the lead element, set up the miss distance and fly off-crowd of the lead element. If the subordinate gets to the line, is visual with the lead and realises that they are on-crowd of the leader and assess that it would compromise safety to switch to off-crowd, they will make the radio call “XXX visual, remaining on-crowd”, this call is to be acknowledged by the leader of the opposition pass. The subordinate member of the opposition pass maintains the responsibility to avoid the lead at all times.

Pre-Flight Brief• Extremely important!• Walk through display to check understanding• Mixed formation members

Civilian/Military/Different nationality• What is the numbering system• Who flies on left or right

• Cover all shows that might be possible for weather of day

• Cover what ifs• Establish understanding if required

QUESTIONS