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Would have been nice to see some fuselage overlap, and a formation
landing, but they'd probably get in shit for that. Looks like they had
enough runway width.
I'm told I'm the shittiest pilot in Canada, and I used to do formation
landings as wing in the L39's at Gatineau with a 150 foot wide runway.
Yup, there's the shittiest pilot in Canada, according to TC. Pull his ATPL
and revoke his citizenship, he's such a stupid, shitty dangerous pilot.
150 foot wide? We could land a four plane on that, right?
That video almost looks like #2 was escorting the other aircraft back. At least, it's similar to what we used to do if a guy had a bit of a snag - engine out, flap problem, hydraulic issue, etc.
150 foot wide runway is pretty nice (it's not 200, but ...)
It's really two 75 foot parallel runways separated by the runway
centerline. So with two aircraft, if each pilot is capable of the
awesome feat of landing on a 75 foot wide runway, a two-plane
formation landing is not really very difficult. The wing slides
ahead - it happens - it's no big deal. They never, ever cross
the runway centreline. Each aircraft owns half of the runway.
Next up is landing three planes on a wide runway - could be
150 or 200 feet wide. Lead is glued to the runway centreline.
As the most experienced and skilled pilot in the formation, this
should not pose a problem. The two wings are in 45 echelon on
either side of him, and actually have room to slide forward past
the lead if need be. This configuration works well for both takeoff
and landing.
Four airplanes is interesting. I don't think you would have enough
runway landing for a finger-four landing - my preference - so you
are probably looking at taking the three-plane vic above, and sticking
a very steady, smooth, experienced and skilled pilot in slot (aka
box behind the lead, to create a "diamond" formation.
This is much higher risk because if slot slides forward, he's going to
chew up the lead's tail.
My friend Gary Palmer died when that happened to him:
You keep flying long enough, you're going to get killed, unless you
figure out your own rules to live by. And, that's what can happen
when you go from three plane (low risk) to four plane (high risk)
formation landing.
Oddly, you will not find this written down anywhere, in any rule book.
Remember what happened to Charlie Hilliard?
Here's a picture of the Ace of the Base at my current airport:
Landing in diamond, Lead is betting his life that slot doesn't have a
problem. The funny thing is, even the best pilots in the world occasionally
have something bad happen. And that's even before you introduce pilot
error.
Anyone remember the two-Extra fatal formation crash at Pax River?
A lot like this:
You can pay a high price, when you arrange for no tolerance for errors
on the runway.
Another rule of mine is that out-of-visual formation is very spicy. Just
ask the French Connection about their "belly-to-belly" hammerhead.
I've watched the local Aerobatic team do formation landings at their base in the UAE.
I think it was 5 aircraft - the rear ones touched down first then the outer 2 then the leader.
I've also seen it go wrong (not sure what happened) and they performed a formation go-around. All looked nicely under control. I suppose they may also have been training the formation go-around.
One morning we arrived early and we were holding above the base while they performed their routine below us - a very different perspective.
Here's a view from the rear (turn sound off unless you like Mariachi bands):
Lead knew exactly what he was doing, to land the last guy so precisely with
the stepping.
The thing is, with that many aircraft in such a small space, it can go terribly
wrong when things fuck up. Builds character, though.
Lead is doing all the thinking. He is a smooth pilot that is flying a very large
unmaneuverable aircraft. Changes in pitch and bank must occur slowly, and
he cannot run wing pilots out of power or AOA.
Wings pilots have a sight picture. They must be very smooth and precise and
maintain that sight picture regardless. If you're not flying directly off the Lead,
you look past #2 and keep the Lead in sight, otherwise you play crack the whip.
Again, nose wheel jet aircraft. Don't try that with taildragger prop aircraft that
are blind forward in the landing attitude. You don't get a whole lot older, flying
out-of-visual formation. Ask Bobby Younkin and Jimmy Franklin about Moose Jaw.
A few years later, of course, Jimmy's daughter Amanda Franklin died in an aircraft
piloted by Bobby's son Kyle.
He gets near the ground, the formation strings out. Looks like shit.
I want fuselage overlap for takeoff and landing! The sight picture
does not change, merely because you contact the runway.
I can see wing in my peripheral vision during the touchdown and rollout.
That's how you do it.
Listen. Your Canadian rhetoric is that my son and I are shit pilots. I
get that. I accept and embrace your narrative. However, if fucking shit pilots
like us can so easily do it right, then according to your narrative it should be
fucking trivial for superior Canadian pilots like yourselves to do it, as well.
Got that, TC? If you're going to revoke my Canadian ATP and citizenship, well,
you at least should be one fuck of a lot hotter stick than I am. Got that?
I want fuselage overlap for takeoff and landing! Get a TC Inspector to show you
how, and ask him when I get my laptop and phone back.
These guys probably don't know much about formation flying, but
note that they do a four-plane takeoff in finger formation, and
only after they are airborne, does #4 move into slot:
The important thing to remember is that this kind of flying doesn't
actually develop any useful knowledge or skills. All you really need
to do in life is read a book, push some buttons and fly straight and
level from one huge airport to another huge airport. Over and over
and over and over again.
The Tillsonburg guys.
