February 10, 2013 - Mini Form Clinic, Essex Skypark
A couple of RV drivers in the local area -- Brian and Eric -- expressed interest in formation flying so I organized a little "mini-form clinic" to help them get started. We started with an hour of formation flying ground school where I covered the basics. I even had two little 1/72 pastic models -- P-40 and Me-109 -- to demonstrate the basic formations and maneuvers. About the time we finished, Mugsy and Lawbreaker landed at Essex Skypark. We then formally briefed the first flight.
For the first flight, I was lead, and Brian and Eric flew as passengers with Mugsy and Lawbreaker. We flew east across the bay and just demonstrated the basic formations and maneuvers. Both Mugsy and Lawbreaker are experienced form pilots so we quickly went through the routine using mostly signals and a minimum of radio communication. We debriefed, then did a second flight. This time Eric flew his own RV-6 with Lawbreaker as a passenger, and Brian flew his RV-8 with Mugsy as passenger. Mugsy took all the pictures that follow.
Here we are about to take off. I'm just starting my take-off roll. Eric was #2 and Brian was #3. As you can see, the weather was excellent: blue skies and light winds.
