EZ squadron Formation Flight

Preflight Briefing

•Required by FAA Regulations – that also require

–Formation must be pre-arranged (no surprise join-ups!)

–Separation must be adequate to ensure safe flight

–Flight separation of <1 mile horizontal and <100 feet vertical

–ATC handles the flight as if it is a single plane

•It is critical that all flight members know exactly what is expected throughout the flight

–Who is the flight lead

–Their own position in the flight (lead, wing, #3, etc.)

–Route of flight, altitudes, restricted areas, etc.

–Frequencies – particularly air-to-air enroute

–Arrival procedures with alternatives

–Any pilot and/or aircraft limitations

•Don’t put the novice in charge!

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	FAA regulations governing formation flight are minimal. There are no requirements for special training, logbook endorsements, limitations to similar aircraft types, or operational restrictions (e.g., day-VRF, no Class Bravo, etc.). The regulations do require that the flight be pre-arranged by the participants and that flight separation be adequate at all times. What is “adequate” is left to the judgement (and skill) of the pilots. Be assured – if you have a collision, your spacing was not adequate and you are in violation of the FARs (and worse!).
	Formation flight can be a high workload environment. Uncertainty in any aspect of the flight dramatically increases the potential for errors, and can result in a collision, runway incursion, penetration of restricted airspace, etc. It is critically important that every member of a flight know exactly what is expected at all times. If there is any doubt about what is happening (or about to happen), the situation absolutely must be clarified before it deteriorates into an unsafe condition. The need for radio discipline always is secondary to flight safety! A thorough preflight briefing is the first line of defense against mix-ups in the air. Do use a formal checklist in this preflight briefing to ensure that all points are covered. Also, be sure that you discuss the experience level and limitations of every pilot and every aircraft in your formation.
	One all too common problem is for radio frequency screw-ups. When to switch and what frequency to use are critical items to brief because the safety of the flight is seriously compromised when communications are lost! Hand signals, while useful, generally do not provide a reliable form of backup communications for civilian formation pilots.
	Putting an inexperienced (or poor) pilot in the lead is a common error. While flying lead may look easy, it requires in-depth knowledge and experience! A poor lead places the entire formation in jeopardy. Besides, if the guy really is so green that you can’t trust him to fly wing, then he clearly needs more experience before it is safe for him to fly in formation.