slick95

I was wondering if anybody else has tried formation flying with their models? My dad and I flew formation together for a while until my plane was damaged. At the moment it is being repaired and we will eventually try it again. Anyway, who else flies formation?

SLICK

Hossfly

What is your definition of formation? Is it good tight USAF type with those wingtips neatly tucked in behind the Lead's tips or is it the NAVY type which is 2 airplanes in the same sky on the same day going in the same direction?

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

Greg and I used to fly our H-9 Cessnas in psuedo-formation. It is very hard to do, unless of course, you are flying lead. I always flew lead.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

I fly loose formations with another club member when he and I are at the field at the same time. Of course since he and I both like to fly fast, it's usually at about 90 mph! It's alot of fun, but not at all easy. The most important thing is to pick one person to lead and that person needs to communicate what they are about to do.

Dauntae

We have been doing it a little, Two of my flying buddies started and I ended up joining them after I watched so many times, One time they came close to a midair but barely missed, However when they landed one of them was missing about an inch off the end of his elevator, They never noticed until they landed, OH and don't practice with your favorate plane... We have beater planes for this stuff.

Dauntae

Cyclic Hardover

My Feedback: (3)

Some one here built a plane or actually one plane with several attached to look like formation flying. Looks real good

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Geokeli and I occasionally fly the IMAC Basic pattern together in formation. We have a lot of fun and people tell us it's fun to watch. The real show at our field however is the 3-8 guys that fly warbirds in a loose formation. The plane of choice is a World Models Mustang with a YS110 engine. We have clocked them at close to 130mph and they do this on a very regular basis (several times a week) for the last few years. They stand in a small group (don't bother telling me about 3rd IM) and on of them calls the manuvers. It consists of straight down the run way, sometimes a split-S regular turn or wide turn and low pass. They generally maintain a relative posistion based on altitude, one guy always flies the lowest, i.e. but it's pretty loose for a formation.

Spectators love to watch what amounts to NASCAR for RC where you are just waiting for the midair which happens a lot less than you would think. The sound is cool and some of the pilots have gotten pretty smooth, one of them occasionally drags a wingtip on the runway. The bad news is when they go out everyone either lands or flies up high out of the way, it can be a big distraction and nerve racking to be on the flightline with them. The good news is they only do it every 1-1/2 hours or so and since they are all together you don't have to contend with them very often.

Some call them the "warbird guys" others call them the "rude squadron", either way it's fun to watch.

slick95

Those are all VERY interesting stories. My dad and I flew fairly tight formation when we would come down the runway, then loosen up as we flew farther away. We only really tried two maneuvers before my plane was damaged, but I'm planning on adding a lot more. In the first maneuver we would both fly down the runway in line-abreast formation. Then we would both pitch up, just before flying in front of us, and do simultaneous aileron rolls in opposite directions. The other maneuver was line-abreast again, but it was a little father apart. We would fly down the runway again. Then my dad would pitch up into a loop, then I would pitch up into a loop about 1 1/2 seconds after him. When he completed his loop he would be slightly in front of me so that I could pull in behind him. Then we would do opposite aileron rolls again. Those are the only things we practiced, and because of that we got pretty good at those two maneuvers. I can't wait to try some new things.

Anyway lets here some more formation stuff.

SLICK

Gordon Mc

My Feedback: (11)

Formation is fun ... a friend & I do it periodically with our World Models T34's - takeoffs, landings, & aerobatics all in loose formation. We usually try to keep the planes about 10 to 15 ft apart just because of the problems that our lack of depth perception causes, but we've flown tighter & rubbed wingtips with each other a few times.

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

The Bomber field Fall event usually has some loose formation flying. I flew with 4 other P-47s a couple of years back but I don't know who has video or if any exists. Also the Stuka guys and most important the guys with the B-17s will get 5 or 6 at a time up and in a formation. It is always an experience with the 17s going around the circuit if for no other reason than hearing 20 plus motors all flying at once.

PeteJoMan

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Hoss! Navy and Marine Corps pilots are not taught to fly in formation. They are taught to fight (and win) on their own !!!!!!!

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

was it this?

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

No, it was another one that looked like that.

red head

Years ago I saw 4 Blue Angles A4's in tight formation, if I remember right it had a 25 engine. I don't know if it was a kit or scratch built but it was really cool looking in a fly over.
I've tried it a number of times but the one time we had it down real good we ended up with a midair the day before the airshow, I haven't really triedit much since. ENJOY !!! RED

Hossfly

Hey Pete, that's a good one. Can't quote you because I might screw it up and change the order of the players.

Way back when I first tried RC Combat, I would forget my own RC plane and try flying off my chosen opponent as if I were in the cockpit chasing him. HE ALWAYS WON!! [:@] Several times I lost a model just because of old habits I suppose. It's not wise to roll and pull just because the other model is doing so, and your eyeballs are focused on it rather than your own. [:'(]

I always prided myself in tight show formation 1-1 scale, however my attempts at RC formation are not what I can/will brag about. []

Gravityisnotmyfriend

My Feedback: (2)

I was at an R/C airshow out in Iowa probably 15 years ago. It was either at Ida Grove or Ankeny (they changed the location). I remember seeing a couple of ducted fan jets doing a formation aerobatics show I believe they were f-15's. It was very cool to watch- the formation was surprisingly tight until I think one of them had an engine flame out. Of course it was the engine on the inside of the formation and the jet suddenly swerved toward the other one. It was close, but they didn't hit. Anyone else see this show?

wyldman

My Feedback: (1)

we have been flying close formation for a couple of years, sometimes to close.
we must fly a routine so we know where to be, it has taken a lot of practice and alot of ultra sticks.
WLYDMAN

Grampaw

Hill202, the picture of the 4 plane formation in your post looks very much like the "Blue Birds." They were designed by the late Ken Willard back in the late 70's or mid 80's. I saw plans advertised somewhere not too long ago. Ken was a Contributing Editor for RCM for many years, but had articles and plans in other magazines, and some of his designs were kitted. That photo is the best shot I've ever seen of the setup. Ken's design had a .10 2 stroker on the lead plane.

fyooi

Guys,

Any methods to practice formation flying?

Jim_McIntyre

[8D]

Grampaw

Does flying with birds count? Down here in our area of South Louisiana, we have a lot of Egrets, pronounced "E-Grey." They are actually Cranes. Everyone here calls them "Cow Birds" as they are usually seen with cows or horses grazing in a pasture. You may even see one sitting on the rump of a grazing cow waiting for a cricket or some other bug to pop up. If you want some fun, get on a tractor and mow a pasture. One minute you are all alone singing like a fool to entertain yourself, then all of a sudden you have a flock of 50 or more white Cow Birds circling around buzzing you, or just walking alongside the tractor. They know you are stirring up some bugs which means a free meal! There was one that would always drop in my left shoulder when landing and make a sharp right diving turn really close to the front of the tractor and flare out to land just inches away from the tractor's right front wheel. Nicknamed him "Chuck" after Chuck Yeager.

It got to the point to where I started to recognize one of two more by their habits. I was really "Going to the birds." Each afternoon late, large flocks can be seen flying overhead headed for swampy areas nearby to roost for the night. Next morning scouts go out and if they find machines in a field they hurry back to get the rest and they all come for a meal. They're beneficial to the animals in that they grab a lot of pesky bugs that bother them.

One afternoon I was out flying an Astro Flight Electric high winger, making a large circles 75 to 80 feet overhead when my daughter, sitting atop my pickup, yelled "Watch the birds Dad!" I hadn't seen any birds up to that point. A flock of Cowbirds had
flown up from behind me heading across the field to their evening roosting site . As I turned I ran into them and they scattered but quickly reformed and continued on, except for a dark grey one. The rest were the usual all white birds. I had never seen a dark one before. I figure he may been a male...who knows, another bird probably. Anyway he peeled off and came rushing back and caught up with my plane, got on my right wingtip and made two circles with me. I could see his head twisted around looking my plane over. After two circuits he rolled away and poured on the coal to catch up with the flock. I figure the E-motor being so quiet allowed me to fly up into them, and as my plane had a span equal to theirs, and was grey too, the grey bird came over to check out the competition. I had hoped he'd drop in once in awhile, but I never saw him again. I enjoyed my flight with him very much. Wish my daughter had brought the video camera!

Cowbirds have to some extent gotten used to our planes, but still our club does not condone chasing birds flying across our site.
I love flying RC planes, and being an old country boy, love nature and try to exist with the wildlife, but Crawfish chimneys on the runway is another story entirely! I'll save that one for another day.

wyldman

My Feedback: (1)

the main key to flying formation is to have a routine and each pilot must have the routine memorizided and stick to it no matter what happens.
We fly with four pilots and everyone has a place to be and a time to be there when someone is out of postion then we have problems. if you lose a plane the rest of the group goes on with the routine and the lost plane can catch up and rejoin after the next manuver. practice is the most important part of formation flying.
And be prepared to midair a few planes DO NOT USE GOOD aircraft for practice. use spads or ultra sticks or trainers, planes that you can afford to lose because it will happen.
Keep the routine simple, Loops and stall turns, head on passes all look great when several planes are doing them together even though they are simple manuvers.
The hardest manuver is to simplly stay together in a square or diamond formation and doing this for several laps around the field is alot harder than you would think. the planes on the outside must speed up in the turns because they have farther to fly around the corner and planes on the inside must slow down so the don't out run the outside plane. if you bank your wings in the turns the inside planes are flying slower and lower sometime just above stall speed and then when you level off it's full throttle the keep up with the outside plane.
when it all comes together it looks great and to top it off we all take off together and land dead stick together. And by together I mean at the same time on the same runway landing can be a little tricky with three other planes on the runway and with a dead stick there's no chance of a go around.
Throttle control is a must I have worn out several throttle servos flying formation and knowing how to fly the rudder is imporant because you can slide the plane side ways to make minor adjustments if you are to close to your wingman.
Above all pratice the same routine over and over never change it while flying and even if the other pilots are not there to practice with me, I fly the rountine by myself.
Keep in mind YOU ARE GOING TO CRASH PLANES ATTEMPING FORMATION FLYING.
be sure everyone invloved understands this and there can be no hard feeling if someone takes you down or if you do the same to some one else. I have done both.
Safety Notice do not attemp formation flying at a busy field or crowded field unless you are the only ones flying or you will become very unpopular real quick and practice as far out as you can, once you have gotten a better idea of how to do this you can start flying closer in.
and did I say practice is the most important thing.
Good luck
Wlydman