CHAPTER 3 - FORMATION Flashcards
What are some reasons to fly form?
- Minimum Risk Route (MRR) compliance
- Safe Passage Corridor (SPC) requirements
- Mass employment (AAR, airdrop, assault transport)
- escort by other aircraft
- other flight route restrictions based on geography or time
How should you plan formation flight?
To exploit the threat, terrain, and retain ability to maintain contact with other aircraft
What are the 2 formation flight regimes?
Define them
Cruise: nose to tail separation of 20-3000 ft (0.5 NM) within 500 ft vertically
Tactical: nose to tail separation of 3000 ft (0.5 NM) to 3 NM and vertical separation will be planned/briefed to support mission requirements
What are the 4 baseline formations?
Trail
Fluid Trail
Radar/Tanker Trail
Echelon/Tanker Echelon
What is the standard formation in VMC?
Fluid trail
How should formation briefs go?
Should be concise with a focus of effort placed on the objective area and contingencies versus administrative items
What dictates formation size and type?
Aircraft resources available Ingress and egress environment Terrain Weather Route Altitude to be flown Mission objectives
What is the formation contract?
- Lead leads
- Wingmen are responsible for deconfliction from lead
- Wingmen clears leads 6 o’clock
- All speeds will be referenced as IAS
- Lead announces unplanned speed changes greater than 15 kts
- Lead/wingmen announce unexpected encounters with atmospheric or threat based on mission degraders
- In lieu of a briefed rejoin plan, lead will use distance to go to a specific waypoint along a flight path and MSL altitude to identify rejoin points for assembling the formation
PLA for climb to join
PLA for join to altitude
HP and airspeed in descent
Go-around airspeed
68
70
NLT 1000 HP and <230 KIAS
180 KIAS
Explain PACE for inter-flight communications
Primary - HAVE QUICK cypher text
Alternate - dissimilar band cypher text
Contingency - another dissimilar band cypher text
Emergency - plain text
How is the radio check supposed to sound?
Ranger Flight, uniform 1, go secure, uniform 1 secure, uniform 2, U2 secure, V1, V1 secure, V2, V2 secure, ARC-210, ARC-210 secure
What are the standard TACAN A/A settings?
Lead - 70Y (during HAAR, lead carries TACAN A/A for refueling portion)
Dash 2 - 7Y/69Y
Dash 3 - 6Y/68Y
Dash 4 - 5Y (during FWAAR/TAAR the last aircraft in the formation carries the A/A TACAN for refueling portion)
Who shall sign the flight plan for the flight?
PIC/Formation leader
What shall all aircraft have at briefed man time?
Current ATIS
EGI aligned
Primary inter-plane frequency tuned
Define nonstandard formations
Total lateral separation (lead to last aircraft) greater than 1 mile and total vertical separation greater than 100 ft
Why should engine starts commence at briefed time?
Predictable in-flight fuel loads
What is the taxi interval?
What if significant FOD hazard exists?
2 aircraft lengths
4-5 aircraft lengths
How long should all aircraft remain on tower frequency?
Until last aircraft is airborne
How should Squawks and TCAS work for a flight?
- all aircraft have individual squawks during departure until standard formation is established
- once standard or directed by ATC, lead will carry mode 3 squawk
- remaining aircraft select ATC REPLY OFF, TCAS BRDCST ON, TA ONLY, and downlink data off if flight ID is entered
Where should the first aircraft be positioned on the runway?
Left or downwind side
If cleared for takeoff from hold short what is the expectation?
Rolling takeoff for the flight with no delay on the runway
What is the takeoff interval?
15 seconds or the preceding aircraft breaking the deck, whichever occurs first
When is a running rendezvous accomplished?
When there is no turnout after takeoff.
Wingmen will displace 500 ft laterally, fly briefed airspeed plus 20, and intercept bearing line
During a turning rendezvous what are the bearing line cues for a stepped down formation?
Lead aircrafts vertical stabilizer bisecting the outboard wing. The bottom of the fuselage should be on or slightly above the horizon.
During a turning rendezvous what are the bearing line cues for a stepped up formation?
Leads vertical stabilizer bisecting the outboard wing. Bottom of fuselage should be on or slightly below the horizon.
Excessive angle off leads heading during rendezvous can cause what?
Underrun or overrun
Describe the break up and rendezvous
- lead will call rollout heading and execute a 60 deg AOB, power on turn away from trailing aircraft
- trail aircraft will wait 5 seconds and then execute a 60 deg AOB turn in same direction
- once rolled in behind lead, call “TRAIL”
- once last aircraft has called TRAIL lead will roll to 20 deg AOB and hold turn
- while using radius of turn, trail aircraft will join on lead utilizing the 45 deg bearing line
- once established, call ABOARD
Describe the cross under
- establish step down of 40 ft
- change heading 2-3 degrees
How do you execute an underrun?
Immediately level wings, reduce power, and ensure safe passage below and behind aircraft. Call UNDERRUN
What side do you perform a lead change on?
Left
What is the signal for an EMCON lead change?
New lead - Momentary flash of the top anti-collision light
Old lead - respond with momentary flash of top anti-collision light
What is Trail useful for?
En route and objective area operations requiring multiple aircraft.
Describe Trail
20 ft to 3 NM in trail.
20 ft to 500 ft stepped up or down
What is the visual reference for Trail Stepped Up?
- typical nose to tail separation is 2000 ft (0.3 NM)
- place aircraft within confines of the airspeed indicator
What is the visual reference for Trail Stepped Down?
-for 20 ft aft and 20 ft down: place heading box in entirety of aircrafts ramp
For 500 ft aft: place heading box directly below the belly of the aircraft. The outboard tips of the horizontal stabilizer should be between the inboard tailpipes and external tank pylons.
Advantages of Trail
- decreased spacing intervals
- reduced time over objective area
- rapid transition to other geometries
- easier for wingmen to see lead
- mutual terrain clearance
Disadvantages of Trail
- potential for wake turbulence
- increased pilot fatigue
- complicated defensive maneuvering
- simultaneous exposure to threats
What is Fluid Trail useful for?
Maneuverability for wingmen to optimize terrain masking
Freedom for evasive maneuvers
Breaks up symmetrical visual pattern of formation
Describe Fluid Trail
Wingmen maintain visual position within a fluid area behind leads 3-9 o’clock
Advantages of Fluid Trail
-eases threat maneuvering
-greater flexibility
-enhanced visual clearing
-unpredictable spacing for threats
Allows lead to set up formation geometry for threats, turn points, or weather avoidance
Disadvantages of Fluid Trail
- wingmen must clear their own flight path
- may be difficult to keep lead in sight
What range should you be in when using SP mode?
0.3/1.5
Describe Radar Trail
0.5 NM in trail and 500 ft stepped up or down
What tools can be used for lost sight or inadvertent weather penetration procedures?
AA TACAN
ETCAS
HUD LOS symbol
Radar
What is Echelon useful for?
- formation initial join-up
- recoveries (overhead break)
- AAR
Describe Echelon
All wingmen on the same side stepped-up or stepped-down with nose-tail separation and wingtip clearance
Typically flown on the 45 degree bearing line
20 ft on the side and 20ft below
Visual reference for Echelon day and night
Day: bisecting the external fuel tank with the ice light. Maintain ice light directly below the external tank
Night: bisect external tank with strip light. Maintain strip light just below the external tank
What is the standard formation for the low-level environment when not conducting AAR or AD?
Fluid Trail stepped up
If only one RVD is available for the flight where should it be placed?
Last aircraft to provide maximum lookout to the rear of formation
If an RVD is not available what should the last aircraft do?
Perform gentle S turns to clear rear of formation
Describe Lead turns into wingman
Wingman first cross over and behind lead and then reverse the turn to match leads new heading
Prevents wingman from making large power adjustments, going belly up to lead, or inadvertently assuming the lead
Describe lead turns away from wingman
Wingman turns harder than lead, crossover to get inside leads radius-of-turn, and close the distance formed by the wingman being on the outside of the turn
Describe Spread formation
Wingman spaced greater than 500 ft laterally and approximately even with leads 3/9 line.
Consider using turns to enter/depart spread or flying en route speeds to allow wingmen to catch up
What is Spread useful for?
Over areas of indistinct terrain such as deserts or coastal areas and where large valleys or Lines of Communication must be crossed.
What does Spread formation avoid?
Flying over the same ground track
Minimize detection from the air
Limits the ability of certain threats to engage more than one aircraft
What is the minimum landing interval for day and night?
Day: 30 seconds / 4000 ft / 0.7 NM
Night: 6000 ft / 1.0 NM
Describe standard break
All aircraft conducting a 60 deg AOB turn to downwind with a 5 second interval between aircraft
Lead maintains AOB and power until established on downwind
Describe Fan Break
Lead to 60 deg AOB - reduce power on downwind
- 2 to 50 deg AOB - reduce power after completing 135 deg of turn
- 3 to 40 deg AOB - reduce power after 90 deg of turn
- 4 to 30 deg AOB - reduce power after 45 deg of turn
Describe Formation Abeam Approach
220 KIAS
Best geometry to fly this approach is spread
Distance between aircraft should be desired landing interval
All aircraft break simultaneously over runway using same bank angle
If aircraft not in proper position at time of break do not break to downwind until the preceding aircraft has done so
Landing on dual runways
Should be used to max extent possible
Lead recover to outboard runway, -2 recovers to inboard, -3 recovers to outboard, etc
How do you notify flight if you’re NORDO?
Rocking wings and flashing position lights
Leading NORDO aircraft VMC and IMC
VMC: lead notify tower of NORDO aircraft and receive clearance to land. Maneuver for the overhead then go around and NORDO will land. NORDO look for ALDIS lamps
IMC: every effort should be made to go to a VMC field; consider altering destinations even. Lead will detach the NORDO aircraft at the IAF
