Fellow Mustang pilots,
I'm sure most of you are aware of the imminent threat the FW-190 D9s of the rising JG52 is posing to us. We must do all in our power to stop their relentless expansion and must take the battle to them. *
For this new situation, teamwork is of the essence. No matter how skilled we all may be as individual Mustang pilots, it means nothing if we are not able to apply our combined forces against the enemy.
Therefore, I urge you to engage in the Club's training exercises immediately.
The first of a series of excercises, which I will publish on this thread, is:
1. Pair Formation flying
Here are some critical points for the proper execution of this task:
- Good communication between the leader and his wingman are of the essence, therefore use headsets as much as possible.
- the leader must consider the wingman's location and his ability to keep up. Therefore, announce any turns, climbs, dives. Make them gentle in the beginning. Do not power ahead with full power if your wingman is already far behind. He won't have a chance to catch up.
- it's good practice for the leader to announce his power setting and configuration (flaps up or down).
- it's easiest for the wingman to follow if the leader maintains a constant power setting and does not make abrupt power changes unannounced.
- the wingman's position is on the leader's left wing, slightly behind and below. Practice assuming this position when the leader orders 'Close formation'.
- at the beginning, you will need more distance between you and the leader, but you will be able to fly closer with practice.
- a fundamental rule to formation flying is to keep your wings parallel with the leader's wings
- the secret to formation flying is that the leader's airplane becomes the sole reference point for the wingman - what the leader does, the wingman does. Stick the leader's plane in a position in your right windscreen and keep him there.
- make small and glentle adjustments continuously. Use rudder for keeping your lateral position with reference to the leader. Consider inertia and drag. Power changes take a while to have their effect on speed (acceleration/deceleration). If you are too fast and start to overshoot, consider the use of combat flaps which will decelerate you quickly. Raise them and adjust power as soon as you have stopped your plane from overshooting.
- When practicing, turn you HUD on. It is easier for both leader and wingman to accurately see their airspeeds and throttle settings. I will follow up with an explanation of the Airspeed Indicator and Manifold Pressure Gauge to enable the club to do without HUD in all circumstances.
- the maneuver may seem difficult at first but with practice you will master it. The aim for us must be that it becomes second nature to fly in formation comparable to driving your car in traffic.
- Finally, it's a lot of fun and very immersive.
Please everybody, get on with it asap. Team up with a Club member when you can. In addition I will host a series of open ended games for Club members where pairs of two can form for practice.
I look forward to seeing results soon. All pilots report back here confirming they have mastered the excercise.
MAC
This USN training video deals with three and four airplane formations. Since it provides some excellent basic information on any formation flying, I have included it here.
* Please always be mindful that our enemy's pilots are honorable and skilled airmen. Treat them with respect, and be on guard.