I Thought Of It Later

Formation flying is not something you want to do on a whim. Doing it properly requires planning and proper procedures.

Saturday, January 04, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

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Just moments after this formation-flight photo was taken, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter—second from the right, with the red tail—collided with the XB-70A and sheared off both its vertical stabilizers. The XB-70A’s co-pilot, Carl Cross, was killed, as was the F-104’s pilot, NASA Chief Test Pilot Joe Walker. The XB-70A’s pilot, Al White, managed to eject and survived with major injuries.and Northrop YF-5A-NO S/N 59-4989. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Key Takeaways:

The article recounts a challenging and almost dangerous formation flight for aerial photography, where a faster jet struggled to maintain position with a slower prop plane, exacerbated by poor pre-flight planning and communication.
Key takeaways emphasize the critical need for thorough pre-flight briefings covering all flight parameters, emergency procedures, minimum safe altitudes, and communication protocols to ensure safety in complex formation flights.
Both the author's personal experience and professional aviation guidelines underscore that meticulous planning and clear arrangements are paramount to mitigate the significant risks associated with formation flying.

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One day I noticed that our airplane was being photographed by a man with a telephoto lens, who was about 10 feet away. Oh, did I mention we were airborne? We were.

We flew our aircraft as “two,” in formation with the “lead” aircraft, a Bonanza A36. I was “voluntold” by my fellow pilot to fly in the left-seat of “two” (our aircraft), since I had formation experience. (Never mind that it was in a T-38 back when we stayed within the confines of an MOA using Tacan radials, and all our gauges ran on steam. Yes, it was the Pleistocene Era. Or was it the Iron Age?)