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

Verified

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:

Formation flying, especially for aerial photography, presents significant safety challenges due to close proximity, varying aircraft performance, and the need for precise coordination.
Thorough pre-flight planning and comprehensive briefings are critical for safe formation flights, encompassing details like altitudes, airspeeds, communication protocols, emergency procedures, and terrain avoidance.
The article emphasizes that anticipating every contingency and adhering to rigorous safety standards, even beyond basic FAA regulations, is crucial to prevent dangerous situations highlighted by the author's experience and past accidents.

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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?)