Sport Class and Reno Racing Formation Requirements:
Formation requirements for the Reno NCAR are established by each class. The governing FAA policy document that covers airshows and racing (FAA Order 8900.1 V3, C6, S1&2) does not require an Industry Formation Card (FAST/FFI card) to participate in air racing. Therefore, each class determines its requirements for safe operations.
But make no mistake...formation experience, including some form of formal formation training, is probably the most important experience prerequisite for pylon racing. Flying the pylons at 50', at full tilt, among other aircraft, may not require an airshow formation card, but it definitely requires a high degree of comfort in formation, and a complete commitment and ability to uphold formation and racing "contracts" with fellow pilots on the course. Safety utterly depends on this commitment and ability.
The T-6 class requires each of its members to hold a FAST card prior to membership and participation. There are ample resources within FAST for them to do so. The Jet class does formation training in conjunction with CJAA, a FAST signatory. Some Sport Class Racers are FFI-carded (especially the RVs), and some hold FAST cards. Our class has formation guidelines that are a tailored form of FFI and FAST policies and procedures. We hold a formation warm-up just prior to PRS, but as the others said in earlier posts, it's a warm-up, not basic formation training. With our numbers, we don't have the bandwidth to do basic formation training during PRS. Although we don't require a FAST or FFI card, we require prospective pilots to have significant formation experience. Prospective RV race pilots have a plethora of training opportunities among the RV groups that train to FFI standards, including many clinics nationwide. Fast glass pilots are not so fortunate, but our class leadership tries to help all of our prospective pilots through networking to possible training opportunities. In the end though, it's the pilot's responsibility to come prepared and ready.
We do a phone interview and experience assessment with every PRS applicant, and we talk straight with pilots about what is required. We do our best to help those that fall short of the experience requirements find ways to gain it. We have taken a much more strict policy position on this over the past several years, because we have had issues with pilots that did not meet the experience requirements...and 50' over the ground going around pylons is no place to work though experience shortfalls...as you can imagine. We also want to do our best to prevent pilots from spending money and travel on PRS, only to discover they don't meet the performance standards to move from Formation Warm-up to PRS. This has happened in years past, and we do our best to prevent it, by maintaining high prerequisite standards.
Here is an excerpt from our draft 2019 Sport Class Rules, that describes the prerequisite experience:
Pilots and designated Alternate Pilots must provide the Officers and the Pilot Standards/Contest Committee evidence of meeting the following requirements before participating in any Sport Class Air Racing Association-sanctioned Formation Warm-up or PRS training event, or any NCAR (or other) Race or Qualification event.
(1,2,3 edited out for post)
4. Documented Formation Experience. Pilots must posess adequate formation skills prior to acceptance to participate in Sport Class Formation Warm-up and PRS. Pilots must be proficient and safe-for-solo in a 4-ship or larger formation, in all formations and maneuvers described in the Sport Class Formation Guidelines. Documented Formation Experience must include formation training/experience via any of the following sources:
a. Military Formation Training and Experience (Training Command, UPT, Fleet or Force).
b. FFI or FAST (Industry Formation Carded, or documented attendance at multiple FAST/FFI clinics, or other documented training with FFI/FAST carded pilots).
c. Other documented sources of formation experience, such as documented training with Sport Class pilots.
d. All prospective Sport Class pilots must have formation flying experience in their race aircraft type prior to attending Sport Class Warm-up and PRS.
e. All race pilots must have flown in formation in their actual race aircraft prior to participating in an NCAR race heat.
So now you have the straight poop. The focus on this has been increasing the past several years, and we experienced a mid-air collision mishap in 2017...formation experience was a factor. Our focus on safety continues. We are slightly revising our Class Rules, our Race/Pace SOP, and our PRS presentations. Updated versions will be available on our website soon. The formation guidelines are on the website, and I'd be happy to send them to you (the other files are too large for e-mail).
Johnnie or Don, please feel free to PM me, and I'll share my contact with you. Then please feel free to call me any time. Johnnie, we can conduct that interview any time, and once we assess your experience, if needed, I'll refer you to pilots or groups that may be able to help you prepare for our Formation Warm-up and PRS.
Preparation is the key to success. I hope this helps prospective racers git er dun, so their experience in Reno is as great as it can be!
Cheers,
Bob