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Formation aeros

newt

Well Known Member
Eddie Seve, Mal Kains, Glenn Bridgeland and I brought Jeremy Miller and Michael Jorgensen to train us in formation aerobatics this weekend.

The most intense training experience I've ever had. 115?F in the shade on Saturday, shooting 30 minute sorties all day. Very early starts to "beat the heat." I lost count of the number of water bottles and Hydralite tablets I went through on Saturday. We worked hard for this rating.

Formation Aerobatics is a "Flight Activity Endorsement" on your Part 61 license in Australia. Needs appropriately credentialed instructors, regulator paperwork, compliance with a Manual of Standards. The MoS for the formation aeros endorsement appears to have been written by someone who's never flown formation before but knows a lot about how to relocate risk to other people, so we reached compliance with it on Saturday then spent Sunday exceeding it.

I learned a heck of a lot about my own endurance, my aircraft's performance, aircraft handling and finesse. I also learned far too much about what I don't know and where my deficiencies are, so there'll be lots to practice.

None of our aircraft are particularly well matched. Our group has my RV-6, Mal's RV-6A, and Eddie's and Glenn's RV-7s. The two -6's have differently-pitched props, the two -7s have slightly different engines and different drag profiles. We all need to change our flying styles to suit each others' aircraft. I think we all agreed that I'm working hardest with my fixed-pitch cruise prop, but flying with me makes Mal's job more difficult if he's leading, so maybe it's all a bit of a wash.

When it all comes together, it feels so sweet.
https://youtu.be/bI4vOSW-7BY
https://youtu.be/fWVPPQYrB5o

Jorgo shot what's probably my favorite photo of my RV so far, during the pull up into a left barrel roll in right echelon.

sunrise.jpg


My god, this stuff is so, so much fun. If you're feeling like you need to extend yourself, this is absolutely the way to do it.

(Rotor, Slick, Batman: Look at what you've started...!)

- mark
 
Awesome photo.

Last weekends course was the hardest thing I have ever done, it was humbling to realise how inconsistent I was with my barrel rolls and loops, the upside was that they got better, so much more practise needed.

Cheers
 
Formation Aero instructors.

Do these 2 instructors only fly out of Sydney?
Not too many instructors around with the approval to grant formation aero endorsements, since Part 61 came in.
 
Jeremy Miller is based on the Gold Coast, we contracted him for a few days to come down to Sydney with us. He has all the necessary Part 61 stuff (one of the best airshow pilots in Australia, and is partnered-up with Paul Goard to own and run The Airshow Company)

Jorgo is ex RAAF. He's an instructor without civilian formation aeros ratings, and was was volunteering as safety pilot in the lead aircraft, acting under Jeremy's direction, regaling us with the benefits of his knowledge.

(Jeremy's usual way of teaching this, and the original plan until Jorgo stuck his hand up, is to direct the lead pilot from the wingman airplane after doing some non-formation mentoring to make sure the lead knows how to fly the figures consistently. That takes considerably longer and is probably less safe than having a critic sitting next to you, and we've found that the two of them make an excellent team)

Incidentally, Jorgo is (among other things) a professional aviation photographer. If you want to get some absolutely mint photos of your airplane in flight in Australia, and need someone who can organize appropriately trained pilots and aircraft to help out, he's your guy. Hit me up with a PM if you need contact details. Personal recommendation, I'm not getting anything out of it, he doesn't know I'm saying it.

- mark
 
Formation Aero instructors

By the way Jorgo is a fully qualified and authorised Part 61 Formation instructor, he signed me off on the CASA form (I was his first official formation student). If you want to learn Formation Jorgo and Jeremy are the way to go.

-Kevin
 
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