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PINE BLUFF Formation Clinic 2020

BillSchlatterer

Well Known Member
UPDATE: Monday Night 9/1/2020 THURSDAY IS NOT A MANDATORY DAY .... IT'S A 100% OPTIONAL, EXCEPTIONAL FUN DAY! It's just more time for new and old to fly formation. Making 3 flights a day for three days is a lot easier and more fun than trying to force in 9 flights in a day and a 1/4. We intend to fly as much as we can, as often as we can, and use all the time available for fun and formating opportunities. The actual schedule will change a little based on the number of new flyers but we encourage you to come Thursday if you can or Friday if that's the time you have available. See post #12 for more Update details!

<Original Post Follows>

Here is the only good news we could find about canceling Petit Jean :( The good news is that now we can throw all that positive energy at the PINE BLUFF RV FORMATION Clinic which ...YES :D.... we have scheduled and committed for October 8 -11, 2020. ;--) Ladies and gentlemen and you too Ripper .... our plan is not just to have a clinic.... we intend to raise the bar and set the gold standard on how much fun you can have while flying 15 feet apart :--)

We have plead our case and have official approval from the Pine Bluff Airport commission to put on our Fall FFI Formation Clinic with all current masking and separation protocols. We feel confident that we can do it safely and effectively. We have funneled all that over the top Petit Jean energy into solutions for safety first, distancing, masking, lodging and transportation logistics. There will be no tight small groups, no crowding in vehicles, no closed room sessions, lots of it will be outdoors and weather permitting, this will be ... bar none .... the BEST formation clinic in the country in 2020.

So OK Slats .... we're listening ... reading ... so how's it going to be different? What's Bulldog got going? :confused:

First we're applying Petit Jean energy and planning to make it all work smooth! What's the biggest issue with clinics? Usually Weather and getting to fly enough to actually learn it ... no own it ... in two to four flights! Too much dead time in ground school ... a necessary and required evil. :eek: Not enough flights, not enough hands on, not enough hand waving, talk me through how to do it time. SOOOOO.... notice the first thing! October 8-11 is four days...count'em 4 days! We plan to start first thing Thursday with whoever shows up earliest with preplanned flight opportunities that will cover first demo rides, safety flights, and two ship training as soon as folks can arrive. We'll fly all day in small groups/squads. It will be possible for you to get in four flights Thursday and for NFG's (new formation guys/girls :rolleyes:) this quickly repetitive hands on flying shortens the learning curve. If you want to come in Wednesday afternoon... come on! We'll be there for you!

What about ground school you say? Well, we intend to step it up and have a virtual open book ground school, possibly several, possibly self paced with tests that you will complete and have graded as part of your registration before you ever arrive. Your first flight lead will give you a 5 minute oral just to make sure you know what you say you know. We will be flying all day, not sitting in the classroom. Ground school is important and necessary but not necessary to do in the middle of expensive valuable fun time!

Thursday will be set up for check rides, demo flights, safety flights, two ship and new four ship work. Absolutely the day for new folks to show up and have a slower paced but action packed introduction to formation work as well as setting up check rides and getting refresher flights if you haven't had any recent formation time. We're looking hard at grouping folks into squads with multiple flights preplanned so that they move from flight to brief to flight and so on with little down time. This means we will be looking at registrations and grouping folks by experience and what they want to accomplis. We'll try to make that happen so that you get a better opportunity to talk though the dos and don'ts and why did we do that's! No one has to be there Thursday but what a great time to be there and .... what else have you done in this COVID mania... don't you deserve it :--)

Once it gets dark, the Officers Club is always open! We'll be using more transports to get back and forth to the hotels, and more vehicles but no rush either. Just like Petit Jean, everything is covered, all you have to do is complete the virtual ground school, bring a well tuned airplane, and your A game and we guarantee you'll go home talking about the new formation buddies you made at the PINE BLUFF FORMATION!

Friday will be dedicated to more advanced four ship work, higher angles, tighter lines, and more smoke. Yes, we will have smoke in a keg for anyone that needs it for a nominal fee and we want you to use it! If you're there .... you should be able to get in four flights on Friday. It will be a ton of fun and the food will be great as well. That's how you get to that ton part ... After 6PM adult beverages will be distributed in many small coolers appropriately distanced. Bring ramp chairs I am told by Jerry that the Petit Jean Lime Slushie () machines might make an appearance as well :p

BUT SLIGHTLY BEFORE THAT ... before eating dinner on the ramp, Petit Jean style, we'll break the group into two wings and while one eats, the other will take in-flight shots at hitting ugly, nasty, hateful balloons while the other group checks out coolers and slushies, and laughs hard :D at your skills or the lack there of :rolleyes: ... but don't laugh too much because on Saturday night the wings switch and all you laughers get to show your skills as well! Ba ba Boom :eek: Balloon!

On Saturday, we will regroup by skills and needs and work through any four ship faults and depending on progress, we might see you in 4-8-12-16 ship diamonds which are the basis for all big formations. Saturday will also work for polishing skill sets, more one on one "talk me though it time", and anything else that you feel you have been shorted. AND THEN.... time to relax, sit on the ramp, and watch the other wing take a shot at those dastardly, dancing rubber bamellons while you sip adult beverages and sample some of the best BBQ in the south!

AND then there's Sunday.... Sunday is like graduation day. Usually we just do a big all up which is cool but .... limiting! This time, we're thinking about doing multiple 16 ship formations and getting some big ship lead time and maybe hooking up for a real photo opportunity. We'll brief it, and fly it, debrief it and scoot. Whatever it is, count on it being safe, fun, and something to talk about!

Is it a money back guarantee ? ... heck no! :cool: It's better than that .... it's the Bulldog guarantee! Come once and we guarantee you'll know more, fly better, smoother, tighter, and go home asking about the 2021 date.

Again come any day you can but if you can.... man let's fly! Get your spot! Join the Group IO link below and then sign into the database now. Hotel information to follow soon.

https://groups.io/g/2020PineBluffClinic


It ain't Petit Jean but it's a helluva RV weekend! More info to come!

Brought to you by Bulldog Flight and the EAA Pine Bluff Chapter
 
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Scroll is signed up, and I'm gonna take the balloon bust trophy this year! :cool:
 
O'fer Trophy

Just saying .... the 0'fer Trophy is a traveling Trophy that I would love to see go to Texas :)

We have some lop sided slip suckers with twirler burners that we've been saving just for you! :D
 
O’Fer Trophies

Now don’t you fret Slats.... we have plenty of those O’Fer Trophies to go around since we only had to pass one out at Petit Jean last year. You can keep yours proudly displayed and maybe we will be sending a few others out to Texas, maybe Oklahoma or even Kansas City! Better bring your “A” game guys!! 😎
 
Serious question, I have no experience flying formation at all! I am a low time pilot, 850 hrs, and have no acro experience. If I don’t fly for awhile, unusual attitudes can give me headaches after awhile but flying more often helps with that.

I would like to be able to fly in formation with some locals but don’t know where to start. Would this clinic be a good place to start or should I start smaller?
 
Serious question, I have no experience flying formation at all! I am a low time pilot, 850 hrs, and have no acro experience. If I don’t fly for awhile, unusual attitudes can give me headaches after awhile but flying more often helps with that.

I would like to be able to fly in formation with some locals but don’t know where to start. Would this clinic be a good place to start or should I start smaller?

I attended this clinic last year as a FNG red scary, these clinics are where to start and finish. Amazing amount of quality instruction, you will be a better pilot! Honestly can’t believe it’s free, quality/specialized instruction from pilots who’s main motivation is to have more wingman to fly with. See ya there!
 
Serious question, I have no experience flying formation at all! I am a low time pilot, 850 hrs, and have no acro experience. If I don’t fly for awhile, unusual attitudes can give me headaches after awhile but flying more often helps with that.

I would like to be able to fly in formation with some locals but don’t know where to start. Would this clinic be a good place to start or should I start smaller?

You have plenty of basic time. No aerobatics necessary. You just really need to be in complete command of your airplane before you show up. The standard FFI mantra: "Be able to strap on the airplane and take IT for a ride." (not be along for the ride). If that is you, then you're all set to have a blast.
 
Is this an event for folks to come to that aren't interested in actually doing any formation? Maybe just sit in and listen to a few of the talks about it and watch others.
 
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I am in store for a 'September to Remember' as we got an unsolicited contract on our east coast home that needs to close by the end of the month, so I think I will be desperately in need of some flying and socializing. IN!

Edit: HOLY GUACAMOLE! Just made the cut as sign up number 50! People want to fly and socialize, apparently. Somebody get Bulldog some 'Go pills'!
 
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Update on Thursday

UPDATE: Monday Night 9/1/2020 --- THURSDAY IS NOT A MANDATORY DAY .... IT's A 100% OPTIONAL, EXCEPTIONAL FUN DAY! :):) It's just more time for new and old to fly formation. Making 3 flights a day for three days is a lot easier and more fun than trying to force in 9 flights in a day and a 1/4. We intend to fly as much as we can, as often as we can, and use all the time available for fun and formating opportunities. The actual schedule will change a little based on the number of new flyers but we encourage you to add Thursday as a bonus day :) or come Friday - Sunday if that's the time you have available.

We're trying to minimize indoor time and maximize getting high time :rolleyes: It may even work out that Saturday is a day for the experienced flyers to actually work up a show routine and fly it for the dinner crowd!

Who knows... the PBF clinic is like Petit Jean... the only thing we guarantee is a great, safe, learning experience ... the Bulldog way! ;)
 
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How to sigh up

I went to the group thing and it says to sign up go to the data base section. Where is that?
 
Left side of the homepage. Open the appropriate file in the databases folder and add a row. (that may only show up after you register as a member of the group. I don't recall.)
 
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