Issues in formation. What to do.

[Nomex Maximus]

Note from moderator: Thread seperated from the mass arrival question...
Christopher Murphy raises a good point.

So, OK, how does this work? If you have a large formation of RVs in the air, in formation, what happens if someone in the lead suddenly has an engine out, or a lapse of attention or a heart attack or whatever that causes him to suddenly veer out of position? What are the other pilots supposed to do? And, what if there is a mid-air collision in the front of the formation? What is the plan? Is the plan going to truly avert a major disaster if something like this were to occur?

I am not trying to be controversial here, I just don't know anything about what your contingency plans are for such an event.

--JCB

[Kahuna]

Good questions Nomex and each has its own set of problems.
First, the size of the formation is not material to the issues you raise. These same problems exist in a 4 ship as a 40 ship.

1. Engine failure by lead..... Lead rips up and out of the flight. RIGHT NOW. This works. I know cause I had an engine failure as a result of a mechanical fuel pump failure (these resulted in an AD) in the middle of an airshow performance in front of a large crowd. This technique works and has been proven. The briefed deputy lead takes over and the flight continues.
2. Someone slacks.... Frankly, unheard of in formation. Can happen yes..... But burried next to another plane, your glued. You dont have a chance to read a magazine or file your nails. During training, practice, performance, or otherwise, anyone caught with even a moments slack and not 100% in the game 100% of the time is chastized appropriately and corrections made. By the time folks make it to something like the 35 ship you saw, all slackers have long been weeded out through training. We just dont accept it at any level.
3. Heart attack...No contingency. Pray it does not happen. Live with the odds. Dont let the guy next to you hit you. All planes in the formation have an out. They are planned that way for a reason.
4. Other mechanical problem.... Too many to list, too many what ifs. Simply, we have procedures for mechanicals. We have had engine failure of leads and wingman. We handle it based on procedure, practice & training. Not all potential issues can be completely and thuroughly planned for practically speaking. Based on history and the risk profile, we train for those in that manor.

I hope this was helpful.