Thanks for posting that Smokey! Its a great product, and the result of a huge amount of work on Jim "Gringo" Gray's part (VAF's N747JG).
For the FAST/FFI discussion (and I purposefully didn't say FAST
vs FFI
), as a card holder in both organizations, I'd say there are far more similarities than differences. I'm presenting the FAST ground school to the Sport Class Racing pilots (my connection to FAST) at the Pylon Racing Seminar in June, and having just completed our WCFC, I'd say the similarities run throughout the programs. Makes sense, since FFI was built on the same foundation as FAST.
FAST has many signatories (as has been mentioned), and they all originally adopted the T-34 Manual as the standard as they merged their standardization efforts. The 4-part FAST Formation Guideline was developed from that and other documents.
FFI also adopted the T-34 Manual as the standard, to support and continue standardization among formation flying community members. An RV Supplement to the T-34 Manual was developed for use by the RV community. The documant that Smokey posted now combines all the above, and is a great formation SOP, IMHO. As Smokey said, anyone wanting to fly their RV's in formation safely and well would benefit greatly from that SOP.
Mandatory? No (unless you want to fly in one of our clinics, or earn an FFI card).
A heckuva great resource? You-betcha!
We beat this drum becaue its all about safety, trust and predictability.
I know guys like Ken (a military test pilot with formal formation training) and his buds fly formation to very high standards, as do many other RV pilots. For guys like "Buggsy2" Bob (the OP), with no formal form training, groups like the Ravens and many others around the country offer a great way to train to high standards, even if an FFI card is not sought. We don't teach "formation light", but there are levels and a progression, so its not just getting tossed in the pool...better to learn "formation right", one step at a time...whether that be to FFI standards, FAST standards, or other professional standards (being triple redundant there!
)
I've been thinking about the "less intense clinic" concept, and though we had 50+ pilots and planes, and the formation flying is focused and intensive, we still have a great time and build a lot of camraderie. It's not an overly formal event, but there is a ground school, and when it comes to brief time, its time to go to work and get your game on. Our mission is to make the training safe, valuable and fun. Ask some of the Rookies that came this year...I think you'll find some pretty happy folks among that group!
So don"t be intimidated by the clinic environment at all. They are a blast, and if they weren't so much dog-gone work to organize we'd do more of them! But as I mentioned earlier, we train all year round, and welcome others to train with us. We often organize trainng hops to introduce new pilots that want to learn formation. The environment may be a bit different, but the training will essentially be the same. Both are actually great (and fun) ways to go.
I also think that once you try it, you'll realize why we say learn it well or don't do it, and you'll want to do it right (Smokey's in and rock-solid), no matter how far you pursue it. Word of caution though...before you dip your toe into the pool, ye be warned...its pretty addictive stuff!
Cheers,
Bob