41st VSFS/Formation Flying

Overview

Formation flying is a fundamental skill for every F-14 crew. The purpose of this syllabus is not display flying. A qualified crew must be able to maintain a predictable formation position, manoeuvre with another aircraft, recognise deviations early and correct them without creating a collision hazard.

The standard formations for the F-14B(U) are Fingertip, Echelon, Fighting Wing, Wedge and Combat spread.

The values given below are qualification limits. Pilots should aim for the desired position rather than deliberately flying against the edge of a limit.

Formation Responsibilities

Flight Lead is responsible for navigation, formation changes and providing a predictable aircraft to follow. Abrupt power changes, unnecessary manoeuvring and large unannounced changes in bank should be avoided while aircraft are in close formation.

The wingman is responsible for maintaining formation position and separation.

In the F-14, formation control remains the pilot's responsibility. The RIO should assist with navigation, communications, range information and situational awareness. During tactical formation and rejoins, the RIO should actively monitor the other aircraft and inform the pilot of developing problems.

If visual contact is lost, call Blind immediately. Do not continue manoeuvring based on where the other aircraft is expected to be.

Fingertip

For this syllabus, Fingertip refers to the close formation position corresponding to the F-14's Parade formation.

Unlike tactical formations, Fingertip should not be graded using a large angular box. The wingman should establish and maintain the correct Tomcat visual reference on Lead.

The primary reference is the relationship between Lead's intake and rear cockpit area. Once established, this reference should remain stationary in the wingman's canopy. A stable sight picture is more important than attempting to estimate an angle from the cockpit.

The qualification standard is a stable position with small corrections. Continuous fore-and-aft movement, large throttle changes, repeated loss of the reference or moving through Lead's plane of motion is outside the standard.

During normal Fingertip training, Lead should limit turns to approximately 30° angle of bank.

Fingertip Turns

During a turn, the wingman maintains the same formation reference rather than pointing directly at Lead.

When positioned on the inside of the turn, the wingman travels a shorter distance and normally requires less power. When positioned on the outside, the wingman travels farther and normally requires more power.

Corrections should be made smoothly. If the position deteriorates significantly, separation takes priority over attempting to force the aircraft back into position.

Echelon

Echelon is a close formation in which all wingmen are positioned on the same side of the formation.

Aircraft use the same basic close-formation spacing and references as Fingertip. Number Two maintains position on Lead, Number Three maintains position relative to Number Two and Number Four maintains position relative to Number Three.

The formation should appear as one continuous bearing line rather than several aircraft independently flying beside Lead.

Turns into the Echelon should be avoided when practical. If required, they should be shallow and predictable.

During turns away from the Echelon, all aircraft roll with Lead and maintain their position on the Echelon line.

A pilot is expected to maintain the Echelon without accordion effects developing through the formation. Number Three and Number Four should not repeatedly compress and expand their spacing as Lead manoeuvres.

Fighting Wing

Fighting Wing is a manoeuvrable two-ship formation which gives the wingman considerably more freedom than Fingertip.

The wingman operates within a cone 30–60° aft of Lead and 500–3,000 ft behind.

For training, a good working position is approximately 2,000 ft behind Lead and near the middle of the permitted angular region.

The wingman does not need to hold one exact sight picture. Lead and lag may be used to remain inside the formation while Lead manoeuvres.

Wedge

Wedge is a tactical formation providing increased separation while still allowing the flight to manoeuvre freely.

The wingman maintains 30–60° off Lead's six o'clock at a range of 4,000–6,000 ft (0.65-1nm).

A useful training target is approximately 5,000 ft (0.8nm) while remaining near the centre of the permitted angular region.

The wingman may manoeuvre inside the Wedge area as required and may cross behind Lead when necessary to maintain position.

Combat spread

Line Abreast is the primary tactical formation used for tactical turns.

The desired position is directly abeam Lead.

The permitted position is 0–20° aft, with 4,000–6,000 ft lateral spacing.

The preferred spacing for training is approximately 5,000 ft.

Vertical stack may be used as required. The maximum formation limit is ±2,000 ft. When stack is used, approximately 500–1,000 ft provides a useful working position without allowing vertical separation to become excessive.

Position corrections should be prioritised in the following order: first regain the line, then correct spacing, then correct vertical stack.

The aircraft must be established inside these limits before beginning a tactical turn.

Join-Ups

The purpose of a join-up is to bring separated aircraft back into formation safely and efficiently.

A good join-up is controlled from the beginning. Excessive closure should not be carried towards Lead with the expectation that speedbrakes or a large power reduction will solve the problem at the end.

The RIO should assist by providing range and closure information whenever available.

During a straight-ahead join-up, 50–100 kt of overtake provides a practical initial closure rate. By approximately 3,000 ft, the joining aircraft should begin reducing closure. At approximately 1,500 ft, overtake should be approximately 50 kt or less and continue decreasing as the aircraft approaches formation.

The wingman should not attempt to arrive directly in Fingertip with substantial closure. First stabilise the aircraft relative to Lead, then move deliberately into the final close-formation position.

If closure becomes excessive, correct early. If the join-up cannot be completed safely, execute a controlled overshoot rather than attempting to save it.

Turning Join-Up

A turning join-up uses geometry rather than pure airspeed to close on Lead.

Approximately 45° of aspect provides a useful reference during the rejoin. Significantly more aspect makes closure and overshoot control increasingly difficult, while significantly less aspect produces an inefficient tail chase.

A turning rejoin should normally be flown with approximately 30 kt of controlled overtake as the aircraft approaches Lead.

The wingman should remain slightly below Lead's plane of motion during the final portion of the rejoin.

As range decreases, Lead should appear progressively more stationary in the canopy. Large line-of-sight movement close to Lead indicates that the join-up geometry is not yet under control.

If an overshoot becomes necessary, make the decision early, maintain visual contact and cross behind Lead with positive separation.

Tactical Turns

Tactical turns are normally initiated from Line Abreast.

Before the manoeuvre begins, both aircraft should be within 0–10° aft, 4,000–6,000 ft spacing and within the briefed vertical stack.

The purpose of a tactical turn is not simply to change heading. The flight should complete the manoeuvre and return to a usable tactical formation without large corrective turns or excessive power changes afterwards.

Altitude and the briefed tactical airspeed should be maintained throughout the manoeuvre unless otherwise directed.

TAC Turn

A TAC Turn is a delayed turn used primarily for heading changes of approximately 90°.

The aircraft on the outside of the commanded turn turns first.

For a TAC Right, the aircraft on the left side of the formation begins the right turn first. The inside aircraft initially maintains heading.

The second aircraft begins its turn using the geometry of the first aircraft rather than an arbitrary timer. As the first aircraft moves through the turn and its Intakes are clearly visible, the second aircraft begins the same turn.

Both aircraft then roll out on the new heading and re-establish Line Abreast.

A successful TAC Turn should finish inside 0–10° aft and 4,000–6,000 ft spacing without requiring a major corrective manoeuvre.

If the flight repeatedly exits the turn excessively sucked, acute or widely separated, the turn timing is incorrect.

Hook Turn

A Hook Turn is used to reverse the formation by approximately 180°.

Both aircraft begin the turn simultaneously in the commanded direction.

Each aircraft flies its own turn while maintaining awareness of the other aircraft. After approximately 180° of heading change, both aircraft roll out and re-establish Line Abreast.

The aircraft will exchange sides relative to the new direction of flight.

The manoeuvre is complete only when the formation is again within Line Abreast limits.

Check Turn

A Check Turn is used for small heading corrections and is normally 30° or less.

The formation turns in the commanded direction while maintaining tactical spacing and visual contact.

Check Turns should not create a large formation displacement. After rollout, the wingman should require only a small correction to return to the desired Line Abreast position.

Qualification Standard

Qualification requires more than simply completing each manoeuvre without a collision.

The pilot must demonstrate stable Fingertip and Echelon formation without persistent fore-and-aft oscillation or large power corrections.

The pilot must demonstrate both straight-ahead and turning join-ups with controlled closure and must recognise an unsafe join-up early enough to overshoot safely.

TAC Turns, Hook Turns and Check Turns must begin from an established tactical formation and end with the flight returning inside Line Abreast limits without a major recovery manoeuvre.

Temporary deviations while manoeuvring are acceptable. Repeated deviations, uncontrolled closure, loss of visual contact without an immediate call, crossing Lead's plane of motion in close formation or requiring Lead to manoeuvre for collision avoidance are not acceptable.

Credits

All illustrations on this page were created by Phantom. Many thanks to him for his work and contribution to this Formation flying entry.