Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #69558
From: George catalano <george@contessastone.com>
Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: formation flying with dissimilar aircraft
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 22:21:14 -0400
To: <lml@lancaironline.net>
My experience can be summarized with the following statement - be very very careful and be very well briefed. 
I have only flown my 360 in formation with Yak 52's and CJ-6 with the 360 and 400 HP engines. The speed differences, turning radiuses and accelerations and deceleration are all quite dramatic which make it harder than normal. It really wasn't much fun to be blunt. 
I avoided the formation landing since they are all very slow and tight in the pattern and stop very quickly once planted. Figured it just was a bad idea or an accident waiting to happen for me anyway. I used to do a formation air show routine in a T-34 when I was younger and we took and landed in formation - it was a breeze since they were identical airplanes. 
The good news was that you could stay on your post easily since you were running 50% power most of the time so maneuvering was easy. Lastly their fat, low wing loading planes didn't handle the turbulence like ours do, so it added to the circus. You don't realize how well you slice through turbulence until fly along side a symmetric winged Yak or even a fat bottom winged Yak. Made me appreciate our little rockets even more.

I suspect flying with RV's would fair better - probably a lot better.

Be very careful is all I can say.

LNC2 - 150 hours new and still all good


George Catalano
Principle at Contessa Stone
Cell = 602 524 1534
Fax = 480 483 3298
CONTESSA STONE
10229 N Scottsdale Rd suite E
Scottsdale, AZ 85258



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