FORMATION FLIGHT INFORMATION 

     We will depart RFD on Saturday, July 26, 2008.  Flight lead this year is Larry Gaines, the leader of Bonanzas to Oshkosh.

     Parking: Aircraft arriving Thursday will park on the Emery Air Charter FBO ramp.  Expect to move your airplane to the UPS ramp adjacent to Emery at 10:00 a.m. local Friday.  Arrivals on Friday between 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. will proceed directly to the UPS ramp.  Arrivals after 5:00 p.m. Friday must park on the Emery ramp (the UPS ramp will be unattended).  If arriving on the morning of the flight to OSH proceed directly to the UPS ramp.  Pilots assigned as Flight Leaders will identify themselves with a red 8 x 11’ card in the windshield and will be parked with the nose wheel on a red spot.  Wingmen will be directed to parking either side of a Flight Leader.  Follow directions from ramp personnel.  They know what they are doing.  Leave your beacon in the ‘on’ position so ramp personnel can spot if you left your master switch on.  This is a good time to turn your transponder to standby or off.  A diagram of the parking arrangement is posted

          Engine Start & Taxi: This will be announced at the briefing.  Anticipated start time is 11:45 a.m. local time for a noon departure.  You should have checked your oil, tire pressure and other preflight necessities prior to the briefing.  Taxi instructions will be given at the briefing.  All transponders must be on standby or off.  Be especially vigilant for pedestrians (especially children) in this active ramp area.

     Run-up: We strongly recommend you do your mag check at cruise power prior to landing or on the ground before getting to the UPS ramp - you will then be ready to go without a run-up with the next engine start.  If you feel you must do a run-up on the ground after engine start: do it on the ramp where you have more spacing than you will have anywhere else, do it at the lowest possible RPM and cycle your prop only once.  Once we start to taxi there is no time or place appropriate for run-up.  Certainly do not do a run-up on the runway when tail to nose and only two feet from the Bonanza behind you.

     Runway protocol: DO NOT EVEN THINK OF SHUTTING DOWN YOUR ENGINE WHILE WAITING FOR  DEPARTURE.  If your airplane is prone to overheating at idle for 15-20 minutes do everyone a favor and drop out of the formation.  One airplane running down a battery while attempting a hot start will ruin the flight for everyone.  There will be no way to get around you.  You probably will not be able to run fast enough to get away from the angry mob.  Again, do not do your run up on the runway.  We are lined up nose to tail only a few feet apart.  If leaned on the runway waiting for take-off richen the mixture slowly to avoid flooding the engine.

      Takeoff: All planes will be lined up three abreast on the runway prior to take-off if landing Runway 36 L&R.  Planes will line up two abreast for all other runway arrivals.  Each element will begin take-off roll when signaled by flagman.

     Formation:   Climb is at 100 kts. IAS, cruise at 125, descent at 125, approach at 100.  At take-off there will be significant spacing between the element in front and yours.  This will increase as the element in front levels and you are still climbing.  Closure will be at 135 knots maximum.  Remember: until the element in front achieves closure with the element he is chasing he will be going 140 kts as well.  You will not achieve closure until the element in front has slowed down.  Do not attempt to speed this up.  Increasing speed beyond 135 kts. IAS leads to over-run and makes it impossible for the plane behind to even keep pace, especially if it is one of the lesser powered Bonanzas.  With this many planes the formation may be half way to OSH before the last elements have achieved proper spacing.

      Wingmen should be sufficiently forward that the Flight Leader can easily see them.  If you are more comfortable with a little extra spacing, then move laterally.  Avoid falling back or forming a deep ‘V’ in the formation.  If you see someone in the element in front falling back, just slide further in or out as need be.  Eventually the culprit will catch up.

     Expect speed changes.  With this many planes some accordion effect takes place every year.  Flight Leaders will adjust speed for safety; wingmen should have practiced speed changes in formation.

     Route:  I hesitate to publish this because, except for Bonanza Lead, no one really needs to know it.  All Flight Lead need do is follow the element in front.  All wingmen need do is fly with their Flight Leader.  No one should be looking at instruments or GPS.  This is a VFR flight.  In deference to copilots who want something to do, the routes are published.  Formation Flight Lead may vary the route depending on weather.  In 2001 we were on the planned route only 40% of the time.  Nothing is cast in stone.  Being a pilot is being flexible, but formation flying means discipline - follow lead.  It is the formation lead's job to be flexible.

     Route Comments: We will not know the route until the 10.00 a.m. briefing.  Our preferred arrival runway at OSH is RW 36 unless winds dictate otherwise.  The RW 36 arrival is our standard three aircraft formation.  All other runway arrivals will be two aircraft elements from departure to touchdown. The first three waypoints, RFD VOR, OSH 1 and OSH A were designed in coordination with RFD for an orderly departure from their airspace and are common to all routes.  Arrival routings were coordinated with FAA , OSH Tower Chief and EAA.
       The RW 36 arrival brings us west of the Class D Fond du Lac airspace, then to the POBER (OS) outer marker and a five mile final.  Waypoint C is a mandatory flyover point.  Fly wide and you will encroach on the Ripon arrival only a few miles to your left.  Cut the corner and you will encroach on the Class D Fond du Lac airspace.  Right wing will sidestep on final to land on 36R.
       The RW 09 arrival follows the RW 36 route initially, then heads west towards Portage.  It follows I-39 north until Westfield, then northeast to Rt. 21.  We follow that road into the village of Omro, then southeast for final to RW 09.  The LITES waypoint is a good spot to turn on landing lights as we turn towards final.  This routing is designed to keep us clear of the Ripon/Fisk arrival traffic and associated holding pattern around Green Lake.
       The RW 27 arrival brings us south of Fond du Lac, then north along the east coast of Lake Winnebago.  We turn to final at PRIMO intersection, the point where the lake shore begins to drift further east and the road along the east shore turns east.  This gives us a ten mile final.
       The RW 18 arrival is a continuation of the RW 27 routing, remains clear of the Appleton airport and permits a gentle arc to final.  The turn west is just north of the town of Stockbridge; the turn towards final is near the junction of two major highways, I-41 heading southwest and State Highway 45 heading south towards the east corner of the airfield.
       All routings remain clear of towered airports and most paved airports.  Explicit instructions for departing each runway, progression to parking and go-around will be covered in the noon briefing.
       Routes are now given in degrees, minutes, hundredth of minutes (new as of June 2006).  Some GPS units require waypoints in degrees, minutes and seconds.  For those few waypoints with numbers after the second decimal multiply the digits following the decimal by 60 for seconds (0.400 minutes x 60 = 24 seconds).

     Radios: Frequencies will be given at the briefing.  Radio silence is mandatory.  As they say in the T-34 manual, ‘Wingman, the only thing I ever want to hear you say is 'Lead, you are on fire!'‘  You can not have a stuck mike if you don't use it.  Be sure you are not leaning against a hand-held mike button.