BONANZAS TO OSHKOSH

Stay tuned for a practice session closest to you.

Current locations:  (Click on link for details)

February 16, 2008: Sebring, FL (SEF).  Click link for details: Florida

April 4-6, 2008: Upper Mid-west Regional (OKK), Kokomo, IN (Indiana)

April 5, 2008: NC: Burlington (BUY): North Carolina

April 18-20, 2008: Northern California (SCK).  B2OSH preparation: NorCal

May 2-4, 2008: Northern California (SCK): Advanced 4-ship clinic.  NorCal_Advanced.

May 10, 2008: Southern CA (WJF), SoCal Regional, Lancaster, CA: SoCal

May 17-18, 2008:  Northeast Regional (FOK):  Northeast

May 17-18, 2008: TX Mini Clinic. Grayson (GYI): Tx-2 day session: Tx_Mini

May 22-25, 2008:  TX: Grayson County (GYI):  Advanced Formation Session: Texas

June 28-29, 2008: WA: Bremerton National (PWT):  Washington

Aug 16-17, 2008: WA: Olympia (OLM) (NW Bonanza Soc. members only): Washington_2

Check back for additional dates and locations.

We are again planning this year several regional formation practice sessions.  By holding these practice sessions at various locations on various weekends, we hope this will enable everyone to participate.  With the speed of a Bonanza, if you cannot make the location nearest you, one or two of the others should be a viable alternative.  Holding these sessions on weekends rather than midweek should help.  Get there early, get in three flights and you may well satisfy the training requirements in one day.  The rest is just fun.

Note that these are practice sessions.  The pilots attending are, for the most part, not Certified Flight Instructors.  Even those who are CFI's will not be acting in that capacity.  You will be the PIC and the person with you will be acting as a safety observer and second pair of eyes.  They may offer comments on what they would do if they were PIC, but these practice sessions are not to be construed as instruction.  Each pilot attending will be required to sign a waiver releasing others of responsibility and liability.  Emphasis at these sessions will be on safety, station keeping and practicing the type of formation flying required for the B2OSH flight.

Requirements:  Everyone should have read and understood thoroughly "On Your Own" and have a copy of the T-34 Formation Flight Manual (click link to purchase)  Dual rudder pedals and a working intercom are mandatory.  Highly recommended is the Darton International video "Formation Flying - The Art".  may also be purchased at the same link.  It is an outstanding ground school, approximately 6 hours long,  and includes extensive video airborne footage demonstrating all the techniques and maneuvers.  There is enough here to improve even the experienced formation pilot's skills and is very highly recommended.

We welcome volunteer hosts and safety pilots.  Anyone wishing to put on a session in their own region is encouraged to do so, even if only to give group practice to those already experienced.  The job of the host is only to choose an airfield, facilitate pilots pairing up, dealing with the local facility, having copies of "On-Your Own" as a model for pilots to use in their briefing and copies of the waiver to sign.  We do not require the host to be an instructor and we do not want anyone to feel obligated to ride shotgun in someone else's airplane.  The location need not be your home field.  Requirements are a field with a runway 150' wide, reasonable terrain to practice formation flying, preferably not so busy with student pilots on weekends that go-arounds are prevalent.  A tower is not required.  I am available to discuss setup with anyone.