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.

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.

Everyone should have read FFI Formation Guidelines and Standard Procedures and the Bonanza Supplement, both available in the Documents section at ffi.aero. Dual rudder pedals and a working intercom are mandatory. Highly recommended is the Darton International video "Formation Flying - The Art". 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.

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.