Advanced Multi-Engine Formation

VT-35

UPDATED MARCH 2020

Formation FTI Procedures

• Ground Ops

• Running Rendezvous

• Parade Sequence

• Breakup and Rendezvous

• Free Cruise

• Overhead Recovery

• Formation Emergency Procedures

Ground Ops

• Formation/AR Brief

• Radio Calls• Lead calls ‘Out of the chocks’

• Wing calls ‘Out of the chocks’ when ready to taxi

• Meet on Form primary frequency• 140.52 primary, 140.95 secondary, ______

tertiary

• Formation Taxi

• Position for Takeoff

RUNNING RENDEZVOUS

RIDE THE 45 DEGREE

BEARING IN

ABEAM:

3-5 plane widths

CLOSURE:

30kts MAX

Initially After Takeoff:

Lead: 140 KIAS

Wing: 170 KIAS

HORIZONTAL STAB ON

UHF ANTENNA

STARBOARD PARADE

VERTICAL STAB

THROUGH THE STAR

SPACE HORIZONTALLY BETWEEN

HORIZONTAL STAB & UHF ANTENNA

STARBOARD PARADE

ACUTE

VERTICAL STAB OUTSIDE STAR

HORIZONTAL STAB AHEAD OF

AND COVERING UHF ANTENNA

STARBOARD PARADE

SUCKED

VERTICAL STAB INSIDE STAR

HORIZONTAL STAB

BELOW UHF ANTENNA

STARBOARD PARADE

HIGH

SPACE VERTICALLY BETWEEN

HORIZONTAL STAB & UHF ANTENNA

STARBOARD PARADE

LOW

STAR NO LONGER VISIBLE

STARBOARD TURNS AWAY

INBOARD EXHAUST STACK ON

OUTBOARD ENGINE VISIBLE

UHF ANTENNA IN-LINE WITH FWD EDGE OF HORIZONTAL STAB

FUSELAGE ON HORIZON

STARBOARD TURNS INTO

SAME CHECK POINTS AS

STARBOARD PARADE

DOUBLE STEP DOWN POSITION

CROSSUNDER

DOUBLE STEPDOWN CHECKPOINTS

CROSSUNDER

TOO LOW – EXCESSIVE GAP

BETWEEN STACK AND FUSELAGE

CROSSUNDER

3-5 DEGREE HEADING CHANGE

LEAD

WING

CROSSUNDER

CONTINUE OUT UNTIL THE OPPOSITE

INBOARD EXHAUST STACK IS BEHIND

THE ROTATING BEACON

RELATIVE MOTION OF LEAD

CROSSUNDER

PORT DOUBLE STEP DOWN

CROSSUNDER

HORIZONTAL STAB

ON UHF ANTENNA

VERTICAL STAB IN LINE

WITH MIDPOINT OF

OUTBOARD WING

PORT PARADE

PORT TURNS AWAY

FUSELAGE ON HORIZON

INBOARD EXHAUST STACK ON

OUTBOARD ENGINE VISIBLEUHF ANTENNA IN-LINE WITH FWD EDGE OF HORIZONTAL STAB

PORT TURNS INTO

SAME CHECK POINTS AS PORT PARADE

LEAD: 150 KIAS, 45° AOB & 180° HDG REVERSAL

WING: With LEAD at 10 O’CLOCK, 150 KIAS

45° AOB, 200’ stepdown & 180° HDG REVERSAL

LEAD:

WING:

BREAKUP & RENDEZVOUS

WING: REPORT “COLUMN”

LEAD: WING FLASH 45° THEN ESTABLISH 20° AOB

BREAKUP & RENDEZVOUS

BREAKUP & RENDEZVOUS

USE 20-30 AOB AT 150 KIAS TO ESTABLISH 60 BEARING

LINE INDICATED BY OPPOSITE WING TIP ALINGED WITH

TRAILING EDGE OF VERICAL STAB.

AS YOU LOSE SIGHT OF THE OUTER WINGTIP TRANSITION TO THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER ABOVE THE STAR.

BREAKUP & RENDEZVOUS

PORT TURNS INTO (DOUBLE STEPDOWN)

HORIZ STAB, ANTENNA IN LINE

INBOARD STACK OUTBOARD ENGINE VISIBLE

TRANSITION TO STARBOARD SIDE:

WING DIP

POWER ADVANCE

CROSS UNDER AND UP INTO STARBOARD TURNS AWAY

BREAKUP & RENDEZVOUS

CONTINUE OUT 2-3 PLANE WIDTHS.

LEAD CHANGE

CLIMB TO PUT WING TIP

ON ORANGE STRIPE

LEAD CHANGE

ADD POWER AND DRIVE FORWARD

DO NOT REPORT ESTABLISHED UNTIL YOU ARE AT

9-10 O’CLOCK POSITION ON OTHER AIRCRAFT

WING IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SEPARATION AT ALL TIMES

LEAD CHANGE

THIS IS WHAT LEAD WILL SEE AS WING TAKES THE LEAD.

WING AIRCRAFT SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY STEPPED UP.

LEAD CHANGE

FREE CRUISE

CORRECT DISTANCE

500 – 1000 FEET

LEAD LIMITS:

Power: 900 ft-lbs

Pitch: ±20°

AOB: ±45°

A/S: 120/200 KIAS

WING LIMITS:

Power: 900 ft-lbs

Pitch: ±45°

AOB: ±60°

A/S: NATOPS Limits

LEAD LIMITS:

Power:

Pitch:

AOB:

A/S:

WING LIMITS:

Power:

Pitch:

AOB:

A/S:

LEAD: 60° AOB, POWER ON THROUGH 90°OF TURN THEN CONFIGURE ON SPEED.

WING: POWER IDLE, CONFIGURE ON SPEED,

BOTH AIRCRAFT LAND ON CENTERLINE.

OVERHEAD RECOVERY

FLAPS AND GEAR CONFIGURED ON COMMAND

3710 MINS: CIRCLING MINS

OR IF NOT PUBLISHED 1000-3

SECTION APPROACH

Underrun

• If Wing fails to recognize or control a rapid closure rate

Increase step-down

Keep Lead in sight

Level the wings

Reduce power to idle to avoid passing lead

Transmit ‘Underrunning’

When relative motion is under control, rejoin

Emergency Procedures

• Aborted Takeoff

• Engine Failure

• Midair Collision

• Lost Comms

• Lost Sight

• IMC Breakup

QUESTIONS?

Air Refueling Procedures Brief

UPDATED

MARCH 2020

FTI Procedures

• Filing

• AP1B

• GP

• Rendezvous Types and Procedures

• RV Alpha (Anchor)

• RV Delta (Point Parallel)

• RV Golf (En Route)

• Checklist Management

• Communications Plan

• Air refueling area

• RVIP/RVCP (ARIP/CP/CT)

• Offset

• Air refueling altitude, track, speeds

• Overrun and Under-run

Procedures

• Closure

• Closure from ½ mile to

Contact Positions

• Boom Limits Demo

• Breakaway Procedures

• Role Reversal Procedures

• Recovery

Filing

• AP1 B Chapter 4• AR example

• GP Chapter 4• Flight plan example

AP1 B

COMMUNICATION/RENDEZVOUS PLAN

a. Primary UHF

b. Backup UHF

c. APN 69/134/135 Settings (Beacon)

d. APX 78/Encode/Decode

(Transponder)

e. TACAN Channels Receiver/Tanker

1. Track Name/Direction

2. Navigation

3. Comm/RV plan

4. AR Altitudes (Block)

5. Scheduling unit (preflight planning)

6. ARTCC (SODAR)

AP1 B

COMMUNICATION/RENDEZVOUS PLAN

a. Primary UHF

b. Backup UHF

c. APN 69/134/135 Settings (Beacon)

d. APX 78/Encode/Decode

(Transponder)

e. TACAN Channels Receiver/Tanker

1. Track Name/Direction

2. Navigation

3. Comm/RV plan

4. AR Altitudes (Block)

5. Scheduling unit (preflight planning)

6. ARTCC (SODAR)

DD175

Rendezvous RV Delta (Point Parallel)

Rendezvous: RV Golf (Enroute)

Communications Plan

• Primary -140.525

• Secondary -140.95

• A/A TACAN- 29Y receiver / 92Y tanker

• Ensure TACAN is set To AA.

• If required, coordinate secondary TACAN, ensure 63 channels apart

Simulated Air Refueling Overview

• Typically after formation sequence

• Enroute or Point Parallel Rendezvous

• Precontact to Contact

• Boom Limits Demo

• Practice Emergency Separation

Receiver Closure Airspeed/

Altitude Schedule

3 NM 180 KIAS 1000’ below tanker

2 NM 180 KIAS 1000’ below tanker

1 NM 180 KIAS 1000’ below tanker

½ NM 170 KIAS 500’ below tanker

.3 NM 160 KIAS 300’ below tanker

Pre-contact 150 KIAS 35’ below tanker

500’ below .5 DME behind

1000’ below 1 DME behind

Overrun/ Under-run Procedures

• OVERRUN• Tanker airspeed – 180 KIAS

• Receiver airspeed – 150 KIAS• Receiver will then call “terminate overrun procedures”

when within 1 NM and 1000’ below the tanker

• UNDER-RUN• Tanker airspeed – 140 KIAS

• Receiver airspeed – Maximum Power• Receiver will then call “terminate under-run procedures”

at 1 NM and 1000’ below the tanker

.3 DME /300 FT below

Precontact Position

T-44C Operations

Receiver will stabilize 35’ behind on 10º bearing line

Closure 3 Precontact

Precontact

KC-135

Fleet standard 50’ behind on 10° bearing line

Precontact Position

Closure 4Contact

Contact

Contact Position

CONTACT

KC-135

Boom Limits

KC-135Up/Down 30º ± 10

Left/Right ±10º

Fore/Aft 6.1 – 18.3 ft

Boom Limits DemoRight Limit demo

The visual

indications of the

right position

include lining up

directly behind

the tanker right

engine inboard

exhaust stack,

and the tanker

tail fixed on the

top edge of the

receiver

windscreen.

The tanker vortices tend to push the receiver aircraft to the center. Inexperienced pilots will over correct when trying to return to centerline behind the tanker. Opposite aileron to the direction of drift back to center may be necessary to slow down the rate of return and avoid an overshooting oscillation. A technique for moving from center to the left or right is to ratchet the aircraft slowly to the outer limit then stabilize.

Boom Limits DemoLeft Limit demo

The visual

indications of the

left position

include lining up

directly behind

the tanker’s left

engine inboard

exhaust stack, and

the tanker tail

fixed on the top

edge of the

receiver

windscreen.

The tanker vortices tend to push the receiver aircraft to the center. Inexperienced pilots will over correct when trying to return to centerline behind the tanker. Opposite aileron to the direction of drift back to center may be necessary to slow down the rate of return and avoid an overshooting oscillation. A technique for moving from center to the left or right is to ratchet the aircraft slowly to the outer limit then stabilize.

Breakaway Procedures

• “BREAKAWAY, BREAKAWAY, BREAKAWAY”

• Either aircraft in the formation can call a Breakaway.

• TANKER PROCEDURES

• Increase power

• Start a climb but do NOT decrease airspeed to lower than 150KTS

• If in a turn, maintain established bank angle

• Turn on Rotating Beacons

• RECEIVER PROCEDURES

• Receiver Pilot

• Actuate autopilot/boom disconnect

• Power to Idle

• Start rate of descent away from Tanker

• Transition to instruments

• Props full forward if necessary to assure safe separation

• RECEIVER CO-PILOT

• Actuate autopilot/boom disconnect switch

• Turn on TAS

• Turn on Rotating Beacons

• Keep Visual of Tanker confirming aircrafts are well clear

QUESTIONS?