DRAFT
The wingmen then roll out of the turn in trail behind the lead with 1,000 ft of nose-to-tail at rendezvous
airspeed. To avoid the jetwash, the wingmen should fly slightly stepped up. The wingmen should not adjust
airspeed to compensate for nose-to-tail error in trail. Fifteen seconds after rolling wings level, the lead begins
the rendezvous turn using 30 degrees AOB in either direction. Each wingman turns to intercept the bearing
as soon as the preceding aircraft is 10-20 degrees off his centerline (out of the HUD glass).
Rendezvous
The rendezvous is performed in the same manner as the section rendezvous, except that the wingmen
should adjust their AOB when turning out of trail position: Dash-2 at no more than 45 degrees AOB, Dash-3
at no more than 40 degrees AOB, and Dash-4 at no more than 35 degrees AOB. These bank angles help to
preclude wingmen from going acute as the lead's bearing line sweeps aft. The wingmen anticipate
intercepting the bearing line by shallowing theirAOB.
When the wingmen arrive on the bearing line, they should begin aligning their fuselages with the lead's, as in
Figure 39. The wingmen keep the lead on the horizon as they move up the bearing line, and then hold the lead
stable on bearing and altitude as they monitor airspeed, not allowing their closure rate to exceed rendezvous
airspeed by more than 10 KIAS. Stagnation on the bearing line by Dash-3 and Dash-4 may be required to
keep all preceding aircraft in sight. The wingmen monitor their airspeed until close enough to visually discern
relative motion. While on the bearing line they will see the lead's vertical stabilizer intersect with the lead's
wingtip. If they become acute, the lead's wingtip will appear forward of the vertical stabilizer. Conversely, if
sucked, the lead's wingtip will appear behind the vertical stabilizer. Dash-3 and Dash-4 remain on the lead's
bearing line and altitude until they begin their join-up.
DRAFT
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