The Wingman

CHAPTER ONE

T-6A FORMATION

Be predictable. Maintain smooth, precise air work.

Always be aware of your Wingman's position.

The conduct of the flight within the confines of the designated formation area presents

problems, which must be considered before the flight begins as well as in flight.

Basic to maneuvering within the area is an understanding of the area boundaries, and

of how certain maneuvers cause the flight to track over the ground. The student

should be able to visualize how combinations of turns can be used to maintain the

flight within the area. In flight, the Lead must constantly be aware of the next

sequential maneuver in order to determine the correct rollout heading from the present

maneuver. Other factors to be considered are the wind direction, which will affect the

track of the flight, and the position of the sun, which can preclude the Wingman from

seeing the lead aircraft, especially in early morning or late afternoon.

NOTE

The Lead should conduct all maneuvers to ensure the Wingman's

exposure to looking into the sun is limited as much as possible.

2. The Wingman. The Wingman is primarily responsible for flight integrity. He must always

keep in mind the following:

Keep the Lead in sight and maintain proper position at all times.

Comply with all signals given by the Lead and, when required, be prepared to give a

timely response.

Backup Lead (i.e., with navigation, transponder, Situational Awareness (SA), etc.)

and be prepared to assume lead at all times.

Crew Coordination. Additionally, it is important to understand, when discussing flight

discipline and conduct, the different responsibilities a student will encounter throughout the

various phases of flight depending on formation position. In order to optimize crew efficiency

when accomplishing the tasks listed in Sections 104(1) and 104(2) above, follow a few general

guidelines to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts. For example, when you are the student in

the lead aircraft, your instructor's primary focus is cockpit scan and visual lookout. Thus, your

greatest contribution to good Crew Resource Management (CRM) may be monitoring Wingman

status/position. Conversely, if you are on the wing, your pilot will have an excellent awareness

of Lead's position at the expense of cockpit scan. Therefore, he may prefer student assistance

with the scan. To apply the above concepts we will use a section takeoff as an example. During

takeoff roll the Lead instructor will be concentrating on providing a smooth platform for the

Wingman, and the Lead student may have the best perspective on Wingman positioning and

status. The instructor on the wing will be concentrating his efforts on Lead and flying a smooth

wingman takeoff position. The student in the wing aircraft can backup the instructor by

1-4 INTRODUCTION TO FORMATION