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Re: Hawks in formation (sort of)...
Posted: 03 May 2009, 00:32
by forthbridge
TobyV wrote:Yet again, inverted! My head goes funny if I do that standing still, let alone whilst kitted up in a flying suit and bone dome probably doing 200mph+ in a noisy plywood contraption! How did Peter manage that?
I had just reversed into a space at the local Tesco the other day, and at the point I'd pulled the handbrake, the car to my right slowly moved off.
I thought the car was rolling, got that disorientated feeling, and yanked the handbrake almost off the teeth and floored the brake pedal - then realised.
I shudder to think what I'd be like trying to do formation flying for real if I'm like that on terra firma

Re: Hawks in formation (sort of)...
Posted: 03 May 2009, 19:24
by DogTailRed2
Have you ever pulled up alongside a bus. Then as the bus pulls away you suddenly get gripped with panic and jab the brakes on.
Re: Hawks in formation (sort of)...
Posted: 03 May 2009, 20:25
by petermcleland
TobyV wrote:
Yet again, inverted! My head goes funny if I do that standing still, let alone whilst kitted up in a flying suit and bone dome probably doing 200mph+ in a noisy plywood contraption! How did Peter manage that?
Well, that is not as difficult as it looks...The three of us formating are simply maintaining our position as the leader flies a smooth Loop...Although that picture was taken when we were inverted at the top of the loop, we are still pulling slight positive G, so with our attention locked to the leader we would not actually know we were inverted and with positive G no difficult control reversals would be present and formating would remain straightforward and pretty easy to do...Just a slightly more sloppy feel to the controls over the top of the loop due to the low airspeed.
If the leader were to induce negative G at the top of the loop then both wingmen would almost immediately hit him, because suddenly, moving the stick AWAY from the leader would move them TOWARDS the leader instead of AWAY from him
BTW Formation flying in real life is very much easier than it is in Flight Sim :flying:
Re: Hawks in formation (sort of)...
Posted: 12 May 2009, 13:21
by Fodda
petermcleland wrote:BTW Formation flying in real life is very much easier than it is in Flight Sim :flying:
That's an interesting thing to say, and obviously you're the one to know this as a fact... But but what in particular makes FS formation flying more difficult than real life? I'd have assumed the opposite.
Re: Hawks in formation (sort of)...
Posted: 12 May 2009, 15:10
by 511Flyer
These shots were taken using a freeware programme called "formation toys" You can select different formations of up to four aircraft. Airspeed, altitude, course, and distance between heading changes, so they don't catch you out.
This is a formation of Rick Piper's Reds, flying out of Valley. It's possible to use most aircraft in your hangar, even five diffent types.
The aircraft line up on the runway in front of you, in the chosen formation. At your command they take off. The big problem arises when you want to land. Nobody's been able to work out how to do it!
Dennis.
PS. I apologise for the size of the shots. Please feel free to downsize them. I don't know how to do it once they've been uploaded to Image Shack.

Re: Hawks in formation (sort of)...
Posted: 12 May 2009, 15:33
by forthbridge
:think:
interesting..... do you have a link for that prog?
Re: Hawks in formation (sort of)...
Posted: 12 May 2009, 16:26
by 511Flyer
Hi Jim. I should have realised that somebody else might be interested.
www.mudpond.org/ If my old memory serves me right.
Dennis.
Re: Hawks in formation (sort of)...
Posted: 12 May 2009, 20:28
by forthbridge
Thanks Dennis, although I'm FS9 so that rules that out!
Cheers for the info tho :flying: