Originally Posted by
Tay Cough
How often would a typical ME pilot be required to fly close formation?
One Nimrod variant I used to fly indulged in close formation on a regular basis. However it was on an opportunity basis, we were always the leader and the other particpants usually bore Red Star markings.
Seriously though, you need to fly close formation should you be required to participate in AAR. In 1982 we had to very rapidly generate an AAR capable element of the Nimrod force. We were able to achieve this because all the pilots had a grounding in basic formation techniques. It may have been a long time ago they learned it, but if taught correctly it's a bit like riding a bike, you might be shaky at first but regain proficiency quite quickly. It also helped enormously that many of the OCU QFIs had taught formation at BFTS. Thus we were able to transfer their skills to the Nimrod. Add the AARIs from other places to the mix to develop the skills and teach the specific AAR elements and we achieved the goals in a remarkably short time.
Would the RAF ever be required to do something like that again though? Well you may wish to consider that we never envisaged having to do it the first time around!
YS