Jet Transport Barrel Rolls

[bigglesbrother]

Further to post #35 about 'barrel rolls' in large jets or formations ...

I have found an early 1960s video of 9 Lightning F1s rolling in formation at the RAF Coltishall 1962 Battle of Britain Display (great days sadly now disappearing).

In this video East Anglian Film Archive: Spitfire To Lightning, 1962 towards the end at 13 mins 25 secs 74(F) Sqn does a 9 aircraft formation barrel roll.

One can imagine a B-707 with a smaller wingspan than a 'diamond nine' of Lightnings flying a similar trajectory.

With the B-707 the wings are of course all one fixed structure: thus on entry to a roll to the left the aircraft first descends nose low to the right, thus the right wing tip is descending and the left wing tip is rising. The same happens in the 'diamond nine' formation (Lightnings or Red Arrows) with the outside aircraft on the right initially descending and the outermost left aircraft initially ascending. Line astern is a little easier with aircraft stepped down to avoid jetwash. But they are still offset slightly (downwards) from the formation leader's flight path throughout the roll manoeuvre.