Quote: If you are in a formation with another airlifter on either side of yours, when the formation makes a 30 degree bank to the left the aircraft on the left will be obscured by the cockpit ceiling.
- not in the formations I have flown in. You must have a unique (and expensive) way of formating
Apparently the laws of basic geometry were different in the formations you flew in. Sit in almost any airliner cockpit and look up 30 degress at your 9 o'clock. Without an eyebrow window you see........nothing.
"Expensive?" An eyebrow window is expensive? Numerous tactical airlifters from the little C-27 to the big C-17 and most everything in between have eyebrow windows. LACK of an eyebrow window could be very expensive indeed if it results in two aircraft trying to occupy the same point in airspace at the same time. Nature has a very nasty way of resolving that impossibility.
Quote: This resulted in the distance between the turning aircraft ALWAYS increasing during the entire turn.
by no means 'guaranteed'!
Indeed, and that's why in a large tactical formation it is critical to be able to SEE the airplane you are formating on.