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.
Not sure how you flew formation Ken, but in all the large aircraft formations I've flown I haven't needed to look up 30 degrees whilst I'm in formation. If I did I would have been well out of position. This is close formation we are talking about.