Even in close it can get scary if the leader is a plonker.
How true indeed! For the 1977 Silver Jellybean, one large vic formation consisted of a box of 4 Jetstreams, with a box of 4 Dominies on each side. Speed had to be slow enough for the Jetstreams, which didn't leave much margin for the Dominies.
I was on a JP refresher course at the time, so went along to rubberneck this balbo from a jump seat in one of the Jetstreams. Once all 12 were joined up, we set off towards the IP only for the lead Jetstream captain to announce that he needed to lose time, so would fly an orbit.....at 30° AoB! The Dominie box on the outside coped OK, but the poor sods on the inside were almost on the buffet and had a heck of a job keeping in position. After the flypast, the inside Dominies departed with the comment "Be in your office when we land!" to the Jetstream leader. Not happy bunnies!