But we aren't talking about tactical low level formations Ken, we are talking about flying close formation in large aircraft. Looking at your list of "I've flown close formation in" there doesn't appear to be any large aircraft, so I'm not sure you are qualified to comment. Flying close formation in any aircraft means the wing men manoeuvre in height in a turn and that doesn't matter whether you are in a fast jet, small multi or large multi - the techniques are the same! Take it from someone who has flown close formation against a large number of different types.
"We" are clearly talking about different things. But what
I was talking about was large low level formations of tactical transport aircraft (I even provided a photo of such a formation) and the need for eyebrow windows to accomplish that. As I stated numbers of times, these are
NOT "close" formations. I asked because I have extensive experience in tactical transport aircraft (C-27, C-130, C-17) where those types of formations are flown and all of which have eyebrow windows. I cannot figure out how those formations could be flown in an A400 which does not have eyebrow windows and specifically asked if Airbus had come up with a different solution.
Regarding this formation of A350s, they do not seem to me to be a close formation at all and I do not believe they were flown in the manner of a close formation.
As for your Bear Foxtrot experience, imagine if you had been at the controls of another Bear Foxtrot in that formation turn. Could it have been done? And if you attempted it, would you be here to talk about it?
As for the various replies concerning dissimilar aircraft formation flights, that is NOT what I was talking about. I was specifically talking about a large formation of tactical transports at low level during a run-in for a large formation airdrop. Those are not done (at least in USAF) with dissimilar aircraft. I cannot speak for how the RAF does it.