KC Flight An RV Formation Team , we are Kansas City's largest home grown civilian formation team. Founded in 2009 we continue to grow with 8 members flying Van's RV aircraft, vansaircraft.com The groups home base is Lee's Summit Airport. You will see us in the sky of the Greater KC area practicing during the day or night. We have performed locally and at area High School Football games on Friday night. Formation flying demands an exceptionally high level of pilot skill; it's demanding, disciplined, rewarding, and a lot of fun. We train and fly to FFI standards.Formation Flying Inc., the FAA-approved issuer of non-aerobatic, non-warbird formation-flying credentials. If you want to fly formation, you must first adhere to the FARs and do so "by arrangement with the pilot in command of each aircraft in the formation" (FAR 91.111 (b)). You should also have excellent stick-and-rudder skills, a high level of flight discipline, and the ability to place trust in your leader. Specific training from an experienced instructor is highly recommended."Some people think this is really dangerous. They say, 'I'd never do that in an airplane!' But you do it every day driving down the highway." Formation flying is a challenging and rewarding addition to a pilot's repertoire, provided that it is conducted with a hearty dose of flight discipline and a respect for safety. In other words: Kids, don't try this at home without appropriate training and preparation. First, you should have an RV aircraft, be very current in and confident of your stick-and-rudder skills. (While the Practical Test Standards for the Private Pilot certificate allow 100 feet of altitude here and there, being 3 feet from another airplane is not the time to take those liberties!), "a pilot should have the feeling he is strapping on his airplane to go fly, not climbing in to go for a ride." Next, there's ground school — there are plenty of new terms and procedures to learn in formation flight. FFI incorporates such resources as the T-34 Association's "Formation Flight Manual," Darton's video "Formation Flying, The Art," and FAST training materials. FFI, while not a training organization itself, can provide suggestions on resources to get you started, and probably put you in touch with an experienced instructor.
