Fundamentals of Formation Flying 1953 US Navy Pilot Training Film MN-7398-I

more at http://quickfound.net/

Originally a public domain film, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied.

The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formation_flying

Wikipedia license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Formation flying is the disciplined flight of two or more aircraft under the command of a flight leader.

Military pilots use formations for mutual defense and concentration of firepower.

In civil aviation, formation flying is performed at air shows and is also flown for recreation. Formation flying also has been discussed as a means to reduce fuel use by minimizing drag.

Studies of birds have shown that the V formation can greatly enhance the overall aerodynamic efficiency by reducing the drag and thereby increasing the flight range...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobatics

...Flight formation aerobatics are flown by teams of up to sixteen aircraft, although most teams fly between four and ten aircraft. Some are state funded to reflect pride in the armed forces while others are commercially sponsored. Coloured smoke trails may be emitted to emphasise the patterns flown and/or the colours of a national flag. Usually each team will use aircraft similar to one another finished in a special and dramatic colour scheme, thus emphasising their entertainment function.

Teams often fly V-formations (otherwise known as echelon formation)— they will not fly directly behind another aircraft because of danger from wake vortices or engine exhaust. Aircraft will always fly slightly below the aircraft in front, if they have to follow in line (the "trail formation").

Aerobatic maneuvers flown in a jet-powered aircraft are limited in scope as they cannot take advantage of the gyroscopic forces that a propeller driven aircraft can exploit. Jet-powered aircraft also tend to fly much faster, which increases the size of the figures and the length of time the pilot has to withstand increased g-forces. Jet aerobatic teams often fly in formations, which further restricts the maneuvers that can be safely flown...

Aerobatics and formation flying is not limited solely to fixed-wing aircraft; the British Army, Royal Navy, Spanish Air Force and the Indian Air Force, among others, have helicopter display teams.

All aerobatic maneuvers demand training and practice to avoid accidents. Accidents due to aerobatic manoeuvers are very rare in competition aerobatics, most of them happen when performing formation flying or stunt flying at very low levels at airshows or air racing...