About a month ago, I was watching a Discovery Channel or History Channel show about accident investigations (aircraft, trains and ships). One of the accidents involved two MIGs at an airshow. Here is the scenario as best as I can remember:
A two ship takes off with about a 500-1000' interval. The lead MIG rotates, gets the gear up and goes into a loop parallel with the takeoff runway. #2 follows lead. However, as #2 approaches vertical (I would guess 60-75 degrees nose high), he loses sight of lead who has gone into an overcast deck.
#2 pilot testifies that he continued the loop with lead lost sight, but increased his pull as to fly a smaller loop thinking he would keep spacing by flying inside of lead, acquire lead on the backside of the loop once back out of the weather and rejoin to continue their demonstration. After each jet pulled out of the loop, #2 was in front of lead (still lost sight) and they smacked each other sending both to the ground, both pilots ejecting safely.
A couple of other pilots (British, I think) said this was the right thing to do when losing sight of lead in this situation. Maybe this was some professional courtesy on their part, but that seems to be the last thing I would do. I would think that #2's energy level would have been high enough to roll and pull the opposite direction, do an immelman and end up heading away from lead, call lost sight then coordinate a rejoin below the weather.
I am wrong here? I'm an AF heavy guy, but did do the -37, -38 and -34 IP formation thing. Can any of you fighter guys with more form experience comment please?
A two ship takes off with about a 500-1000' interval. The lead MIG rotates, gets the gear up and goes into a loop parallel with the takeoff runway. #2 follows lead. However, as #2 approaches vertical (I would guess 60-75 degrees nose high), he loses sight of lead who has gone into an overcast deck.
#2 pilot testifies that he continued the loop with lead lost sight, but increased his pull as to fly a smaller loop thinking he would keep spacing by flying inside of lead, acquire lead on the backside of the loop once back out of the weather and rejoin to continue their demonstration. After each jet pulled out of the loop, #2 was in front of lead (still lost sight) and they smacked each other sending both to the ground, both pilots ejecting safely.
A couple of other pilots (British, I think) said this was the right thing to do when losing sight of lead in this situation. Maybe this was some professional courtesy on their part, but that seems to be the last thing I would do. I would think that #2's energy level would have been high enough to roll and pull the opposite direction, do an immelman and end up heading away from lead, call lost sight then coordinate a rejoin below the weather.
I am wrong here? I'm an AF heavy guy, but did do the -37, -38 and -34 IP formation thing. Can any of you fighter guys with more form experience comment please?
