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15
A Navy man suggests that formation flying is one of a kind with the sports of kings and that sportsmen pilots should try it

clear.  Now I hold up my hand to signify that I am ready.  The leader looks at both of his wing men, and upon seeing their signals, glances at the area ahead and behind to make certain that all is clear.  Now he lowers his hand, and I know that he is taking off.  I quickly give her the gun and roll away with him, never dropping back.  Out of the corner of my eye I see that I am the same distance as Number 2.  I'm edging over too close to the leader, so I use a little more right rudder.  Now we are in the air; Number 2 climbs about seven feet above the leader, and I rise with him so that we are now in a close VEE formation both wing planes above and behind the leader, almost touching wing and tail.  Now in a smooth climbing turn circling the field, I bank and turn with the leader and use more gun because I am on the outside of the turn.  Number 2 has decreased his gun and has dropped lower on the inside of the turn, but neither of us have varied a foot in relation to the leader.
     We're nearing 3,000 feet.  The leader signals left echelon by holding up his left arm.  I wait for the execution signal, the wiggle of the ailerons.  Now, I turn to the left gently and start rising above the leader and move over behind the Number 2 man.  Now I'm watching the Number 2 man and the leader over the right side of my cockpit, and I know that I am in position because I can line up my eye with the heads of the other two pilots.  The leader is turning now toward both of us.  We cut our guns slightly and maintain the same bearing and distance by dropping lower on the inside of the turn.  Now the leader is smoothly raising his wing and straightening his course, and we add more gun and rise with that wing, the three of us as one.  The leader now wiggles his flippers, meaning for me to move back into the original VEE formation.  I start over with a little more gun to move ahead an to the right, and sink into position.
     I'm thinking, "When will the leader open up now that we're warmed up?"  Then suddenly I realize that the leader is signalling that we are ready to begin our routine maneuvers.  My heartbeat quickens with anticipation of the coming action.  Down we go, picking up airspeed.  Both offs wing men drop a little lower now than the leader.  He smoothly starts up and over toward the right in a wingover.  We reach the peak and start down, ending up in the opposite direction and at the original level.  Now we're going up and over toward the left; I'm a little slow in  giving her the soup; and since I am on the outside of the wingovers I drop back slightly as we come out in the opposite direction.  The leader smiles at me and knows my trouble because he has flown wing man position just as much as we have.  I wasn't on my toes that time.  We're diving again and gaining 150 M.P.H.  Now we're starting up and over; as we start down I see that Number 2 and I are still in position.  He winks at me, implying "That was a honey".
     The leader holds his hand out palm down and wiggles his ailerons.  Number 2 and I give her a little gun and move up on either side of Number 1 so that all three of us are side by side at the same altitude, almost wing tip to wing tip.  This is LINE.  Number 1 starts down, gathering speed.  Now up and over in a right wingover (Cont. on page 33)
A civilian trio noses down [[image]]

Transcription Notes:
image photo of 3 biplanes with nose of plane heading toward ground