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OSH 2007 (35 ship formation part II)

rv8ch

Well Known Member
Patron
This is really amazing - a work of art. Congrats to all involved - I really hope to be #36 up there some day!


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I had been ignoring these formation pics with a "seen it, show me some cool paint jobs" but in viewing this photo I was struck with the amazing precision they have achieved with this huge formation. Wow ! I am guessing that few other homebuilts would be capable of such precision flying.
 
35-ship Pilot Names

Well, the planning, practice, and execution of the 35-ship formation to honor Van's 35 anniversary of being at OSH is now history. Could not have happened without 35 pilots from the 4 corners of the country willing to take leave, use personal funds, submit to the discipline of formation flying, and work very hard at flying in a stressful environment. They did a great job. Here are their names by the designated 4-ship flight order.

Alpha
1 Stu McCurdy (Falcon), RV8, Round Rock TX
2 Bill Gunn (Gunnbody), RV-4, Austin TX
3 Steve Richmond (Lizard), RV-6A, Corsicana TX
4 Roy Geer (Jarhead), RV-6, Hicks Field, Ft Worth TX

Bravo
1 Lowell Lemay (Pfantom), RV-7, Round Rock TX
2 Rusty Williams (Rooster), RV-7A, Grande Prairie TX
3 Brad Peacock (Wingnut), RV-4, Corona CA
4 Dave Klages (Hog), RV-8, Corona del Mar CA

Charlie
1 Ken Harrill, RV-6, Columbia SC
2 Tad Sargent (Stripes), RV-7A,Davidson NC
3 Danny Kight (Speedy), RV-6, Anderson SC
4 James Clark, RV-6, Columbia SC

Delta
1 Gregg Wilson(Wizz), RV-4, Batavia OH
2 Bud Newhouse (Joker), RV-8, Cincinnati OH
3 Greg Reese (Greese), RV-8, Alexandria KY
4 Ron Geileghem, RV-8, Glendale OH

Echo
1 Mike Stewart (Kahuna), RV-8, Cumming GA
2 Jon Berndsen (Reno), RV-6, Cumming GA
3 Jerry Morris (Widget), RV-8, Dahlonega GA
4 Joe Blank, RV-6, Molalla OR

Foxtrot
1 Dan Checkoway (Sharpie), RV-7, Chino Hills CA
2 Gary Sobek (Condor), RV-6, Manhatten Beach CA
3 Paul Rosales (Rosie), RV-6A, Rosamond CA
4 Scott Farner (Debris), RV-7A, Anaheim CA

Golf
1 Bob Goodman (Subob), RV-4, Atlanta GA
2 Trish Russell (Schoolmom), RV-6A, Redlands CA
3 Glen Miller (Dogg), RV-8, Gahanna OH
4 Luke Ellwood (Hooter), RV-4, Springboro OH

Hotel
1 Don Pfeiffer (Taco), RV-8, Poplar Grove IL
2 Larry Dagley (Bones), RV-4, Crystal Lake IL
3 Bill Turner (Pappy), RV-8, Marengo IL
4 Brad Sharp (Dagger), RV-4, Casa Grande AZ

India
1 Mark Dulaney (Dula), RV-6A, Las Vegas NV
2 Glenn Smith (Taz), RV-8, Henderson NV
3 Mike Smith (KB), RV-6A, Henderson NV

35 RVs arrive at SQI for practice, 5 maintenance problems fixed, 35 planes takeoff Sunday afternoon and land as 4-ship echelons at OSH, 1 maintenance problem fixed, 35 RVs fly first performance, 2 maintenance problem solved, 35 RVs fly second performance. Some had doubts it could be done. Teamwork made it happen.

Congratulations and my compliments to all. :)
 
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The picture says it all, but, there is no doubt that that 35 ship formation was the best large formation ever flown at Oshkosh. My congratulations to all involved!
 
It was extremely gratifying to bring together all these pilots with varying skill, practice and focus on the end game, work as a team, and pull this off. It was an amazing feat and I was proud to be a part of it and humbled by the character of the pilots involved. Special thanks to Stu McCurdy for organizing this. Could not have been done with out his leadership and focus.
I still cant believe how well the formations were executed. The pictures say it all. That does not happen by accident I assure you. Lots of practice and laser focus on the end game. What a tribute to Vans and these pilots listed above.

Best,
 
awesome

ive had my doubts about formations in the past but this is awe inspiring to see. well done guys...and gal
 
RV Diamond Formation

Folks,
It was an honor to be part of the Oshkosh Formation Team this year. Special thanks to Falcon and Kahuna. Their planning, leadership and execution were flawless which led to a very successful tribute to Van. The pictures tell the tale, they are amazing!

Dula
 
What an honor and lots of fun

I too am proud to have been a part of this effort. Without Stu and Kahuna it would not have happened. Hard work and lots of practice did pay off at OSH.
Van also came over and talked to us and has a photo op with us all before the flight Tuesday and that was great to get to meet and talk to him.
Thanks to all the pilots for their hard and safe work to make this happen.
I can't envision what 40 will look like but I'm sure Stu and Kahuna will make it happen.
 
One more pretty photo of the crossing.

I know there have been many photo's of the 35 ship formation but I found these on my wife's camera and haven't seen any others like it.

Enjoy

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I think my favorite formation that you guys pulled off was this one. Just incredible, and it's even more incredible when you realize each one of those birds was handbuilt with love, sweat, blood, and years. :p

 
phelan said:
I think my favorite formation that you guys pulled off was this one. Just incredible, and it's even more incredible when you realize each one of those birds was handbuilt with love, sweat, blood, and years. :p
That one was the hardest to fly. Too complicated to explain why in words. But it was the hardest.
Best,
 
On their way...

I was impressed even before the flight. Everybody cranked up about the same time and filled the taxi way.
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And where other than OSH would you see jet,jet,jet,jet,rv,rv,BREEZY :p
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At least their in the right order.....
 
That brings up an interesting point. How difficult was it just to stage and coordinate a 35 ship takeoff, in groups of 3 and 4 at a time?





 
Not too bad really. It was all 4 ships and 1 3ship. The 4 ship take off is standard, practiced, and trained for. We do these a lot. You would be amazed at how fast we can launch and recover this many planes. Once you get airborn, its the vis in the haze and joinup that poses challenges on the flight leads.
Practice practice and more practice. Thats the name of the game. We put all 35 on the runway and away we go with about 7 seconds spacing between flights. We are airborn in less time than it takes most pilots at osh to get on the runway and get their wits about themselves and get airborn. About 1 minute and we are all up up and away.
There is this little problem of turbulance though with all those planes out front. Leads fighting for a good join line for the full join up, and the wingman fighting the turbulance to stay in position. We fight it all the way out on departure. Everyone working their butts off and loving every minute of it.
Best,
 
phelan said:
Doh!! Cool photo, but look at those props! Not even close to in sync. Rosie and Debris obviously need to work on syncing their props with mine. We'll have that squared away by the 40th anniversary! :D

Seriously, though, what Kahuna said here is exactly right: "Everyone working their butts off and loving every minute of it." Lovin' it!!!
 
dan said:
Doh!! Cool photo, but look at those props! Not even close to in sync. Rosie and Debris obviously need to work on syncing their props with mine. We'll have that squared away by the 40th anniversary! :D

Seriously, though, what Kahuna said here is exactly right: "Everyone working their butts off and loving every minute of it." Lovin' it!!!
If I would have been in the photo on the left wing, you would see that MY prop WAS in sync with yours. :)
 
jdeas said:
This pic is my favorite. The guy on the scooter is Glenn "Dragg" Botsford, FFI wingman with the Blackhawk Squadron. He and I were the unlucky two who got to watch the whole thing from cheap seats in Area 51.

This picture is almost worthy of a caption contest:

"36 is in!..."
"Falcon, Dragg, gimme one!"
etc etc.
 
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