T-38 Formation Takeoff

When the download is complete, you will see a video clip taken from lead aircraft during a formation takeoff in the T-38 at Webb AFB in 1977. The solo wingman is a student in undergraduate pilot training. During the takeoff roll, the wingman holds a position about 30 degrees aft of line abreast, and maintains the center of the left side of the runway. As nose wheel liftoff speed is reached, the wingman matches leads rotation to takeoff attitude. Both aircraft lift off together at takeoff airspeed and the wingman should continue to stack level until the gear is up. The landing gear is raised on a visual signal by lead. After the landing gear and flaps are fully retracted and climb airspeed is attained, the wingman moves to the fingertip (close) formation position. Note: Clip size 260 kb. If the video is not downloading, and the small window is blank, you may need to upgrade your Quicktime plugin at the Quicktime website. Also be sure to enable Plug-Ins in your Browser Preferences.