Traveling to the Cessna 150-152 Club International
Fly-In in a multi airplane caravan is one of the best
ways to enjoy a cross country trip to Clinton, Iowa. There are several reasons why flying in a caravan is preferable
to traveling alone.
First: There is additional safety in traveling with a group. Every caravan has an experienced "Squadron Leader" who will handle the navigation and communication needs of the squadron. This makes the trip less stressful for the other participants. As a caravan participant you won't need to file flight plans, navigate, or keep in touch with ATC, all this is handled by the squadron leader. When traveling through busy controlled airspace you have the security of knowing that ATC is giving some priority to flight following your caravan.. It's a rare event when a "flight of five" (or more or less) Cessna 150-152's passes through controlled airspace, and you'll be surprised at the level of cooperation and respect provided by ATC. And, If you should experience mechanical trouble enroute, you'll have the security of extra minds and eyes to help you troubleshoot the problem, find a safe landing spot, and guide rescue to your location.
Second: It is much more entertaining to travel with other airplanes, and share the experience of a cross country trip. Instead of just droning along by yourself, you have other airplanes to watch and talk to. Fuel and overnight stops are occasion for socializing and general frivolity.
FAQ's:
Q: I've never flown in formation, do I need special training or permission to join a caravan?
A: Real formation flying requires special training, and it would be quite exhausting to maintain a close formation flight for hours on end cross country. Our caravan flights are not genuine formation flights, spacing between airplanes is very loose, typically 100-200 yards. This does require more attention than flying alone, but it does not require special training or permission. Pilots who are new to caravanning report that they become comfortable traveling this close to other airplanes within the first couple of hours.
Q: How are takeoffs and landings handled?
A: The key to caravanning is to keep visual contact with your "wingman". When taking off, this means you keep your eye on the one single airplane in front, and begin your takeoff roll when that airplane rotates. During the flight the caravan spreads out in a sort of loose "Delta" arrangement, with each airplane maintaining an even distance from their wingman. In this arrangement, all airplanes are naturally separated.
Landings are handled this way: Each airplane in the flight has an assigned landing order. When approaching the pattern for landing, each airplane reduces their speed to the approach speed in reverse order at 30 second intervals. If there are 5 airplanes in the caravan for example, airplane #5 would reduce speed for approach first, then 30 seconds later #4 would reduce speed, followed by #3, #2 & #1, all at 30 second intervals. This naturally spreads out the caravan into a single file line about 1/2 a mile apart, a very natural setup for landing. Once separated into single file, it is very easy to make changes to comply with tower controllers or avoid other traffic in the pattern.