18
Escarpment Magaz ine
fal l
2011
On this day, I was back in Julie with Steve, who was the team leader so for this flight
his plane was now ‘Julie 1’. Jeff’s beautiful Christian Eagle biplane would be called
‘Julie 2’ instead of its normal designation, ‘Charlie-Foxtrot-Tango-Romeo-Sierra’.
The third plane in the echelon, the little RV3, which today was known as ‘Julie 3’
would have Keith at the controls. After take-off, Steve called the other two to form
a V formation at an altitude of 4000’ above sea level (or about 3500’ above the
bay)— he instructed Keith to swing over to the right of Jeff, and form a three wing
echelon. I was amazed at how close the three aircraft flew together. As we banked
to the left or right, the other two stuck to our wing like there was an invisible bar
holding the three planes together. Steve then commanded the other two to fly ahead
and form a line with Jeff taking temporary lead. As we flew above Owen Sound
Bay I could make out the city to the south, Lake Huron to the west and Cobble Beach
Golf Club below. It was a perfect day that filled my memory card with some spec-
tacular shots. I asked the guys where and how they had learned to fly in formation
and perform these aerobatic maneuvers. The three explained that all of these moves
were drilled into them as pilots in the Canadian Air Force. This was an integral part
of learning to fly defensive combat moves that are designed to avoid enemy fire
and ultimately save their lives. For my part it was an exciting adventure… I am trying
to come up with an excuse to call Steve again and do another ballet in the sky.
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FEATURE
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out of the blue