Military formation flight as a model for increased capacity in civilian airspace

Abstract

Military transport aircraft such as the C-130 and C-17 regularly fly in formation. Formation flight is used as an effective approach to moving large numbers of aircraft safely. Procedures and onboard avionics have been developed to make formation flight possible in all weather conditions. The in-trail spacing for military formations is one-half to one-fourth of the spacing standards used today in terminal airspace in the United States and substantially less than the spacing in en route and oceanic environments. This paper discusses how the procedures and avionics developed for military formation flight might be used to reduce aircraft spacing and complement the existing activities aimed at capacity improvement.