This post is from somebody who is not a part of the forum and wishes to remain anonymous. It appears here as a one-off contribution to the discussion;
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Staggered landings , like everything in formation flying , were designed to permit a number of aircraft to execute a given maneuver
in as short a time as possible . Since the transition from air to ground is one of the most dangerous phases of flight , landings in close formation are usually declined by even the most experienced . The next most expeditious method of getting a formation back on the ground is the ” break ” followed by the ” stream ” or ” staggered ” landing , wherein the formation provides its own separation between aircraft . The separation ( certainly where smaller types of aircraft is concerned ) is provided by two factors ,
lateral , and fore and aft . Lateral separation should be used only where the runway is sufficiently wide to permit an aircraft to pass the previous one with safe lateral clearance , i.e. the runway should be AT LEAST twice the minimum width required for safe operation of a single aircraft of the type . The first lands on the left side , the next on the right etc ., depending on crosswind . Effectively , two runways side by side . The fore and aft clearance behind the preceeding aircraft should be designed as sufficient to allow a pilot to avoid the one he is following no matter what happens , even should the other intrude onto ” his side ” of the runway , or alternatively , to apply power , lift off , and ” go around ” …. while avoiding that aircraft . Stream landings on a narrow ( single ) runway should be arranged so that an aircraft touches down just as the preceeding aircraft turns off at the far end.
If the runway is too narrow , a number of possibilities arise . One aircraft may not be able to pass another without collision . Loss of , or even poor directional control means that an aircraft may either leave the runway surface or veer into the path of the follower . Both dangerous . If the fore and aft separation is too short , the follower may not have sufficient time to react and avoid the preceeding
machine should a problem occur , or , given the forward view problems of ” tail draggers ” , may not see it in time . Following too closely , no matter how wide the runway , just invites disaster . The possibilities are exactly the same as driving a ground vehicle at high speed . If the guy in front of you has a problem , available reaction time is often too small to avoid collision.
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