Formation Flight Training

Michael Blackstone and his team of formation instructor pilots have been teaching the art of formation flying in Los Angeles and Orange County for over 25 years. They are all well versed in flying and teaching the intricacies of formation flying in and around the Los Angeles area.

The methods they use are designed to make learning formation easy and fun! They strive to build your confidence one step at a time to get you very comfortable while handling the aircraft in all phases of formation flight. So, whether you are a pilot with thousands of hours, someone just learning to fly, or you are an aviation enthusiast who has never flown a plane before but would like to understand formation flying better, then you have come to the right place!

You will fly in one of our current production, fighter aircraft – Marchetti SF-260. This aircraft is the Ferrari of the sky. We only fly the Marchetti SF-260 at SkyThrills to teach formation flying because we feel that it is best to teach formation flying in high performance fighter aircraft that are exactly the same. When you love the aircraft you are flying and it performs just as you dreamed it would, you will perform better and learn quicker.

We can customize any of our training programs to best suit your individual wants, needs, or experience levels. These incredible aircraft are a dream to fly. You can do this. You will love flying our fighter aircraft as they are every pilot's dream machine!

The Main Areas We Focus On Are:

Flight Leader & Wingman Rules & Responsibilities
Tactical Formation & Lead Changes During All Phases of Flight
Mastering the Art of Maintaining Your Position (Flying As Flight Lead & Dash 2)

Our goal is to make you the best formation pilot you can be in the shortest amount of time possible. You will not find a finer group of professional, highly experienced, personable and fun group of instructor pilots anywhere in the world to show you the ropes to the art of flying formation safely and with precision.

We look forward to teaching you the nearly lost art of flying formation. We feel privileged to have the unique opportunity to introduce you to the challenging world of flying formation as we inspire you to become a better and safer pilot; no matter what your experience level currently is. So even if you have never flown a plane before, we will keep you safe and to work with you until you get it.

Available Formation Training Packages Include:

Pre & Post Flight Ground School Briefings
Use of Our Nomex Military Flight Suits
Use of Our HGU-55 Kevlar Fighter Pilot Helmets
Use of Our "Softie" Emergency Parachutes
All DVC's and DVD's of Your Aerobatic Lessons. (Recorded from our cockpit state-of-the-art, multi-camera system.)

FORMATION TRAINING - BASIC

This program is designed to get you comfortable with flying a high performance aircraft in close proximity to another aircraft in formation. After receiving a detailed pre-flight briefing on the basic concepts of flying formation and a parachute safety briefing, you and your wingman will be strapped into our high performance fighter aircraft.

After takeoff, you will assume control of the aircraft, join up and transit to our aerobatic training area just off the California coastline. During transit you have the opportunity to fly the aircraft as flight leader or as the wingman. You will then get the opportunity to perform basic turns while maintaining your position as a wingman or flying smoothly and predictably as the flight leader. Then you will switch roles. This is an essential first step into the world of flying formation. You will become a more confident and safer pilot having completed this course.

1st Flight - Getting Acquainted with Your Aircraft in Formation

Basic Aircraft Handling, Flying and Maintaining Your Position During Straight & Level Flight and Shallow Bank Turns.
Learn the Rules of Being Flight Leader and Wingman

2nd Flight - Getting Comfortable with Basic Maneuvers in Formation

Intermediate Aircraft Handling, Flying and Maintaining Your Position, Cross-Unders, and Steep Turns
Introduction to Tactical Formation, Rolls & Loops

Formation Training - Basic For 1 Flyer | Marchetti SF-260 (2 Flights)
Formation Training – Basic For 2 Flyers | Marchetti SF-260 (2 Flights)

FORMATION TRAINING - ADVANCED

Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Flight Time: 3.2 hours (4 x 45 minutes in transit | 3 hours of Formation
Aircraft: Marchetti SF-260
Experience Includes: 4 Pre-flight Briefings | 4 Flights | 4 Post-flight Briefings | 4 DVDs | 4 Logbook Entries

This program is designed to teach you the art of formation flying in high performance fighter aircraft. After receiving a detailed pre-flight briefing explaining the intricacies of formation flying and a parachute safety briefing, you will be strapped into one of our fighter planes. After takeoff, you will assume control of the aircraft and transit to our aerobatic training area just off the California coastline. During transit you have the opportunity to get used to flying the aircraft.

After takeoff, you will assume control of the aircraft, join up with your wingman and transit to our aerobatic training area just off the California coastline. During transit to and from the area you will have the opportunity to fly the aircraft as the flight leader and as the wingman. You will then have the opportunity to perform shallow and steep banked turns while maintaining your position as the wingman or as the flight leader. Then you will then learn the steps required to fly basic aerobatics as a two-ship formation. This program will enhance your flying skills making you a better and safer pilot as we teach you how to safely fly formation.

3rd Flight - Gaining Confidence in Your Formation Flying Ability

Advanced Aircraft Handling in Formation, Advanced Steep Turns Position Changes
Cross-Under, Lead Swaps

4th Flight – Performing Aerobatics in Formation

Advanced Formation Techniques, Combat Spread Loops, In-Trail Loops
Formation Barrel Rolls

Formation Training – Advanced For 1 Flyer | Marchetti SF-260 (4 Flights)
Introduction to Formation – Advanced For 2 Flyers | Marchetti SF-260 (4 Flights)

Sky Thrills!

For The Thrill of a Lifetime

Flight Training

Formation Flight Training

FORMATION TRAINING - BASIC

FORMATION TRAINING - ADVANCED