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From: julian@riacs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Missing Man Formation
Message-ID: <176@riacs.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 7-Feb-86 17:54:24 EST
Article-I.D.: riacs.176
Posted: Fri Feb  7 17:54:24 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Feb-86 03:28:13 EST
References: <1072@utcs.uucp> <681@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Distribution: net
Organization: RIACS, Moffett Field, CA
Lines: 42

> There is something that has always confused me about the "missing man
> formation" -- it always appears to me that there are *two* "missing"
> planes in the formation. The way I've seen it, most recently, is that
> there are four planes in a *partial* "V" formation, like this:
> 
>                               ^
>                          ^         ^
>                     ^
> 
> And then the second one pulls off and away, leaving:
> 
>                               ^
>                                    ^
>                     ^
> 
> However, that still looks to me like TWO "missing " aircraft from what
> should be:
> 
>                               ^
>                          ^         ^
>                     ^                   ^
> 
> I suppose there is some explanation, related to there being four aircraft
> in some standard military unit, but it isn't clear to the general viewer.
> I would think it would be more effective if they started off with the
> five aircraft in a fully-formed "V", and then the second one split off,
> leaving a clear single-craft gap. 
> 
> Am I right in those layouts above? I've only seen this on TV, and the
> angles of shots don't always give a clear view of the true formation.
> 
> Will

One standard four aircraft formation is "fingertip" (spread out your
hand and see where the fingertips are).  That's what is used for the
"missing man" ceremony.
-- 
"If Chaos himself sat umpire, what better could he do?"

	Julian "a tribble took it" Gomez  (ARPA: julian@riacs)
	415-694-6141        415-694-6363  (UUCP: decvax!decwrl!julian@riacs)
	RIACS - Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science