B3107 FLIGHT WINGMAN 1.0 hours airborne + briefings

Practice Lost Wingman & BDA

Emergency procedures and battle damage assessment

OBJECTIVE

Enable trainees to practice lost wingman procedures and conduct battle damage checks (BDA) as wingman in the T-38 Talon, focusing on deconfliction turns, climbs, visual reacquisition, and offset positioning, to enhance emergency handling and inspection skills integrating communications per AFMAN 11-2T-38V3 standards.

CONTENT

Pre-Flight Briefing and Preparation

  • • Review of G-X/breakouts and ground lessons on lost wingman/BDA; discuss sortie objectives, VMC only for practice, and T-38 emergency maneuvers (mil power climbs).
  • • Formation planning: Brief lost wingman scenarios ("Blind" calls, 15° climb/turn), BDA offsets, and tolerances for reacquisition.
  • • Wingman focus: Immediate response to sight loss, report discrepancies during BDA.

Airborne Procedures and Maneuvers

  • • Departure and setup: VFR takeoff from KSPS, rejoin to route or fingertip for simulations.
  • • Lost wingman practice: Simulate "Blind," execute deconfliction (climb/turn away), reestablish nav/comms, rejoin on clearance.
  • • BDA execution: Wingman flies offset for lead inspection, uses visual signals/radio to report; practice fly-throughs.
  • • Comms and signals: "Blind" calls, KIO if needed, acknowledgments for directives.

LOST WINGMAN PROCEDURE

  1. Call "[Callsign], Blind"
  2. Immediately turn away from last known lead position
  3. Climb at 15° pitch, mil power
  4. Transition to instruments if IMC
  5. Establish own navigation / contact ATC
  6. Await rejoin clearance from lead

BDA POSITIONS

Belly Check

Fly below and behind lead

Inspect gear, underside, leaks

Top/Side Check

Fly above and to side

Inspect surfaces, damage

Post-Flight Debrief

  • • Performance evaluation: Assess procedure timing, BDA accuracy, and comms via data.
  • • Trainee reflection: Discuss emergency challenges and areas for improvement.

SORTIE TASKS

IP required. Fly as wingman. VMC only. Fly on VATSIM IAW VATSIM regulations.

Pre-Sortie

  1. 1Brief with IP: lost wingman sequence ("Blind" call → turn away → 15° pitch climb at mil power → establish nav → await rejoin clearance), and BDA positions (belly check, top/side check)
  2. 2File flight plan on VATSIM; obtain ATIS and contact Ground/Tower; depart as a flight with IP as lead

Sortie

  1. 3After departure, rejoin to route or fingertip position on IP's call
  2. 4On IP's call ("Blind" initiated): transmit "[Callsign], Blind", turn away from last known lead position, climb at 15° pitch / mil power
  3. 5Establish own navigation and contact ATC; await rejoin clearance from IP; rejoin cleanly
  4. 6Fly belly check BDA position on IP's aircraft (below and behind); report gear, underside, and any discrepancies via radio
  5. 7Transition to top/side check position; inspect surfaces and report findings to IP
  6. 8Execute at least 2 lost wingman practice iterations; return to home field and break/land as directed

Post-Sortie

  1. 9Debrief with IP: review procedure timing, BDA positioning accuracy, and radio report quality
  2. 10Log the sortie in the vTAC flight log system

Approved Callsigns

BULL · ZOOM · LIGHT · VOID — dual formation sortie
BLACK · CHOSEN · STAFF — if command is present

COMPLETION STANDARDS

Trainees will demonstrate proficiency in lost wingman and BDA through successful sortie execution. Trainees must:

  • • Execute timely deconfliction (15° climb at mil power)
  • • Demonstrate accurate BDA positioning and reports
  • • Perform no procedural errors per AFMAN 11-2T-38V3 standards

Completion: Demonstrate proficiency with instructor sign-off

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