Pilot/Controller Glossary
FORMATION FLIGHT
This reproduces published FAA reference text for study. It does not replace the current official FAA publication or regulation.
More than one aircraft which, by prior arrangement between the pilots, operate as a single aircraft with regard to navigation and position reporting. Separation between aircraft within the formation is the responsibility of the flight leader and the pilots of the other aircraft in the flight. This includes transition periods when aircraft within the formation are maneuvering to attain separation from each other to effect individual control and during join‐up and breakaway.
Retrieved from ecfr.gov on July 18, 2026.