Warbird Information Exchange

Very sorry to see this.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

FAST has nothing to do with altitudes. All formation operations with/without FAST must comply with those previously stated FAA regulations.
FAST only provides guidance and a qualification procedure for formation flight within waivered airspace. This is now a pilot qualification requirement per the FAA. However, many formation pilots (warbird and non-warbird) utilize this same guidance for all their formation flying operations, as well.
(If there was no airshow-type airspace waiver in effect at the incident area, none of the pilots needed to be FAST qualified.)
VL

I guess I was wondering if FAST taught some minimum altitude rules-of-thumb for different types of maneuvering.

Extended Trail usually implies that the lead aircraft is performing some sort of aerobatic or near-aerobatic maneuvers.

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FAST provides no guidance on minimum altitudes. FAST qualifications are only required within waivered airspace, which also requires aerobatic pilot waivers for any maneuvering flight. These pilot waivers are based on specific qualifications and also specify different minimum altitudes for those corresponding qualifications.

Altitudes for maneuvering flight with abrupt attitude changes, with or without formation flying, is regulated in the FARs.
Obviously (at least to me) maneuvering flight, again, with or without formation flight, with less experienced pilots would justify much higher altitudes than the minimums as described by the FARs. In the brief, I personally ask each formation member their aerobatic experience level prior to extended trail formation maneuvering. Each member at least deserves that inquiry as part of their brief.

VL