Canadian geese in V formation. Source: NASAexplores

A V formation (sometimes called a skein) is the symmetric V-shaped flight formation of flights of geese, ducks and other migratory birds. V formations are also used on military flight missions. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 161 × 210 pixelsFull resolution (161 × 210 pixel, file size: 5 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): V formation ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 161 × 210 pixelsFull resolution (161 × 210 pixel, file size: 5 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): V formation ... Binomial name Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), colloquially Canadian Goose in North America, belongs to the Branta genus of geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. ... Look up Skein in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up goose in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Subfamilies Dendrocygninae Oxyurinae Anatinae Aythyinae Merginae Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. ... Flock of Barnacle Geese during autumn migration Many species of birds undertake seasonal journeys of various lengths, a phenomenon known as Bird migration. ...

Aerodynamics

Flying in a V formation way aids the birds in covering long distances very efficiently by transferring much of the shedding of drag-inducing vortices to the birds at each tip of the formation, rather than allowing shedding from each bird individually. Energy efficiency can be as much as doubled in this manner. The birds flying at the tips are rotated in a timely cyclical fashion so as to spread out flight fatigue equally among the flock members. The formation also facilitates communication and allows the birds to maintain visual contact with each other. In aerodynamics, lift-induced drag, or more simply, induced drag, is a drag force arising from the generation of lift by wings or a lifting body during flight. ... Vortex created by the passage of an aircraft wing, revealed by coloured smoke A vortex (pl. ...

Military flight missions

Mixed IAF and USAF aircraft in V formation during Cope India '04

Visual contact is why V formations (and the asymmetric echelon formations) are also commonly adopted by flights of military aircraft engaged on a common mission. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1270x1024, 260 KB) Two F-15 Eagles (middle of V formation) from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, fly with two Indian air force SU-30K Flankers (rear) and two Mirage 2000 aircraft during Cope India 04 Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1270x1024, 260 KB) Two F-15 Eagles (middle of V formation) from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, fly with two Indian air force SU-30K Flankers (rear) and two Mirage 2000 aircraft during Cope India 04 Source: http://www. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting air-based warfare and securing Indian airspace. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... Four OS2U Kingfisher airplanes flying in right echelon formation. ...

The basic flight formation for military aircraft in many air forces during World War II was a V formation. In the U.S. Army Air Forces the most basic formation for bombers was a three-plane "V" called an "element." Stacks of these elements were configured to form a defensive bombing formation called the "combat box". Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The United States Army Air Forces, or USAAF, was a part of the U.S. military during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... The Combat box was a tactical formation used by U.S. Army Air Force heavy (strategic) bombers during World War II. Creation of the concept is credited to General Curtis E. LeMay when he was a colonel commanding the 305th Bombardment Group in England. ...

The V formation is also common in ceremonial flyovers and airshow flights. The UK Utterly Butterly wing-walking display team flying Boeing Stearman PT-17 biplanes An airshow is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their flying machines to the crowd. ...

Mighty Ducks

Utilized to great effect by the fictional hockey team the Mighty Ducks The Mighty Ducks is the first film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy, produced by Avnet-Kerner Productions and Walt Disney Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution, and originally released to movie theatres by October 2, 1992. ...

See also

• Aspect ratio (wing)

The low aspect ratio wing of a Piper PA-28 Cherokee In aerodynamics, the aspect ratio is an airplanes wings span divided by its standard mean chord (SMC). ...

External links

• “What the Wild Goose Knows” Analysis by Paul Niquette