This is my third post from RIAT 2022, prompted by a comment on a picture I posted on Flickr (opening image). It shows four members of the Red Arrows in formation with a colourful RAF tanker (an Airbus A330-243 (MRTT) Voyager KC.2 ZZ336) known as Vespina or "Boris Force 1" after its paint scheme.

My friend Phil commented on this picture that there was "Nice separation" between each aircraft. That is true — and this helps the viewer understand and appreciate this formation, as well as the skills of the pilots.

But it prompts a question: how important is it for aircraft in formation to be shown separated from each other?

As is obvious to any reader of this blog, I am a bit of an #avgeek: I have that perspective and also that of a photographer.

From the #avgeek point of view, I want to see the aircraft clearly. That is helped by each aircraft being entirely separated from the others. You can think of this as a default setting: unless there is a good reason for overlap, I'd prefer each aircraft to be separate from the others.

From the photographer's point of view, the same considerations hold. Separation of the subjects makes the image simpler to understand, less confusing and busy. So, that is also the photographer's default position.

(You can tell there is a but coming!) But — it depends on what you intend to communicate. If the intention is a pleasing, eye-catching, arrangement of subjects in space, a geometric array like the opening image, then, yes, separation is good.

On the other hand, overlaps can communicate the energy of the aircraft. To illustrate this point, look at the two pictures below, taken two seconds apart, of four members of the Black Eagles. In the first, they overlap, with no gaps between them. In the second, the formation is spread out. Which you would prefer is a personal preference. For me, the overlapping formation communicates the energy of the aircraft much more effectively. It also demonstrates the skill of the team more clearly. It is a much tighter composition.

One final image: this shows Czech Air Force Hip and Hind helicopters. Although they are close, there is little to no overlap. I don't find the effect confusing or busy, and I think the image is effective in communicating the feel of the purpose of these two aircraft.

Overlaps? It depends...