V formation

Common card · No. 378570

A V formation is a symmetric V- or chevron-shaped (two sides of a triangle) flight formation. In nature, it occurs among geese, swans, ducks, and other migratory birds while in human aviation it is used mostly in military aviation, air shows, and occasionally commercial aviation. Flying in the V formation is thought by some to improve energy efficiency. Others hypothesize that it is the formation that most reliably allows a flock of large birds to fly very close together without any member of the flock being disturbed by the vortices of a bird flying ahead, while at the same time having the most favorable conditions for the optical perceptions to maintain the flight formation. Usually, large birds fly in this formation. V formations are thought to improve the fuel efficiency of aircraft.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Hamid Hajihusseini, CC BY 3.0