Introduction

The cornerstone of the success of our past mass arrivals - and those conducted by other organizations - is formation flight training. The primary venue for this training is the formation training clinic..

For 2026 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh has scheduled several formation training clinics across the country from March to June.

Each clinic consists of two components: a ground session and a flight session. The ground portion includes an audiovisual presentation and a ramp exercise. The flight portion may include one or more practice flights during which the maneuvers required for all phases of the arrival are practiced.

During the training flights, each PIC trainee will have an experienced safety pilot in the right seat.

All pilots who wish to participate in our mass arrival are required to attend at least one formation flight clinic or training session during the calendar year of the arrival. Pilots who are already current and proficient in formation flight and who have the opportunity to practice locally are encouraged to do so, preferably under the supervision of one of our lead pilots.

To those pilots who do not have formation flight experience and to those with previous experience but who are not current, we recommend against engaging in formation flight until attending a formation clinic or training session.

In 2026 the final pre-flight brief will take place on July 18, starting sharply at 1:00:00 PM CDT, in the main hangar of Wisconsin Aviation at Dodge County Airport in Juneau, Wisconsin. In order to be assigned to a position in the mass arrival flight and participate in the final preflight brief, a pilot must be on the ground at Juneau and checked in by 11:00:00 AM CDT (UTC-5).

The "textbook" of our formation flight training clinics is the slide presentation by Rodney Swanson, our Director of Training and Operations. We encourage every participating pilot to review this presentation prior to attending the clinic. The designated lead pilot of the clinic will go over it in detail during the formation training clinic. You can find Rodney's presentation in a section further below on this page.

We have also provided a link to The T-34 Association Formation Manual and several links to the manuals of other organizations. These are provided as reference for participating pilots wishing to expand on their theoretical knowledge of formation flight.

At the bottom of this page participating pilots can find our legal waiver form. Please bring this form to the formation training clinic.

Godspeed!

 

Click here to register to participate in C2O 2026

Click here to sign up for a clinic if you've signed up for C2O 2026

Updated June 19, 2025 18:32 EDT

Cessnas 2 Oshkosh (C2O) - Cherokees to Oshkosh (CtO) Agreement

The Cessnas 2 Oshkosh (C2O) and the Cherokees to Oshkosh (CtO) organizations have reached a mutual collaboration agreement for the purpose of training our pilots to fly the mass arrival into Oshkosh. Under this agreement, the Cherokees to Oshkosh (CtO) pilots are welcome to attend our clinics and our pilots are welcome to attend their clinics. Attendance to a clinic of one of the two organizations, the training received and the clearance to fly the mass arrival granted by the clinic's lead pilot will be honored by the reciprocal organization.

Cherokees to Oshkosh (CtO) pilots who wish to participate in one of our clinics must have approval from Ed LeBlanc, Director of Air Operations for Cherokees to Oshkosh (CtO). Send Ed a message via this link.

Cessnas 2 Oshkosh (C2O) pilots who wish to participate in one of Cherokees to Oshkosh (CtO) clinics must have approval from Rodney Swanson, our Director of Training and Operations. Send Rodney a message via this link.

This cross-training option is not available for new Cessnas 2 Oshkosh (C2O) pilots or pilots who were not cleared by one of our lead pilots after training in one of our regular scheduled clinics.

Follow this link to view the Cherokees to Oshkosh (CtO) clinic schedule.

HTML format To view in any HTML5 compatible browser, click on the title above. The presentation will open right on this page.

Mass Arrival Flight Routes It is very important to program all the waypoints into your GPS units prior to your arrival in Juneau.	2026 C2O-FAA LOA Detailed description of the arrival procedures. Download and familiarize yourself with this document. You must carry a copy with you in the cockpit during the mass arrival flight.	2025 AirVenture NOTICE If you are flying to EAA AirVenture, this NOTICE is obligatory reading. The 2026 NOTICE is scheduled for release in late May or early June. As soon as it is published, it will appear here.
Formation Flight Waiver Print and bring to the formation clinics.	Formation Briefing Card Print and bring to the formation clinics.	Glossary of Formation Terms Helpful reference to understand the formation flying language.

The T-34 Formation Manual The authoritative reference. T-34 Association	The Formation Knowledge Guide Drew A Blahnick, Publisher Formation and Safety Team (FAST)	Formation Standards and Proficiency Program Rev. 3.2 Formation Flying, Inc. 2025

Sarah Rovner's Training Video 1 2014 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Courtesy of Sarah Rovner, May 2014 2014 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Training Video 1	Sarah Rovner's Training Video 2 2014 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Courtesy of Sarah Rovner, May 2014 2014 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Training Video 2

Formation Flight Practice Courtesy of Barry Biggs and Nate Duehr, 2010 1. Taxi into position for takeoff viewed from the Chalk 3 right wing position. 2. Chalk 3 moving into position and keeping station viewed from the lead position. 3. Chalk 2 moving into position on lead's left wing viewed from the left wing Chalk 2 position. 4. Final approach and landing.	Formation Flight Practice Courtesy of Dave Kalwishsky, 2010 1. Chalk 2 keeping station on lead's left wing as viewed from the lead position. 2. Chalk 2 overtaking on lead's left for a lead change. Lead drops to Chalk 3 right wing position.

Sarah Rovner - Juliet-3 2013 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Courtesy of Sarah Rovner, 2013 2013 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival - Juliet-3 landing long on Runway 36R. Erratum: Change month in the captions to July	2014 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Flight From the Cockpit of Element India Courtesy of Pilot's Eye Photography, 2014 From takeoff roll out of Dodge County Airport to landing on Rwy 36 at Wittman Regional Airport.	2010 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Flyover Wittman Regional Airport Courtesy of Barry Biggs & Nate Duehr, 2010 From taxi out of Dodge County Airport to the flyover Runway 36 of Wittman Regional Airport.

Fundamentals of Formation Flying Part 1/3 United States Navy Training Film, 1953 Presented only to illustrate the historical principles of formation flying. Not intended as an illustration of the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh procedures. Some fundamental principles apply to all types of formation flying. Do not attempt to practice these procedures, except under FAST-sanctioned instruction.	Fundamentals of Formation Flying Part 2/3 United States Navy Training Film, 1953 Presented only to illustrate the historical principles of formation flying. Not intended as an illustration of the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh procedures. Some fundamental principles apply to all types of formation flying. Do not attempt to practice these procedures, except under FAST-sanctioned instruction.	Fundamentals of Formation Flying Part 3/3 United States Navy Training Film, 1953 Presented only to illustrate the historical principles of formation flying. Not intended as an illustration of the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh procedures. Some fundamental principles apply to all types of formation flying. Do not attempt to practice these procedures, except under FAST-sanctioned instruction.