Missing man formation

[DevelopedBug]

Just as I was leaving work tonight (17:30) a flight of F15s flew over Thetford in a missing man formation with the number 3 jet absent. Did anyone else see it? Does anybody know if an aircraft went u/s and headed home by itself today or are they practising for a fly-by or something???

Thanks,

[James Cutting]

Well they wouldn't practice a missing man formation. How many were in the flight?

Edit: MO F15s arrived as a 4 then a 2.

[Nighthawke]

I sae them too from the A11 bridge at Elveden. There were three in the flight which went around at the same time as two more were on finals around a mile apart.

[slogen51]

They were three 492nd eagles RTB

I can't remember the callsigns but from photos two were 97-0222 and 91-0303

[DevelopedBug]

Why were they so deliberately spaced out with what should have been the #3 jet missing?

[Magpie]

Flying in loose formation?

[DevelopedBug]

No, this was a very deliberate one aircraft gap where the number 3 jet should have been. It looked like a 'missing man', with the number 2 tucked up to the lead's wingtip as usual and a very obvious aircraft sized gap till the #4. Hence me wondering if a jet had gone u/s and the flight had carried on, or they were practicing for a flypast, i.e. and allowing the number 4 to familiarise himself with the orientation to the number 2 jet to maintain aesthetic spacing.

[POL]

allowing the number 4 to familiarise himself with the orientation to the number 2 jet to maintain aesthetic spacing.

That's not how you fly formation, your reference is the lead aircraft.