Having tower ship each group to departure seemed to me to be a good way to get everyone along to the next enroute frequency. Enroute Ops Judging by the radio chatter, there were some groups that had a smooth ride, and others that were all over the sky. This led to slower than expected airspeeds for most, and a tension between whether to maintain airspeed or position. It is imperative that all planes be exactly at 3,500 . Visibility of planes becomes a problem when one is lower than the others.
Position is more important than airspeed.
James Oliphant had a great idea which we should implement in all group briefings next year. This seemed to help his group visualize what was going to happen at takeoff and enroute, and I recommend we adopt this for all groups. Navigation was pretty good this year, with a few groups reportedly overshooting TURN a bit. One thing I noticed is that folks started down too early again this year, some inside the temporary FLD class C airspace. I m also pleased to report that Tom Poberezny took the time to drive over and say hello when we landed.