Thread falls in several distinct ways. It can fall light or heavy, in a sheet, in clumps, tangles, or a mixture of all of the above. Weather has a serious impact on how thread falls, and which formation is chosen to fight with. High winds, strong up and down drafts, rain, and sleet are all examples of weather which will impact Threadfalls. In Southern Weyr's territory we find that thread tends to fall in tangles, or a mix of clump and sheet.

All 'Falls are multiple and fall according to a fixed pattern. On the ground Thread falls too fast to be seen and dodged but in the air it falls slow enough to be seen and intercepted by dragons. A Threadfall lasts about six hours, although Thread will only fall in one spot for 15 minutes. When the Weyr is fighting over the coastline the Fall is obviously shorter, since it is not necessary to char thread when it falls only over the ocean. At night the colder air kills Thread. The winds from the ocean often make flying Fall particularly tricky, and visiting riders often find themselves disconcerted by a tricky updraft or gust. Because we are a tropical Weyr, we fly Fall all Turn 'round, even though the land is grubbed. The leading edge of 'Fall travels between 66 mph and 93 mph. The difference is the latitude: it will fall faster at lower latitudes, slower at higher. At the Southern peninsula, which includes Southern Weyr, Southern Hold and the Unified Crafthall, Threadfall's leading edge travels around 92 mph; at Big Lagoon it travels around 85 mph; in Sadrid it travels around 83 mph; Island River it travels at 82 mph, and at Central Hold it travels around 78 mph. Dragons cannot therefore outfly Thread at Southern Weyr since the fastest dragon would fly but 48 mph. In fact nothing on Pern can get out of its path except by going *between*.

Threadfall Chart ©

Dragons will consume about 320-480 pounds of Firestone in a normal, six hour Fall. Firestone is bagged in approximately 50 pound sacks, and a dragon, depending on their size and flame intensity, will go through one to one and a half sacks per hour of the Fall. Once sacks are empty the Dragonpair will call for a refueling from whichever Wing is flying resupply, usually the Weyrlings. These full sacks are tossed to the rider a dragonback, and then the empty sacks are caught by the refueling pair and taken away leaving the fighting pair free to fight thread again. It is important that the rider *catch* these sacks since a falling sack of stone can be just as deadly as the thread itself.

1 Dragonlength	20 Metres
1 Pair	1 dragon and his rider.
1 Wing	12-30 pairs.
1 Flight	3 Wings, 36-90 pairs. (Note: The Flight is defined as the minimum number of pairs required to fly a full Threadfall.)
1 Fighting Weyr	Roughly 3 Flights, or 9-10 Wings, for a total of 108-300 pairs. (Note: Weyrs will often run over these numbers, but seldom far below.)
Dragon Flame	A dragon can flame a distance of 10-40 meters.

 

See also Measurements.

Riders are divided up into 'Wings'. Each wing has about 12-30 rider/dragon pairs. There should be no less than that, for the wing would not be as effective, and no more than that usually, because then the wing is not the tight-knit group it needs to be. Each wing is lead by a Wingleader. There can be anywhere from one to two Wingseconds in a Wing. Finally, the Wings can be grouped together into what is called a 'Flight', which is really an administrative grouping for the Weyrleader. They are almost always static. It enables the Weyrleader to match up three different Wings. For example, he could group two Wings with experienced riders with a Wing of inexperienced riders. The purpose of the Flight is more than just gathering different Wings together. A Weyrleader can juggle around riders to try them out in Wings that are tired, or under strength. At each level of structure, there are drills, increasing the functionality with the riders.

Southern has six fighting wings: Skyfury, Starflame, Firedance, Stormfall, Moonsweep (NPC), Cloudchase (NPC), Nightveil (NPC), Monsoon (NPC) and the queen's wing - Sunblaze. Other wings include Dawnwind (Weyrling wing) and Twilight (retired wing).

To help foster reliance on each other and essential teamwork, the Wing can usually be broken down into groups of three riders who train and sweep together and watch out for one another. Each trio of riders helps each other practice techniques through 'localized' rope drills and other generalized exercises. The trios trade off partners to learn ideas and methods from other riders, to prevent stagnation and complacence. Wings practice flying in formation. The Wing drills extensively until they can come and go out of between while keeping in perfect flying formation. They also do rope drilling together to ensure each and every rider has the instinctual awareness of themselves and fellow riders so they know how and where to fly to prevent accidents like flaming or collision. Wingriders help guard each other from Thread and other dangers. Sometimes a Weyr participates in a Fall drill to help hone Fighting abilities and develop new ones.

The drilling that a rider participates in as a Weyrling and a rider may be tedious, but it is absolutely essential. The training helps a rider to be prepared for just about any condition they could meet up in the sky. If a rider is not prepared, things could get dangerous - a weak leak in a Wing could mean death for others. Everyone relies on each other. If a rider has problems that might interfere with their capabilities as a rider, whether they are physical or mental, it is the duty of that rider - or another rider to inform the Wingleader or even the Weyrleader.

Part of the training of a rider is learning Fighting Formations. The Formations are important because they give the Wings a set of guidelines for different weather situations and changes in circumstances, easily adapted for altering situations. Many different Formations and Tactics exist and there are always more being developed. There are a few Formations however that are universally known and used as a basis for others. A rider needs to know these Formations and have them ingrained for split second decisions and reactions.

A good formation needs three basic things to make it effective: stability, coverage, and maneuverability.

Stability keeps a formation recognizable, which avoids confusion during Fall, especially for those coming in and out with Firestone resupplies. Frequent and continuous drills ensure that the pairs' place in formation is nearly instinctual.

Coverage is important since one does not want to leave even one spot unguarded. For should even a single strand get through in that unguarded spot, it can cause extensive damage. Just because the Southern Continent is grubbed does not mean we can be lax. There are many buildings unprotected by the grubs, and many of the islands we cover do not have grub protection at all.

Maneuverability is perhaps the most important asset to a Wing formation. If a formation cannot be loose and flexible while maintaining integrity and effectiveness, then it is doomed to the Thread it fights.

There are two parts to a wing formation: the 'layers' and the 'line positions'. Variation on both also exist.

A Threadfall should be flown with at least three Wings, or rather, a Flight, no less. Usually these Wings are tiered into three separate layers like so:

'Wing Low' Formation is another layer formation in which the layers are one atop the other but staggered. The lower layer is first, then the second is back a few meters, and the third and highest layer is a few meters back in the air from the second layer, like so:

The 'Wing High' Formation is the exact opposite of 'Wing Low'. Indeed, the Formation is also a series of three, staggered layers, the highest layer first, a few meters back the second one, and below it and a few meters back, the third, like so:

The classic and most basic line formation is shaped like a 'V' and is usually called just that, a 'vee' formation. Each dragon in the Wing will be lined up according to this formation with one dragon at the point of the V. Two dragons will be positioned on each side of the point, slanting back along the lines of the V like so:

This forward V is an aggressive attack against Thread. The point rider dives right into the leading edge, while his flank riders protect the sides. If you reverse the V, then you have a defensive formation. This tactic traps the Thread between the flanking riders, rather than plunging into the Fall. There is no one to protect the sides with this maneuver. The point dragon in the rear protects the exposed rear, like so:

Another formation is called 'straight-up'. One dragon behind the other in a straight line forms this Formation, like so:

Any line formation may be coupled together according to the whim of the Wingleader and Weyrleader. Each formation has its advantages and used together, can meet nearly any situation. Combine this with the different layers available for the Flight, and it creates an efficient team of riders all relying upon each other.

R'lien, Revarth's rider
K'laarn, Rnayth's rider
Telinda, Tiarnath's rider
K'tor, Albanth's rider
V'tali, Enaeth's rider