Individuals working together as a team
make drastic improvements in efficiency.

That’s the reason why cyclists ride in formation and the reason why swimmers ride the wake. There is an identifiable optimal position that allows a team to pick bits of energy off each other, making that team as a whole stronger than any individual or group of individuals could ever hope to be.

It takes both knowledge and experience to determine the optimal pattern and formation to achieve the greatest group efficiency. Echelon is the means to that end.