The Airmanship Foundation hosted a four-day jet formation training event on Jan. 26-29, 2023, at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

The event was a huge success with more than 20 jets participating from all over the United States.

The ramp under the original Marine Corps Air Station Mojave tower was full of vintage jets. Mostly L-39s were present, but there was one MiG-17, a Fouga Magister and a CF-5 (Canadair F-5).

The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer designed and produced in the former Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody. It is the most widely used jet trainer in the world; in addition to performing basic and advanced pilot training, it has also flown combat missions in a light-attack role.

Developed in the 1960s and first flown in 1968, it has become a favorite among warbird enthusiasts and there is even a special class for jets at the Reno Air Races that is dominated by Aero L-39s.

All jet pilots know of the world famous Star Wars Canyon and there are always photographers on hand to capture great photos as the aircraft roar by. Jim Mumaw clicked off some gorgeous shots of the L-39s, Fouga Magister, CF-5 and the A-29 Super Tucano turboprop!

It was great to see the flight line full of jets all four days, the people who come to eat at the Voyager Restaurant were delighted to see all of the jets. Lots of kids were dreaming about flying as they peered out of the restaurant windows.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 was a high subsonic fight jet with afterburner. The MiG-17 was an advanced modification of the MiG-15 aircraft produced by the Soviet Union during the Korean War. Production of the MiG-17 was too late for use in Korea, but was used in Vietnam.

The Fouga Magister was designed in response to a French Air Force need for a jet trainer in the late 1940s. According to the Pima Air & Space Museum’s website, “In 1950 Fouga enlarged the earlier design and added the Turbomeca Marbore engine. The plane’s most distinctive feature its “V”-tail came from the glider that Fouga had fitted with a jet engine for testing. The Magister first flew in 1952 and entered service with the French Air Force in 1956. Its success resulted in large numbers of the aircraft being sold to other air forces around the world and eventually twenty-three nations would make use of the Magister. In addition to being built in France Magisters were license built in West Germany, Finland and Israel. In all 929 were constructed. After the Magister was retired several of them found their way into civilian hands, particularly in the United States.”

Scott Glaser, PhD, The Airmanship Foundation CEO said, “The Mojave airspace is legendary for aerospace accomplishments, for good reason. There are hundreds of miles of open airspace for our utilization for formation training!”

The Airmanship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-for-profit corporation and was formed to preserve and pass on the heritage and basic airmanship skills of flying and operating air and spacecraft. The corporation further seeks to educate youth and empower young people to endeavor in the field of airmanship and aerospace as a whole.

Glaser grew up in western Pennsylvania flying his dad’s Navion and Beech Debonair. He learned turns about a point over Three Rivers Stadium while his Dad watched Steelers games. He worked his way through the FAA rating system looking to fly higher performance aircraft in more dynamic environments.

Glaser has a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Penn.

He has worked with several interesting programs and facilities including Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, the F-22 Raptor, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and the Stratosphereic Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to name a few.

Everyone hopes this TAF Mojo-Jet Formation Event will be an annual experience!