Jason Somes
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
2024 Airshow Schedule
March 16-17 - Wings Over Solano, Travis AFB
April 6 - Laughlin Bullhead Airshow, Laughlin NV
June 22 - Truckee Tahoe Airshow, Truckee CA
August 16-17 - Wings Over Camarillo, Camarillo CA
October 11-13 - Planes of Fame Airshow, Santa Maria CA
Jason Somes Bio
Jason is type rated in 17 different aircraft, including the Supermarine Spitfire, the North American P-51 Mustang and the Gulfstream G-650. His first flying lesson was in a Cessna 150 at the age of 12, and as a teenager he started his flight training in a Pitts S2-B and progressed to getting a multi-engine commercial license. He raced in the Reno National Championship Air Races from 2003 to 2007 in the Biplane Formula One and T-6 classes. He is an aerobatic competency evaluator, a Wing Leader for the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) SoCal Wing and is also rated in helicopters and gliders.
Jason loves the challenge of flying the MiG-17 because of its performance across the board... acceleration, turn rate and speed. After the MiG-17, his favorite aircraft to fly is the Grumman F8F Bearcat, a Navy fighter that entered service late in World War 2 and is known for its power and speed.
Flying the MiG at airshows is meaningful to him because it’s a chance to help preserve aviation history and inspire young people to become interested in aviation.
Jason was born in the San Fernando Valley and currently lives in Camarillo, California. When not flying for the CAF and in airshows, he flies a Gulfstream G-650 for a prominent company based in Los Angeles.
2024 Airshow Schedule
March 16-17 - Wings Over Solano, Travis AFB
April 6 - Laughlin Bullhead Airshow, Laughlin NV
June 22 - Truckee Tahoe Airshow, Truckee CA
August 16-17 - Wings Over Camarillo, Camarillo CA
October 11-13 - Planes of Fame Airshow, Santa Maria CA
with afterburning Klimov VK-1F engine
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a Russian fighter jet that was developed in the 1950s as a successor to the Mig-15 and saw combat in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. Although not supersonic, it was capable of very tight turns and armed with three cannons, making it deadly against American fighters like the F-4 Phantom and the F-8 Crusader. The MiG-17 was the first Russian fighter jet to have an afterburner, which dumps raw fuel in to the exhaust to increase the thrust.
The MiG-17 is visually differentiated from the earlier MiG-15 by wings which are more swept back, a longer fuselage, three fences on each wing instead of two, and a fin on the bottom of the fuselage. Over 10,000 were built and it was the standard general purpose day fighter for many Soviet satellite countries during the Cold War.
Top speed is 680 mph in level flight and over 710 mph with the afterburner. It can climb to 30,000 feet in only three minutes.
Jason's airplane is a MiG-17F, with the "F" indicating that it has a Klimov VK-1F engine with an afterburner. This particular aircraft was built in Poland in 1959 and entered service with the Polish Air Force.
“The MiG-17 can maintain an 8G turn, which keeps the action front and center for airshow crowds.”
Antonov AN-2
The AN-2 “Colt” is the worlds largest single engine biplane. Used in Eastern block countries for Cargo, Agriculture, Paradrop, Air Ambulance, and Passenger Transport. More than 18000 were produced by Russia, Poland, and China.
This “Colt” was produced in Poland in 1985 as a PZL Mielec AN-2. High Alpha Airshows use this aircraft to support the Mig at airshows or as a stand alone static / airshow performer.
Email Jason at nbnh@aol.com or fill out the form below.