Acrojets

The country’s first acrobatic jet performance team wasn’t the result of special training, a cumbersome master plan, or even an official order. It was just plane boredom. In 1948, a group of distinguished William’s Air Force pilot instructors founded a group that was made of five men, though only four of them would fly in performances. They were instructor pilots Howard W. Jenson, Michael Smolen, Walter K. Selenger, and Benjamin F. Yeargin. The fifth member, Jones E. Bolt, was an alternate pilot who could step into any other members' position with ease. The Acrojets had nicknames for each other, as they were strict to criticize each other’s flying yet, remained as a happy-go-lucky group. Jensen is, “the Swede.' Bolt is “Jonesy.” Smolen is, “the Smole.” Selenger answers to “Lefty.”

At the rise of their fame, the members had a difficult time introducing themselves as they had no name. Each member has a different memory of how they came to their official title. Yeargin’s account says that the group kicked over a slew of names before giving up and deciding on, “Acrojets” out of boredom. Col. Charles Cole, who was the announcer for the Acrojets, says the choice was purposeful.

This sensational flying group preformed their shows for free, entrancing other pilots and their families, relying on instinct at 600 miles per hour in the sky. Their fast formation acrobatics made them famous nationally, and the group found themselves traveling across the country. The Acrojets would preform for more than two million people in their lifetimes.

The instructors carried a full load of regular training duties and performed the exhibitions on their own time. They could not receive extra pay for their shows nor could they compete for awards and specific honors for themselves. To anyone who inquires the Acrojets personally, it becomes obvious that they enjoyed the high speed, close quarters acrobatics, and found an amusement in the hazardous nature of it all.