The Black Diamond Jet Team is a civilian aerobatic display team flying seven jet aircraft – five L-39s and two MiG-17s, all paint in arctic camouflage. The team is sponsored by United Bank Card, Inc. and is based at Lakeland, FL, USA.
Some of the team’s pilots are well known air show performers as Team Leader Lt. Colonel Jerry "Jive" Kerby, USAF (ret.) and Lead Solo Performer in the single MiG-17 Captain Dale "Snort" Snodgrass, USN (ret.).
Kerby and Snodgrass currently make up the two-ship civilian jet team Team MS760. Kerby was the first USAF F-4 Phantom Heritage Flight pilot in 2005 and has also flown the Vintage Thunderbird T-33 for the past five years. Snodgrass is well-known from his days as the F-14 Tomcat Demo Pilot and continues to fly with both the USAF Heritage Flight and USN Legacy
Flight programs. Snodgrass recently flew the F-86 Sabre painted in Skyblazers colors. With over 20,000 hours of flight time and 25 years of air show experience between them as well as military flight training in the F-15 and F-14, Kerby and Snodgrass bring a solid base of skill, expertise, and showmanship to the Black Diamond Jet Team.
The team was officially announced as “Heavy Metal Jet Team” in the beginning of November 2010, as a five ship display team flying four L-39 and one T-33 planes, based at Lancaster, PA. Then the T-33 Shooting Star aircraft was piloted by Captain Dale Snodgrass.
In July 2011, The Heavy Metal Jet Team announced the addition of one MiG-17 replacing the T-33, which was grounded after maintenance problems.
Almost a year later in October 2011 the team changed the name to its present “Black Diamond Jet Team” and added another MiG-17. Then the team transited to new home base at Lakeland, FL.
