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Copyright John Williams
Jones Beach: Air Show at Jones Beach Draws Thousands
Actually that’s a lie, not thousands—hundreds of thousands.
Parking lots at Jones Beach were overflowing as the annual Bethpage Federal Credit Union Air Show kicked off on Saturday to clear skies, high temperatures and massive crowds.
On hand was Lt. Col. John Klatt of the Air National Guard who took one of our reporters on his red, white and blue two-seater Extra-300L aircraft last week—upside down, sideways, and backwards.
“I’ve always enjoyed airplanes,” says Klatt, who began flying at 17. “My dad used to take me to air shows as a kid and I was always excited about it.
Klatt, who earned money for flying lessons by washing airplanes as a kid, is a veteran of three combat tours in Iraq, and has logged more than 2,000 hours at the controls of the F-16 alone. Performing death-defying stunts in the sky—that’s just his weekend job.
“The whole reason for me being here this week is really for me to connect with the kids. The Air National Guard lets you get out and meet people, have a job and get training in different fields. It’s fun to be able to provide positive entertainment.”
Beach weather and aircrafts performing stunts over your head at the beautiful Jones Beach on Memorial Day weekend? It doesn’t get much better than that.
