U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds kick off summer on Long Island with Bethpage Air Show preview
JONES BEACH, N.Y. -- The summer season kicks off on Long Island with the 19th Annual Bethpage Air Show, a staple of Memorial Day Weekend.
Crowds poured into Jones Beach on Friday to watch practice runs of the high-flying fun.
The red, white and blue F-16's of the legendary Air Force Thunderbirds did unthinkable maneuvers over the crowd, lucky to catch practice runs that were rained out last year.
"They're really cool," said Dante Maestre, 12. "The sound and the incredible speed that they go at."
That's 500 mph, and just 18 inches apart.
"The beach is just packed with people, and you can say, 'Holy moly, all these people are here watching me.' It's a lot of pressure," said Captain Kaity Toner, public affairs officer for the Thunderbirds. "It's a lot of pride. We're very, very, very proud of what we do for our nation."
Precision from five branches of service was on display, including the Army Golden Knights parachute team.
"We have to get it right because every, single time we jump in front of the public it has to be perfect," said Sergeant First Class Morgan George.
The military might and dedication reminded everyone what Memorial Day Weekend is about.
"Many sacrificed and we need to be thankful," said Geoffrey Martin, of Farmingville.
"World War I we had, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq. How many friends have we lost?" said Vincent Vega, of Farmingville.
"I think they should be thinking more about the people we lost. But they gotta enjoy life too," said U.S. Army Veteran Dominick Palestino.
A quarter-million visitors are expected at Jones Beach for the air show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Arrive by 9 a.m. to avoid being shut out, and consider having ear plugs.
"We usually see a balanced crowd both Saturday and Sunday and that way we're not overwhelmed and have to turn people away. We still may have to, but we're hoping that we are efficiently getting them in, getting them out so that everybody will be very happy," said George Gorman, Long Island regional director for New York State Parks.
Visitor will also see the recent $100 million transformation of Jones Beach, the boardwalk, games and restaurants.
