[MilCom] Long Island New York Airshow Info

[Steven William Hines]

Jones Beach to hold annual air show

January 30, 2005

After an air show at Jones Beach last Memorial Day weekend proved to be
both a crowd-pleaser and financial success, state parks officials have
decided to make it an annual event.

"It's the most patriotic event for Memorial Day that we can possibly think
of," Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro said. "We were looking for
something dramatic for our kickoff weekend."

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has locked in the
Air Force Thunderbirds precision-flying team to headline this year's shows
May 28 and 29.

The Navy's Blue Angels headlined last year. The Defense Department has a
policy that no military flying team can appear at any venue two years in a
row so the two teams alternate at shows that make it on to their annual
schedules.

Last year, the first time an air show had been held at the park, 286,000
people came to Jones Beach for Saturday and Sunday of the holiday weekend,
the days the show was held.

"We broke all Sunday records for a Memorial Day weekend" at the beach with
attendance of 184,000, Castro said. "With the beach admissions, we made a
little bit of money because the weather was with us."

The first air show at a Long Island state park was at Sunken Meadow in
October 2000 with the Thunderbirds.

Air Force Capt. Angela Johnson, spokeswoman for the Thunderbirds, said
appearances by the military flying teams are decided by the Defense
Department based on the potential attendance, recruiting considerations and
how long it has been since a team appeared in an area. The teams only
commit to appearances one year at a time.

"We get over 200 requests a year and we have only 35 spots to fill," said
Lt. Shaun Swartz, events coordinator for the Blue Angels. "The feedback was
that Jones Beach was a fantastic venue and everybody had a great time. It
was recommended as a site we should revisit in the future. Over-the-water
shows are always fun for us because they're more challenging and it's often
a more scenic venue."

Castro said Bethpage Federal Credit Union has agreed to return as the
primary sponsor of the event.

To generate additional income, Castro said, "this year we're going to be
looking at selling a limited number of small tents on the beach" for
corporate sponsors to entertain their guests.