Stepping Out

Thrills at the Bethpage Air Show

Soaring overhead with the greatest of ease

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The late, but highly anticipated, arrival of Memorial Day this year finds everyone ready to kick back and get ready for summer fun. As always, many start off Memorial Day weekend watching some of those high fliers in the skies overhead during the Bethpage Air Show.
For so many this spectacular two-day display of flying stunts is annual tradition not to be missed, This year’s show, on Saturday and Sunday, May 28-29, is headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
The Blue Angels are joined by other elite military pilots and a full lineup of air show performers who will thrill spectators with their escapades over the Jones Beach shoreline.
For the first time, three jet teams are performing. Besides the Blue Angels, who are returning for their seventh appearance (during their 70th anniversary season), the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds will be back for the third time, performing over 50 different formations and maneuvers for fans. Also, the Breitling Jet Team, the world’s elite professional civilian jet aerobatics team, returns to Long Island for their second consecutive year.    
The Dijon, France-based Breitling team brings some European flair to the All-American occasion. The stunt squadron, under the stewardship of the Swiss watchmaker, flies seven black-and-gray L-39C Albatros twin-seat military training jets. The team, which is in the second and last year of its inaugural American Tour, is the first and largest of its kind, according to Breitling. Seven pilots fly in a sophisticated demonstration of precision and speed, at times reaching 565 mph while the jets fly within just a few feet of each other.
The renowned Blue Angels Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron always delights visitors with their unparalleled displays of flight precision, in keeping with the squadron’s time-honored tradition.

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