Parton: A LI aviation tradition that has become one of the best attended in the nation

The 20th Bethpage Federal Credit Union Air Show over Jones Beach is now in the books. It marks a landmark anniversary that speaks not just to our proud Long Island aviation heritage, and the prowess of today’s American military, but to the extraordinary professionalism of those tasked with making it a success.

Consider the challenge.

Accommodate over a quarter-million people over three days. Ensure their safety, coordinate traffic, provide sufficient food, sanitation and first aid logistics.

And that’s just a fraction of the work required.

Coordinate with state and county police departments, local first responders, area hospital, and environmental protection agencies. (Yes, there are protected birds and dune grass that must be safeguarded during these 20 years of air shows.)

Having an air show with super-fast military jets, single-engine aerobatic aircraft, helicopters and some World War II fighters? How do you coordinate what is an aerial dance that is the equivalent of a marching band holding hands with a Lincoln Center ballet troupe? That requires hiring an “air boss” who has decades of experience in ensuring safe air traffic control over the beach.

Oh, but wait. The air show is being conducted within minutes of one of the busiest airports in the nation, JFK. Commercial flights loaded with international passengers are making their way to New York and, after a long trans-Atlantic flight, aren’t about to be diverted to Boston because an Army parachutist is floating his way to air show central to begin the program. That means the FAA needs to be at the table to coordinate how scores of airliners are going to land and depart from neighboring Kennedy Airport while the Blue Angels are preparing to amaze the crowd at Jones Beach.

The maritime aspect of this aerial event can’t be ignored. The Coast Guard keeps tabs on the hundreds of boaters who anchor in and around Jones Beach in hopes of capturing the best vantage points for this once-a-year aviation extravaganza. They patrol in, around and under the air show to ensure safety on the water.

Meanwhile, back at Republic Airport, the NY Department of Transportation is keeping an eye on the Blue Angels to ensure safety and support for their F-18s. (When the Thunderbirds perform during alternate years, the staff at Long Island MacArthur Airport provides an equal measure of professional support and security.)

Amazingly, it all works out.

The origins of this air show are part kismet, part networking, part professional vision.

Over 20 years ago, George Gorman, director of the Long Island region of the New York State Department of Parks and Recreation, was preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jones Beach when an opportunity was presented to him that would see that observance coincide with the means to have the Blue Angels fly over the park on Memorial Day weekend.

Gorman immediately understood the synergy of beach and Blues, and he sought approvals from state officials in Albany. Blessed by his state hierarchy, he put together a team that needed to anticipate challenges, create solutions and foster unprecedented coordination.

A key component was private sector business support for a public event. Enter Bethpage Federal Credit Union whose financial sponsorship for two decades has provided consistent corporate support for an air show that has become one of the best-attended events in the nation. Their role has been nothing less than crucial in ensuring this tradition continues.

Economists have reported on the air show industry, noting that it generates millions of dollars in goods and services, and one can safely assume the same is true when the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds make Long Island their Memorial Day port of call. But for the Island, with its unique aerospace history, and as home to one of the largest veterans populations in the United States, the sound of these visitors overheads has little to do with a rate of return and far more to do with who we are as a region and a nation.

 

Andrew Parton is president of the Cradle of Aviation Museum and Education Center in Garden City.

 

 

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