Every Memorial Day for the past four years, Jones Beach State Park in Long Island has hosted the biggest airshow in the New York City area. As in previous years, the show attracted huge crowds to the beach, and dazzled them with high-energy aerobatics, the graceful flight of classic warbirds, the excitement of a simulated helicopter rescue and in-flight refueling, the roar of modern jet fighter tactical demos, the unique sights of skytyping and competitive skydiving, and the unparalleled precision of one of the top jet teams in the world.

  The airshow started with the US Army Golden Knights skydiving in formation from their Fokker C-31, performing a bomb-burst, opening their parachutes, and then gliding down to the sand while performing a variety of maneuvers, all the while releasing smoke from canisters on their feet. Not long after that, Sean Tucker performed an aerobatic routine in the Oracle Challenger biplane, accompanied by his son Eric in an Extra. Other aerobats included locals John Klatt, David Windmiller, and Matt Chapman, as well as one of the nation's best-known airshow pilots, Ed Hamill. Later in the show, the Geico Skytypers did their thing, flying in line-abreast formation while puffs of smoke formed letters in the sky, and then flying lower and performing formation aerobatics and tail-chases in their six Texans. Then, the Warbirds Over Long Island organization, and the American Airpower Museum, brought a variety of warbirds, including a Grumman Avenger, a Boeing B-17, a Douglas C-47, a P-51 Mustang, and two P-40 Warhawks. A privately-owned L-39 was also flown. A local Air National Guard unit reprised their performance from last year: Three airmen parachuted from a HC-130 Hercules into the water, and were rescued via a Sikorsky Blackhawk, which then refueled off the HC-130.

  While the Blue Angels were arguably the most anticipated act of the day, it would be fair to say that the F-22 demo stole the show. The Raptor's stealthy lines, high speed, loud jet engines, and unparalleled maneuverability blew the crowd away. Paul "Max" Moga put the big fighter through minimum-radius loops (a.k.a. backflips), a tailslide, a cobra-like pitch-up, and even a nose-up hover comparable to those of the best aerobats. On top of that were the less unusual (but no less exciting) rolls, high-alpha passes, fast passes, tight turns, and Heritage-Flight finale.

  While not quite as big as the airshows in the past two years, Jones Beach is still a diverse airshow, packed with excitement. Nothing could be better than a day at the beach, filled not only with sun and surf but also the roar of modern military jets, the purr of graceful vintage warbirds, and the powerful buzz of tiny aerobatic aircraft flown through wild maneuvers. New Yorkers have come to expect their city to host internationally-acclaimed events and world-class performances, and this airshow does not disappoint.