VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to venture out to Naval Air Station Oceana next week for the 2024 Air Show. And on Tuesday, the Navy brought the air show out to Birdneck Elementary School.
Three members of Oceana's Strike Fighter Squadron 106 F/A-18 Rhino Demonstration Team met with the school's fifth graders.
Lieutenants Marty Wilson and Jake Brouker and Aviation Structural Mechanic Second Class Mason Colebaugh talked about their military careers and what it's like to fly.
The whole idea was to encourage young people to dream big.
It seemed to work.
"It was super exciting and for me it was kind of inspirational because one of the Navy guys followed his dreams and he was able to be able to be the thing that he wanted to be," said Bridget Clifford, A Birdneck Elementary Fifth Grader.
The adults were pretty fired up about it, too.
"Like, they probably hear us all the time, so it's good to come out and you know explain who we are and what we do," said Lieutenant Jake Brouker, VFA-106 Naval Flight Officer. "It's good. I was in their shoes once and saw jets flying and that inspired me."
Birdneck Principal Karla Young said it was good to expose the children to such amazing people.
"Yes, they are heroes and they're heroes that we don't often get to tap into. So, that opportunity, fabulous and incomparable to any that we've had. So, super glad to have had it," she said.
The 2024 NAS Oceana Air Show will take place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21 and 22. And, 13News Now is a proud sponsor.
The show is free open to the public.
The Navy says physical photo IDs are required for entry for spectators 18 years and old and older.