NEAR SPOKANE -- The Thunderbirds rocket into the Spokane skies Saturday morning. But it is a particularly special show for one pilot from the Inland Northwest.
Captain Aaron Jelinek was born in Spokane and grew up in Clarkston. He is the pilot of Thunderbird 6 and he is looking forward to wowing the crowd this weekend. This will be Captain Jelinek's 33 show this year.
"I'd by lying if I said it wasn't really special for me coming home and bringing the Thunderbirds. Showing what we do back in my hometown, I'm pretty proud of it," said Jelinek.
And that's not bad for a guy who says he did not know what he wanted to do after high school. He says the NFL was not possible. Instead he aimed for a more elite group.
"I thought it would be cool to go to school and fly airplanes. I saw the Air Force booth and what a great opportunity they provide," said Jelinek.
He says this weekend's show will be for his family. It will also be for the tens of thousands of airmen stationed overseas.
