June 7, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 31 Regional Digest FROM PAGE 30 said. Hunt On For Diamond Jim BERLIN – The 2013 Maryland Fishing Challenge kicked off this week with the release of one “Diamond Jim” striped bass potentially worth over $25,000, along with the release of at least 200 “imposters” in the Chesapeake. The Diamond Jim component of the 2013 Maryland Fishing Challenge kicked off when Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists and teams of young anglers caught, tagged and released 200 striped bass into the Chesapeake Bay. One of the tagged fish is the official Diamond Jim worth $10,000 to the angler who catches him before midnight on June 30. The other tagged “imposter” rockfish are worth at least $500 each if caught and registered before midnight on Labor Day, Sept. 2, 2013. “The Diamond Jim component of the Maryland Fishing Challenge signifies the beginning of a summer filled with topnotch, diverse fishing, located right here in our great state,” said Gov. Martin O’Malley. Over the summer, hundreds of imposters and one genuine Diamond Jim will be pursued by anglers. Each month he goes uncaught the bounty increases from $10,000 in June, to $20,000 in July, and $25,000 in August. The contest features a guaranteed $25,000 payout, so if Diamond Jim is not caught by Labor Day, the cash prize will be split equally among those who catch imposters. Staff writer Joanne Shriner and Air National Guard Lt. Col John Klatt are pictured inverted over northern Worcester County yesterday. Photo by Chris Parypa Pilot Shares ‘Gift Of Flight’ With Reporter By JOANNE SHRINER STAFF WRITER OCEAN CITY – Lt. Colonel John Klatt and the Air National Guard are in Ocean City this weekend performing in the OC Air Show, exemplifying the many benefits the Air National Guard has to offer, as well as finding the time to give this reporter an experience of a lifetime. On Thursday morning, I woke up focused on meeting deadline later that day, trying not to focus on meeting Klatt and what that trip might entail. Arriving at the airport, I did not know what to expect. Whether I would be tagging along in the “chase plane” that would fly beside Klatt and his companion pilot, Jeff Boerboon, while photographer Chris Parypa snapped away, or if I would actually be climbing into Klatt’s MXS, an aerobatic performance aircraft. I quickly learned the offer was on the table to fly with Klatt and take part in bits and pieces of the aerobatic performance he would be performing later this weekend at the 6th Annual OC Air Show. There was only a couple minutes to decide my fate when I realized this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and there was no way I was turning it down. Taking off was no big deal, I thought to myself, as we headed out over the Atlantic Ocean flying over the Inlet and taking in the spectacular view of Ocean City’s skyline from high above. At first, we flew in formation with Boerboon posing for the camera, and just as I was getting comfortable I heard Klatt say over the headset, “Let’s pull a 180 and go farther out to start some fun.” A few minutes later, I found myself flying upside down face to face with the ocean, forcing a smile for the camera. Before I could realize what was about to happen, Klatt quickly pulled away from the chase plane and pulled us straight up while G forces pushed me back into my seat, and that is when I knew this flight was about to get intense. From there we went through a series of hammerhead turn-arounds, loops and stalls, and multiple snap rolls. Between the time I had my eyes open and closed I was either facing the blue skies or the water. It was the most amazing, yet terrifying, thrill I have had in my life and will never regret it. “You got a pretty aggressive ride,” Klatt said once we returned to the ground. “It was pretty intense, and you did really well. I am glad you came out to see what being an air show pilot is all about.” As a military pilot, a commercial airline pilot, and a world-class air show performer, Klatt has amassed more than 15,000 hours of flight time and has become known for precision, discipline and showmanship. “My dad, Robert, is a great man and was an airline mechanic, so we were a really hard-working, middleclass family,” he said. “I am the youngest of seven kids, so he struggled to put us all through school. The Air National Guard was something as a young person that I could find a way to get these skills without paying for them.” Klatt recalled attending air shows at the age of 13, looking up at the sky at some of the air show heroes who are still flying today. “It was magical to see what they could do with an airplane, and it planted the seed for me to have a career in aviation and the Guard was a vehicle for me,” he said. Klatt started flying lessons at age 17, and while studying communications at the University of Minnesota, he earned his pilot’s license. After graduating from college, Klatt attended the Air National Guard training school in Knoxville, Tenn., then went on to Air Force pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. With wings in hand, he returned home to join the Air National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing in St. Paul, Minn., and later transferred to the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, Minn. “We are here to represent the Air National Guard,” Klatt said. “I’ve been in the National Guard for 23 years as a traditional guardsman and have had a blessed aviation career but the Air National Guard provided me a lot of opportunities that I wouldn’t have had with flying.” Throughout his Air National Guard career, Klatt has flown humanitarian, combat and combat support missions. He initially checked out in the C-130 Hercules, in which he flew relief missions. He also flew the Hercules throughout Europe and over Sarajevo, as part of Operation Sarajevo Relief in 1995. In the U.S., he flew missions in support of a number of space shuttle launches. Once he transferred to a fighter wing, Klatt flew the F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” on numerous missions, including combat air patrols over Washington and New York for two years after the 9/11 attacks in support of Operation Noble Eagle. As a fighter pilot, he was deployed to Iraq three times, in 2005, 2007 and 2009, in combat and combat support roles. In 1990, John began flying aerobatics, for the pure love of the experience. In 1993 he bought his first aerobatic airplane, a Pitts S1C, and kept learning. To challenge himself further, he began competing in regional and national aerobatic competitions. In 2001, he started to fly in air shows and quickly became known as one of the top performers in the country. Today, Klatt is partnered with the Air National Guard as a full-time professional air show performer. In his Air National Guard MXS all carbonfiber unlimited aerobatic aircraft, Klatt thrills millions of spectators each year with an incredible display of aerobatic skill and creativity. At speeds of more than 250 mph, he rolls, soars, tumbles and dives through a sequence of highly choreographed and practiced maneuvers. “Today we are here to represent SEE PAGE 32 Tanger Gives To Schools WEST OCEAN CITY – Tanger Outlets in West Ocean City this week announced two individual schools in Worcester County are the recipients of the latest round of the TangerKids grant program. In keeping with the company’s charitable mission of helping to find a cure for breast cancer and protecting the future of children, Tanger Outlet Centers introduced the TangerKids grants to the area last year. Grants were awarded recently to Berlin Intermediate School and Buckingham Elementary School in Berlin. “The entire Tanger organization strongly believes that supporting children’s education is an investment in their future and we, as a company, want to contribute,” said Tanger President and CEO Steven B. Tanger. “We take great pride in being engaged members of the communities we serve. Tanger Outlet Centers Inc. has developed this new program to assist our local schools with funding for needed programs and equipment. TangerKIDS exemplifies our long-term commitment to protect the futures of children.”