THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
KidFest coming to Friendship Park
Easter at Wildlife World Zoo PAGE
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westvalleyview.com
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS .............. 4 Goodyear honors 2018 Citizen, Corporate Citizen
SPORTS ........ 20 Verrado boys’ tennis team has high hopes
9 DAYS ......... 22 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................11 BUSINESS..................... 15 SPORTS ..........................20 FEATURES .....................25 NEIGHBORHOOD......32 YOUTH ...........................33 OBITUARIES .................36 CLASSIFIEDS................37 SOUTH
The Voice of the West Valley for 32 years
34
March 21, 2018
Retired Air Force pilot flies high at Luke Days By Wayne Schutsky
The swelling roar of the jet engine surrounds the cockpit bubble. As the shiny red plane reaches speeds up to 100 knots, the aircraft vibrates and pushes me back against my seat as the pilot takes the two-seater craft for literal spins and deep dives, making the Earth and sky spin in my vision. It’s kind of like riding a combination Gravitron and Zipper ride at the state fair, except we’re a couple thousand feet in the air. For most, including this writer, flipping through the air at Top Gun speeds is a once-in-a-lifetime experience riddled with a mixture of exhilaration, trepidation and just a little bit of nausea. But for retired Air Force Lt. Col. John Klatt, it is just another day at the office. The former F-16 pilot – who also flies a Boeing 737 for a commercial airline – is an aerobatic pilot who spends his time in a small Extra 300L or his Screamin’ Sasquatch Jet Waco modified biplane doing aerial acrobatics at high speeds and even higher altitudes. He took some time out of his schedule leading up to the Luke Days air show – which took place at Luke Air Force Base on Saturday, March 17, and Sunday, March 18 – to give me the experience of a lifetime. Klatt’s team at John Klatt Airshows was
Writer Wayne Schutsky flew in the cockpit with retired Air Force Lt. Col. John Klatt. (Photo courtesy Adam Glowaski of John Klatt Airshows)
also on the ground at the event, providing samples for attendees at the Jack Link’s Booth. Jack Link’s is the team’s sponsor. As we waited for a cavalcade of small engine planes and pilots in training to pass us on the Goodyear Airport runway, I sat in the front of Klatt’s two-seater Extra
300L and silently questioned my decision to take this assignment. As it turns out, my second guessing was misguided. As soon as the plane lifted off and Klatt steered us south toward the
Flies...continued on page 6
Avondale Senior and Resource Center in progress By Julio Lugo Avondale City Council plans to construct a new resource and senior center in Historic Avondale. Avondale Assistant City Manager Gina Ramos Montes told the City Council
during its March 5 meeting that the Care1st Avondale Resource Center has outgrown its space. She added the center’s staff and its partners have been creative about making its small space work. “With the growth and utilization, we
Food Fesival •
This Saturday! Downtown Litchfield Park March 24th, 2018•12 noon - 4pm
have outgrown the space. It’s bursting at the seams and if any of you have been there recently, it’s a hub of activity and that’s a good thing, but we’re past capacity,” she
Center...continued on page 10
Look inside front cover for more details!