Sat, May 29, 2021
Performing This Weekend During the 2021 Bethpage Air Show
The GEICO Skytypers Air Show Team will take flight this weekend during the 2021 Bethpage Air Show on May 29-30 along the shores of Jones Beach State Park, NY. The Long Island-based squadron of six World War II-era aircraft will perform their dynamic aerobatic precision flying demonstration for the hometown crowd both Saturday and Sunday during the Memorial Day weekend air show.
The Skytypers perform at fifteen air shows each year in cities primarily along the east coast. The team's fleet of vintage warbirds are based at Republic Airport in Farmingdale with a majority of the team members residing on Long Island. The Bethpage Air Show offers a rare opportunity to perform near their local communities for friends and family.
"Memorial Day weekend is a time when honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces," says team flight lead Larry Arken. "We especially enjoy being a part of the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach each year. We love performing for friends and family, but also enjoy sharing a bit of aviation history with our nearly 80-year-old planes. The SNJ-2 is a testament to the engineering genius of the Greatest Generation. These aircraft were used to train all Allied pilots for service in WWII."
The GEICO Skytypers fly six SNJs powered by 600-horsepower Pratt and Whitney engines. As training aircraft, the SNJ can perform all the maneuvers of a fighter plane, but at slower speeds. Because of the reduced speed and aircraft maneuverability, a majority of the team's low-level flying demonstration takes place directly in front of the crowd.
The team demonstrates more than 20 different tactical maneuvers during its 18-minute, low-level flying demonstration.
Prior to the flight demonstration, the Skytypers will type military tributes over the skies along Jones Beach in honor of the Memorial Day weekend. Flying five aircraft in a tight, line-abreast formation, the planes coordinate in typing messages with environmentally friendly puffs of white smoke. A computer located in the lead aircraft utilizes a custom programmed tablet to send commands to the other planes via radio signals. Messages can be seen from 15 miles away in any direction with 20-25 characters generated in less than two minutes with individual letters as tall as the Empire State Building.
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