Historic World War II Flying Squadron to Appear May 28-29 at New York Air Show,
WANTAGH, LONG ISLAND, N.Y., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Before there were F-14
Tomcats, before the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and well before the F-117 Nighthawk,
there was the venerated North American SNJ-2 that served as the trainer for
most of the Allied pilots who flew in World War II.
A squadron of these historic World War II planes will demonstrate low
level precision formation flying at the May 28-29 New York Air Show at Jones
Beach, Wantagh, N.Y.
The squadron, also known as Skytypers for its unusual sky messaging
capabilities, features the SNJ-2s which are identified as the T-6 Texan by the
Army Air Force, the Harvard by the RAF, and affectionately known as "the pilot
maker" by its crews. The SNJ was designed as a transition trainer between
basic trainers and first-line tactical aircraft.
The SNJ-2s are based at Republic Airport (FRG) on Long Island and serve as
the official air group for the USS Intrepid museum tied up in the Hudson
River.
Serving as squadron commander for the SNJ-2s is Mort Arken, a retired U.S.
Army and U.S. Navy pilot with 30 years of service. In 1969, he acquired six of
the world's 11 remaining 1940s SNJ-2 Navy fighter planes. Deputy squadron
commander is Larry Arken, Mort Arken's son, who has a distinguished career in
commercial aviation. (Go to
http://www.skytyping.com for more information
about the squadron including bios of the pilots and history of the planes and
the 2005 flying schedule.)
The Skytypers Air Show Team also delivers a form of aerial messaging known
as "skytyping." During skytyping aerial exhibitions, the pilots fly their
aircraft in a line-abreast formation, and a computer in the lead aircraft
sends signals to the smoke systems in each of the other aircraft in the
formation. As the aircraft fly across the sky, they skytype messages like:
"Come to the New York Air Show."
GEICO is sponsoring the exhibition flying of the Skytypers Air Show Team
at the event because as Robert Miller, senior vice president for GEICO, noted,
"The air shows are a good way for families to enjoy a bit of America's vast
aviation history. When you see what these planes can do, it's a real treat."
Skytypers has named the GEICO Gecko an honorary member of the squadron and
he will be appearing at the weekend event.
Historic World War II Flying Squadron to Appear May 28-29 at New York Air Show, Jones Beach
WANTAGH, LONG ISLAND, N.Y., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Before there were F-14
Tomcats, before the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and well before the F-117 Nighthawk,
there was the venerated North American SNJ-2 that served as the trainer for
most of the Allied pilots who flew in World War II.
A squadron of these historic World War II planes will demonstrate low
level precision formation flying at the May 28-29 New York Air Show at Jones
Beach, Wantagh, N.Y.
The squadron, also known as Skytypers for its unusual sky messaging
capabilities, features the SNJ-2s which are identified as the T-6 Texan by the
Army Air Force, the Harvard by the RAF, and affectionately known as "the pilot
maker" by its crews. The SNJ was designed as a transition trainer between
basic trainers and first-line tactical aircraft.
The SNJ-2s are based at Republic Airport (FRG) on Long Island and serve as
the official air group for the USS Intrepid museum tied up in the Hudson
River.
Serving as squadron commander for the SNJ-2s is Mort Arken, a retired U.S.
Army and U.S. Navy pilot with 30 years of service. In 1969, he acquired six of
the world's 11 remaining 1940s SNJ-2 Navy fighter planes. Deputy squadron
commander is Larry Arken, Mort Arken's son, who has a distinguished career in
commercial aviation. (Go to
http://www.skytyping.com for more information
about the squadron including bios of the pilots and history of the planes and
the 2005 flying schedule.)
The Skytypers Air Show Team also delivers a form of aerial messaging known
as "skytyping." During skytyping aerial exhibitions, the pilots fly their
aircraft in a line-abreast formation, and a computer in the lead aircraft
sends signals to the smoke systems in each of the other aircraft in the
formation. As the aircraft fly across the sky, they skytype messages like:
"Come to the New York Air Show."
GEICO is sponsoring the exhibition flying of the Skytypers Air Show Team
at the event because as Robert Miller, senior vice president for GEICO, noted,
"The air shows are a good way for families to enjoy a bit of America's vast
aviation history. When you see what these planes can do, it's a real treat."
Skytypers has named the GEICO Gecko an honorary member of the squadron and
he will be appearing at the weekend event.
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