GEICO Skytypers Unveil 2015 Air Show Schedule

FARMINGDALE, N.Y., March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The GEICO Skytypers will perform and sky type at more than a dozen air shows during 2015, sharing the skies at eight events with the Blue Angels and four with the Thunderbirds.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150225/177876 

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150225/177877  

The world-famous SNJ warbirds will fly from their Long Island, NY base to air shows along the East Coast between March and November. Five of those shows are hosted by U.S. military installations – a fitting partnership for the team flying vintage WWII-era planes.

"Our SNJs trained the pilots of the Greatest Generation," said Steve Kapur, GEICO Skytypers pilot and team marketing director. "We consider it a privilege to inspire kids, honor veterans and fly these warbirds on behalf of our sponsor GEICO at air shows all across the U.S."

The GEICO Skytypers perform a low-level precision flying demonstration at air shows utilizing six, vintage WWII aircraft.  But the team also uses 21^st-century technology to type giant messages 10,000 feet up in the sky.  These dot-matrix style messages are 1,000 feet tall, can be viewed from 15 miles away in any direction and are created 17 times faster than the more traditional sky writing method. 

Three stops on this year's GEICO Skytypers' air show circuit will also feature an air vs. sea race between the pilots and their water-bound counterpart, the Miss GEICO offshore racing team.

"We know our sister speedboat team is the eight-time world-champion," said Larry Arken, Commanding Officer and GEICO Skytypers Flight Lead. "But one of our pilots, Tom Daly has his own world speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah and he never likes to come in second – even when he's racing in a 75-year-old warbird."

The GEICO Skytypers also plan to repeat a fan favorite; a race of all six SNJs against Bill Braack's 10,000 horsepower jet car at the Wings Over North Georgia Air Show in Rome, GA. 

The team is actively involved with children's charities and youth organizations. Organizations interested in partnering with the GEICO Skytypers can request a team appearance by visiting the GEICO Skytypers website or Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/GEICOSkytypers).

GEICO Skytypers 2015 Air Show Schedule

Mar 21-22: Melbourne Air and Space Show; Melbourne Beach, FL
Apr 11-12: MCAS Beaufort Airshow 2015; MCAS Beaufort, SC      
Apr 22-25: Sun & Fun International Fly-In and Expo; Lakeland, FL
May 9-10: 2015 Millville Wheels and Wings Airshow; Millville, NJ
May 16-17: 2015 Great New England Air Show; Westover AFB, MA
May 23-24: Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach*; Jones Beach, NY
May 30-31: RI National Guard Open House Air Show; Quonset ANG, RI   
June 20-21: 2015 Westmoreland County Air Show; Latrobe, PA
Sep 2: 2015: Atlantic City Airshow Presented by GEICO*; Atlantic City, NJ
Sept 19-20: Naval Air Station Oceana Air Show; NAS Oceana, VA
Oct 3-4: Wings Over North Georgia Air Show; Rome, GA
Oct 24-25: Jacksonville Sea and Sky Spectacular*; Jacksonville Beach, FL
Nov 6-7: Naval Air Station Pensacola Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show; NAS Pensacola, FL

* Land-sea duel between GEICO Skytypers and eight-time world champion Miss GEICO

About the GEICO Skytypers
The GEICO Skytypers are the only flying unit in the world that performs at air shows and types messages in the sky. For more information on the GEICO Skytypers, visit geicoskytypers.com. The team can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

For Media USE ONLY:
To request more information or a 2015 Electronic Press Kit

SOURCE GEICO Skytypers