Community Corner
Photos: Contest Winners Meet GEICO Skytypers
Local residents had the chance to meet the pilots and tour the planes flying in the air show.
Ten Long Island residents and their families had the exclusive opportunity to meet Bethpage Air Show pilots Thursday at in Farmingdale.
The residents were selected based on their entries to the Bethpage Federal Union Facebook Contest, which asked Long Islanders to submit meaningful stories and photos from any of the previous seven air shows.
The GEICO Skytypers met with contest winners, spoke about skytyping and took them aboard their SNJ-2 WWII-era vintage aircraft. The Skytypers are a group of accomplished aviators known for their precision formation flying techniques used to create giant messages in the sky.
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"It's choreographed almost like a dance routine," said Larry Arken, commanding officer and flight lead, stressing how the flights are timed down to the second. The letters are as tall as the Empire State Building and messages run six to eight miles wide.
During the Bethpage Air Show, they will also perform a low level precision demonstration featuring maneuvers used during the second world war.
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