Popular performers commit early to OC Air Show 2018

The OC Air Show has announced that the GEICO Skytypers will be returning to the show’s 2018 performance in Ocean City.

The Skytypers will be performing low-flying aerobatics and skytyping at the 2018 show on June 16 and 17, according to the show’s Facebook page.

The aircraft fly at slower speeds than the headlining Blue Angels, enabling most of the demonstration, including more than 20 tactical maneuvers, Skytyper team owner and flight lead Larry Arken said in a June interview.

"Unlike the more traditional skywriting, we type 17 times faster and generate messages with 20-25 characters in less than two minutes," Arken said.

The squadron pilots six vintage SNJ-2 WWII-era aircraft, the planes which served as the classroom for most Allied pilots flying in that war.

BACKGROUND: GEICO Pilot talks what it takes to be in the OC Air Show 

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Recognized as the T-6 Texan by the Army Aircorp, and the Harvard by the U.K.’s Royal Air Force, it became known as the “pilot maker” by crew members.

The model flown by the Skytypers has an enlarged 180-gallon fuel tank, a decrease in overall length, a larger round rudder and a fixed tail wheel.