The World War II-vintage performance team create a custom 'skytype' in appreciation of teachers helping make Washington D.C., "America's Most Literate City".
Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2012) – The GEICO Skytypers plan to unveil a special surprise for teachers at the Andrews Joint Service Open House and Air Show on May 19-20. The team plans to use their custom-designed "skytyping" technology to type a teacher appreciation message 10,000 feet in size and visible for 15 miles in any direction.
The GEICO Skytypers fly about 250 feet apart and 'skytype' each letter using a wide line abreast formation with puffs of smoke in dot matrix-style letters. The team uses six of the remaining 11 North American SNJ-2 planes left in the world to create some of the largest and fastest text messages in the sky.
"The importance of education is vital when doing things like flying. Literacy becomes even more important when skytyping. When most text, they are concerned with quickness not accuracy. When texting messages the size of the Empire State Building, we can't take shortcuts" said Steve Kapur, GEICO Skytypers marketing officer and reserve pilot. "We are proud to use our skytyping capabilities as a means of promoting positive causes such as literacy and teacher appreciation" said Kapur, who has been flying with the team for more than a decade.
Washington D.C. was voted "America's Most Literate City" in 2011 by a study conducted at Central Connecticut State University. The GEICO Skytypers have promoted literacy with the launch of their "Skies the Limit" program over the last two years. The team has hosted over a dozen grade school visits, consistently promoting the importance of education and goal setting. The GEICO Skytypers have invited over 30 Washington D.C. students planeside Friday, May 18th to visit with the pilots and their planes, all the while promoting teacher appreciation and the importance of a good education.
Andrews Joint Service Open House and Air Show is open to the public from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission is free. For more information on the air show, visit www.jsoh.org.
About the GEICO Skytypers
The GEICO Skytypers are the only flying unit in the world that performs at air shows typing their messages in the sky. For more information on the GEICO Skytypers, visit geicoskytypers.com. They can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. To request more information or a 2012 Electronic Press Kit, please write or call the contact listed below.
About GEICO
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. GEICO handles auto insurance coverage for over 11 million private passenger auto policies and insures more than 17 million vehicles.
In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for life, boats, homes and apartments is available through the GEICO Insurance Agency. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.
As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial strength by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com.
Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2012) – The GEICO Skytypers plan to unveil a special surprise for teachers at the Andrews Joint Service Open House and Air Show on May 19-20. The team plans to use their custom-designed "skytyping" technology to type a teacher appreciation message 10,000 feet in size and visible for 15 miles in any direction.
The GEICO Skytypers fly about 250 feet apart and 'skytype' each letter using a wide line abreast formation with puffs of smoke in dot matrix-style letters. The team uses six of the remaining 11 North American SNJ-2 planes left in the world to create some of the largest and fastest text messages in the sky.
"The importance of education is vital when doing things like flying. Literacy becomes even more important when skytyping. When most text, they are concerned with quickness not accuracy. When texting messages the size of the Empire State Building, we can't take shortcuts" said Steve Kapur, GEICO Skytypers marketing officer and reserve pilot. "We are proud to use our skytyping capabilities as a means of promoting positive causes such as literacy and teacher appreciation" said Kapur, who has been flying with the team for more than a decade.
Washington D.C. was voted "America's Most Literate City" in 2011 by a study conducted at Central Connecticut State University. The GEICO Skytypers have promoted literacy with the launch of their "Skies the Limit" program over the last two years. The team has hosted over a dozen grade school visits, consistently promoting the importance of education and goal setting. The GEICO Skytypers have invited over 30 Washington D.C. students planeside Friday, May 18th to visit with the pilots and their planes, all the while promoting teacher appreciation and the importance of a good education.
Andrews Joint Service Open House and Air Show is open to the public from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission is free. For more information on the air show, visit www.jsoh.org.
About the GEICO Skytypers
The GEICO Skytypers are the only flying unit in the world that performs at air shows typing their messages in the sky. For more information on the GEICO Skytypers, visit geicoskytypers.com. They can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. To request more information or a 2012 Electronic Press Kit, please write or call the contact listed below.
About GEICO
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. GEICO handles auto insurance coverage for over 11 million private passenger auto policies and insures more than 17 million vehicles.
In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for life, boats, homes and apartments is available through the GEICO Insurance Agency. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.
As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial strength by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com.
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