These WWII Military Aircraft Can Still Blow Everyone Away With Their Skills

What would the 4th of July be without air shows? The Kansas City Air Show is ready for 2 days of amazing performance at the New Century AirCenter, on July 3 and 4. This year, it features a premiere and that is the Geico Skytypers Air Show Team, which doesn’t usually make an appearance at shows outside its traditional area. So, all the more reason to enjoy their performance, for those who will be attending the KC event.

It’s amazing to think that the six planes that are part of the Geico team are almost 80 years old. In 1940, the first SNJ were built as advanced WWII military training planes that were able to perform all the maneuvers of a fighter plane, but not at the same speed. You can think of them as those cool teachers at school that you’ll always remember. Most of the pilots who flew in WWII learned how to do it on the SNJs, actually known as the pilot makers.

The Geico planes are SNJ-2 versions with larger, 180-gallon (680 liters) fuel tanks, which enable over 4 hours of operating time. Weighing about 5,500 pounds (2,490 kg) each, the SNJ aircraft are powered by 600-horsepower Pratt & Whitney engines. During the low-level flying demonstration, the Geico SNJs perform more than 20 different tactical maneuvers, and the audience gets to not only see that up-close, but also hear what these vintage aircraft sound like.

Unlike the war days, their biggest glory today is to skytype giant messages, with environmentally-safe puffs of white smoke, using a rare technology. The Geico planes are able to skytype coordinated messages, which can be seen from 15 miles (24 km) away.

Besides the Geico Skytypers, the KC Airshow will also feature the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, flying the well-known blue-and-yellow F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters.