For several hours on Thursday, August 22, Orange County residents may have noticed the near-deafening sounds of fighter jets zooming overhead New York Stewart International Airport. Those were the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, and they were getting in some high-flying practice ahead of their headlining slot at this weekend’s New York International Air Show.
For two days, on August 24 and 25, the Newburgh airport showcases some of the world’s best pilots with mind-blowing flight demonstrations from aerobatics teams including the Blue Angels, the Royal Air Force Red Arrows, West Point’s Parachute team, the GEICO Skytypers, and more.
The Skytypers themselves practiced at Stewart on Thursday, too, hosting media for a brief flight in their vintage WW2-era SNJ aircrafts. The squadron of six perform thrilling, low-altitude formation precision flights, “typing” giant messages in the sky, including special requests like marriage proposals when not at an air show.
Pilot Tom Daly, flying with the Skytypers since the 90s, took Hudson Valley Magazine up in his aircraft, flying over iconic Hudson Valley sights like Mount Beacon and West Point — within spitting distance of four other Skytypers.
“These guys that I fly with, you see how close we fly. We’re three feet apart at some point. Not only do I trust them, I know exactly what they’re going to do before they do it,” explains Daly. “It takes that kind of coordination. We were doing 190 mph at one point and we’re only three feet apart.”
It’s this sort of coordination that wows spectators at this weekend’s air show, in addition to a handful of aircraft exhibits like the A-10 Warthog, C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, and a Thunderbird F-16 Viper, flight simulators, and activities for kids. For daring flight enthusiasts, there’s even a chance go for a ride in a B-52 Bomber or a helicopter.
To find ticket, schedules, and more info on the New York International Air Show, click here.
