Geico 'Skytyper' pilot got hooked on flying at early age

Playing catch as a kid, Ken Johansen was more interested in watching airplanes than fly balls. 

 It didn't do much for his career as a major leaguer – he missed a few catches as planes went by – but it was perfect training for a daredevil pilot.

This weekend, Johansen and a few fellow pilots will perform as the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Air Show as members of the Geico Skytypers. Flying restored World War II-era aircraft and using specialized equipment, the Skytypers perform low-level precision flying moves and, weather permitting, they fly much higher to create messages via puffs of smoke that are 6-8 miles long with letters that are 1,000 feet tall.
 
The particulars of this weekend's performance depend on Mother Nature, but two things are certain: Johansen plans to have fun, and he thinks the crowd will as well.
 
"The fun thing is, we're going anywhere between 105 and 210 miles per hour, and that translates into a real small radius of turn," he said. "There is always something going on in front of the crowd."

The Skytypers fly aircraft built in 1940 and 1941. Called the T-6 Texan by the Army Air Corps, it was designed to train pilots to fly combat missions against the Germans and Japanese. Only 11 remain in the world, and the Geico team has six.

Johansen, a 1989 Naval Academy graduate, earned his wings in 1991. But he first climbed into the cockpit at age 8 with his dad, Skytyping instructor Bob Johansen, who also flies with the team.

Ken said the vintage aircraft offer a special attraction.

"It really hones your flying skills," he said. "There's a lot more stick and rudder work in these older airplanes than in the jets."

Flying the older aircraft in precision formation requires more planning to get into position –they don't have jet-powered afterburners for a quick burst of speed.

The show has morphed over time, and Johansen said the team has worked together so long that it seems like second nature.

"The amount of non-verbal communication versus verbal is incredible," he said. "We know, if the winds are not as predicted or forecast, we can sense what the lead (pilot) will do."

That's key to some of the precision moves, which include pincer maneuvers and low-level strafing runs.

Another attraction of the show is the nostalgic value of WWII "warbirds," he said. He recalled flights in his Navy career that brought him over southern England and toward London, and he found himself recalling the Battle of Britain.

"There was a butterfly feeling of nostalgia and just being honored to be in the same airspace," he said. "For me, to fly these airplanes now is even more nostalgic. It strikes a chord with me."

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