The much anticipated Pocono Air Show 2021 started off with a tragic event when GEICO Skytyper, Andy Travnicek of Hampton, New Hampshire, was killed during a practice exercise on the Friday before the show at Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton International Airport. Mr. Travnicek was a U.S. Air Force veteran who had deployed to Spain, Qatar and Afghanistan, and worked as a commercial airline pilot.
Pocono Raceway expressed “deepest condolences” to the pilot’s family. It said it decided to hold the airshow as scheduled “after much consideration and with the support of the GEICO Skytypers.” The show did go on and there was prayer and a moment of silence to honor the pilot and his family.
The show started with 3 phenomenal acts that really warmed the crowd up. Mark Meredith with his Super Chipmunk Demonstration, Mark Murphy and his T-6G Texan Aerobatic Demonstration and Scott Francis MXS Aerobatics. The talented airman wowed the crowd with really cool tricks, super high vertical climbs, free falls, ground sweeps and more!
The United States Air Force held their enlistment ceremony for 13 young people and their families from the area just before the Thunderbird show started.
The pre-show was amazing, but after a short break suddenly out of nowhere, roared in the Air Force Thunderbirds! If you have never seen them, you must!! They are an incredible display of technical precision. You don’t see them until you hear them and then they are gone!
It was loud and the crowd went wild as they performed so many maneuvers flying at 450 MPH a mere 18 inches from one another with the iconic F-16 Fighting Falcons.
They ended the 2021 Pocono Raceway Air Show with a fitting tribute to Andy ‘Trav” Travnicek, their fellow airman, with the Missing Man Formation flyover the stadium.
The Sunday event scheduled was cancelled due to the weather caused by Tropical Storm Henri. Until next year, stay safe!
