#1: Larry Arken Commanding Officer/Flight Lead Larry Arken is the commanding officer and flight lead for the GEICO Skytypers. He also is a captain for a major commercial airline. As an adolescent and aspiring aviator, Larry sat in the co-pilot seat flying over the skies of Long Island and the northeast coast with his father, Mort Arken. Mort was a former naval aviator whose passion for flying led him to establish the Skytypers as an innovative advertising company typing large dot-matrix style messages near highly attended events and major metropolitan areas. Under Mort, the team also began flying at select air shows. At a young age, Larry saw the potential to build upon the foundation laid by his father to create the world-class organization it has become today. Larry's aviation career formed while flying a variety of warbirds and corporate jets. He first flew Falcon 10’s, 20’s and 50’s. He then transitioned to flying DC-8’s for UPS. He later secured a position with a major commercial airline as a long-term, career pilot. When not flying large passenger planes, he flies vintage P-47, F4U and P-51 warbirds for the Air Power Museum in Farmingdale, NY. Larry also holds a NATA North American Trainer Association designation and is a check pilot for formation flying. As an airline transport pilot, Arken has logged more than 25,000 flight hours and holds certification ratings for seven large jets. Larry has bachelor’s degrees in marketing from St. Johns University and in business from Thomas Edison State University. #2: Chris Thomas Wing Pilot Chris Thomas grew up surrounded by aviation and developed a passion for flying at a young age and became a third-generation pilot. Chris was trained by his father, a Naval Aviator, and earned his pilot’s license at the age of 17. He earned an AAS in Fire Science and graduated from Norfolk State University with a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies-Aviation. Chris’ professional career started with the Virginia Beach Fire Department where he was quickly promoted to a Master Firefighter. After eight years of service, Thomas made a transition in his career and entered the world of professional aviation. He currently serves as a Captain and Check Airman for a major commercial airline. While logging more than 18,000 hours of flight time, Chris has towed aerial banners, served as a flight instructor, ferried aircraft, and worked as a charter and night freight pilot while flying more than 90 different types of planes. He became a performing member of the GEICO Skytypers Air Show Team in 2017 after ferrying aircraft and flying skytyping missions for 2 years. Chris Thomas continues to call Virginia Beach, VA home where he resides with his wife and two teenage daughters. When not flying, he can be found riding a motorcycle, doing aerobatics in his plane, sailing, playing mandolin, or traveling with his family.

#3: Ken Johansen Executive Officer/Wing Pilot Ken Johansen (Ragnar) first flew with the Skytypers at the age of eight. He caught the aviation bug early in life from his father, Skytyping Instructor Pilot Bob Johansen. His inaugural flight with the team sealed his future. Ken graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989 and earned his Navy Wings in 1991. He went on to fly P3’s on both coasts with VP23 and VP46. His career has taken him to the Netherlands, where he flew P3’s with the Royal Netherlands Navy from 1996 to 1998. Ken opted to transition from active duty with the Navy and was quickly hired by TWA where he flew MD80’s, B757’s and B767’s. After giving up his active duty status, Ken was also hired by VR52 in Willow Grove, PA, as a Navy Reserve Instruction Pilot flying DC9’s around the world. Recently, he was the Commanding Officer of VR58 in Jacksonville, FL, flying C-40’s (B737-700) throughout the world. Ken is currently a captain for a major airline.

#4: Chris Orr Slot Pilot Chris Orr has been flying for 25 years and developed a love for aviation attending air shows as a boy. He dreamed of flying for the military and followed a unique pathway to attain that dream. His desire to serve in the military led him to enlist in the Army Reserves as an infantryman at age 17. He left the Army three years later when he was awarded a Naval ROTC scholarship and began studies at the University of Colorado. Upon graduation, Chris was accepted to Navy Flight School in Pensacola, FL. After earning his wings, Chris was selected to fly the F-14 Tomcat, completing two tours aboard the USS Constellation, 35 combat missions over Iraq, 300 carrier arrested landings, and two Top Ten Hook awards for achieving some of the highest landing grades in his carrier airwing. He later flew the A-4 Skyhawk as an aggressor pilot and instructor. After his service in the Navy, Chris flew the C-130 Hercules for the New York Air National Guard. He completed two more combat tours and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the military with 25 years of service. Today, Chris is a captain at a major airline and lives on Long Island with his wife and two children.

#5: Tom Daly Lead Solo Tom Daly graduated from Dowling College and later received an MPS from C.W. Post University. Following retirement from the police department, Tom Returned to Dowling as the Dean of the College of Aviation and later served as the Dean of Students for the institution. He currently serves as a member of the advisory councils for the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Western Suffolk BOCES Aviation Program, and the Islip-MacArthur Airport. In 2013, Tom was promoted to 9th degree Black Belt in the Chinese Goju Association at his martial arts school. His school, located in Malverne, New York, just celebrated 44 years in business. Daly is ls a racing enthusiast. He currently holds five land speed records on three different motorcycles. Tom set a record at Bonneville Salt Flats, UT on his turbo charged 750 Harley with an average speed of 126.217 MPH. He also set a record in Loring, ME on his Buell with a speed of 137.547 MPH. Tom currently resides on Long Island with his wife and four children.

#5: Steve Salmirs Senior Lead Solo Steve Salmirs was born in Newport News, VA. His father worked as an aeronautical engineer for NACA/NASA at Langley AFB and his mother taught elementary school and community college. Year round sports kept him busy through high school, until he was introduced to an Aviation Explorer Scout Troop based at Patrick Henry Field in Newport News, VA where his aviation interests fully developed. Previously flying every chance he could, Salmirs put his aviation interests on hold for two years to pursue a spot on the wrestling team at William & Mary College in Williamsburg, VA. He later transferred to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL to complete his degree and attain his pilot licenses. Steve earned his undergraduate degree from Embry-Riddle in 1980, and received an Masters in Business Administration in Aviation degree from the Worldwide Campus of Embry-Riddle in 2015. He began his career at Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, FL as a Calibration Engineer calibrating ground and flight equipment used on the Space Shuttles from 1980-1982. Flight instruction and charter flying continued to be a huge source of enjoyment outside of work. Salmirs later applied and accepted into the U. S. Air Force in 1982, earning his wings and selected to fly F-16 fighters. During his military service, Steve was based at MacDill AFB, FL, Nellis AFB, NV, Kunsan AB, ROK, with his final assignment at Laughlin AFB, TX as a T-37 Instructor Pilot. At present, Salmirs is a commercial airline pilot. As a member of the GEICO Skytypers Air Show Team since 1996, he currently flies as one of the Lead Solo pilots. He is a CFII, NATA Formation Flight Lead, and is instrumental in designing, writing, and instructing the air show demonstrations each year. In addition, he serves in a standardization and safety role to ensure procedures are updated and risks are minimized. Having earned the call signs of “Animal” and “Chimp” through his military career, Steve has been designated as “SkyKing” by his current teammates in part due to his abilities and contributions to the squadron. Steve currently resides in Babylon, NY and Scottsdale, AZ with his wife Ann and daughter Rachael.

#6: Kevin Sinibaldi Opposing Solo When a solo pilot position became available in 2012 with the GEICO Skytypers, Kevin Sinibaldi came recommended not by one, but two distinguished team alumni: Charles O’Brien and the late Walt Ohlrich. The three pilots met as volunteers for the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, VA. Kevin contributes his time to the museum by giving rides in the museum's Stearman and performs flight demonstrations in a variety of other aircraft including the AD4, Yak3, JU52, and Fokker D.VII. Kevin currently resides in Virginia Beach. He flew A-6’s for the U.S. Navy and Was based at NAS Oceana from 1986 to 1994. Kevin loves the technology and systems management aspect of the aircraft he pilots during the week as a captain for a major airline, however, when he jumps into the tiny cockpit of a WWII-era SNJ, it’s a throwback to the real joy of flying. Kevin has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s in Kinesiology. He played representative rugby and managed the USA Rugby Men's National Team for six years, including several seasons on the professional IRB 7s circuit.

#7: Jim Record Pilot Jim Record hails from Long Island, NY, the Cradle of Aviation. His father served in WWII on a bomber crew, which nurtured Jim’s early interest in aviation. Jim first flew with the Civil Air Patrol, later earning both his pilot’s license and a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics from Dowling College in Oakdale, NY. Recruited into the Navy at Floyd Bennett Field, LCDR, Record served as an IP in Formation, Gunnery, Carrier Landings and frequent long cross-country flights. He flew T-2’s, F-9’s, T-28’s, T-34’s, S-2’s, and A-4’s during his tour of duty. After leaving the Navy, Jim flew corporate jets before becoming a commercial airline pilot. He flew the Douglas DC-9, Boeing 757, 747-400 and Airbus A-330 worldwide for 30 years before retiring from a major airline. Jim later returned to his Alma Mater to earn his MBA. After completion of his degree, Jim served as a professor for Dowling in the College of Aviation. Jim joined the Skytypers in 1992 and is one of the original members of the team. Jim has flown a majority of the positions on the team including Lead Solo, Wing Solo, and Backup Lead. He currently serves as an Advance Pilot and Ground Operations Officer for the team.

#8: Steve Kapur Pilot Steve Kapur was born in New York and currently resides in Sparta, NJ. He has performed with the GEICO Skytypers for more than a decade. He also has a commercial pilot's license and serves as a flight instructor. Steve is one of the few members of the team to develop his aviation credentials as a civilian. After earning his private pilot’s license, Steve continued to hone his skills as a pilot receiving his instrument rating, commercial license and instructor license in addition to studying in aerobatics. He recently earned his FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate. Steve has a bachelor's degree in marketing from St. Norbert College and a master's degree in public relations from Full Sail University. Steve is an accomplished marketing professional with more than 25 years of managing successful brands and programs. In addition to his marketing and sales work for the GEICO Skytypers Team, Steve is also recognized for his exemplary work in packaged goods air show marketing for Kraft Foods and GlaxoSmithKline. In Steve’s role as Marketing Officer for the team, he combines his talent for developing high impact marketing programs with his passion for flying. Often serving as the team spokesperson, Steve also created and developed the team’s webisode series, “In-Formation,” a behind-the-scenes look at life as an air show performer.

Dino Peros

Alternate Opposing Solo Dino Peros grew up in Queens, New York where he developed a great interest in aviation at an early age. Dino worked at his local church, as well as anywhere else he could, to save enough money to begin flying lessons at age 16. He began flying at both Zahns Airport in Long Island, where he obtained his private pilot’s license, as well as from Flushing Airport in Queens, where he also worked as a line boy on the very same SNJs he enjoys flying so much today. A graduate of Aviation High School in New York, Dino also attended the University of South Florida, earning a degree in Psychology. Immediately following college, he entered the US Marine Corps and became a commissioned officer. In 1983, Dino reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL and was commissioned a Naval Aviator. Dino went on to fly the A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft and earned many qualifications, including Special Weapons delivery pilot. In 1988, he transferred into the Marine Corps’ newest aircraft, the AV-8B Harrier attack jet, and in 1991 he flew in the very first U.S. combat mission in the Persian Gulf War for the Harrier aircraft. Dino is now a captain with a commercial airline and enjoys many hobbies including aerobatic flying and skydiving with his wife.