Shea Stadium: baseball and jet engines

NEW YORK, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- When New York's Shea Stadium closes for the final time in a few days it leaves behind the unusual blend of roaring crowds and jet engines.

For 44 years, the procession of planes from nearby La Guardia Airport has contributed to an unusual soundtrack for the ballpark, flying just a thousand feet over the home runs and the hot dogs.

La Guardia is one of the few airports in the United States where pilots use land markers instead of instruments to guide their landings, The New York Times says. Shea looks like a blue circle with a green center from the sky, pilots say.

On this route, pilots are instructed to follow the Long Island Expressway to the eastern side of the stadium where they bank the plane left around the outfield and head for Runway 3.

There was one near crash reported, during the Mets' first season in 1964, a pilot mistook the lights on top of the stadium for the runway and nearly hit it as the team took batting practice, the Times said.