By Mike Heilman

Aeroshell AT-6 “Texan performing a loop at the Gary South Shore air show. The show was held July 15-17 in Gary Indiana on Lake Michigan. (Mike Heilman)Sand, sun, surf, smoke and spectators were all part of the 12th Gary South Shore Air Show.  The three-day event was held at Marquette Park Beach on the shores of Lake Michigan in Gary, Indiana.  The airshow was produced by the Indiana South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority and was free to the public.

The airshow opened with a twilight show on Friday that included a large fireworks display.  Many of the airshow acts flew their demonstrations at the Friday night show. It was a great start to the weekend. 

The headliner for this year’s show was the Heavy Metal Jet team.  This civilian team is new to the 2011 airshow season. Heavy Metal team flies four L-39s and either a T-33 or MIG-17. The team flew the MIG-17 at the Gary Show. The team performs at airshows that do not have a military jet as part of the line up.