At some point during the Vietnam War, physiologists got the idea to hook up T-28 C Trojan fighter pilots to heart monitors to see what was going on during maneuvers.
The pilots’ heart rates went up as they took off for their destination, of course, and as they arrived to execute their mission — typically dropping bombs on a target, Chip Lamb, lead pilot for the Dallas-based Trojan Phylers said Friday as he and the other teams performing in the Gary Air Show got ready for their practice run. Where it really went off the charts, though, was when the fighters were coming back and had to land on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the water, he said.
Lamb, who flies the model that would’ve been used on an aircraft carrier for one of the Gary Air Show’s featured teams, never had to dock one during his tenured career in the U.S. Air Force. But he gets why those heart rates blew through the roof.
“It’s very exciting and demanding,” Lamb said. “When it’s nice and sunny out with little wind and still water like it would be today, landing on a carrier wouldn’t be so bad. But at night when there’s little light and bad weather, that’s a whole different story.”
Lamb, whose Phylers fly some of the only remaining 400 Trojans of the only 2,000 ever built, said he and his team combine acrobatics with flying maneuvers, making the team an exciting draw for the thousands expected to line Gary Marquette Park over the weekend. It’s the team’s eighth show this year, he said, and while flying the little retired trainer planes isn’t necessarily scary, other things sure can be.
“I think the scariest thing we ever saw was the Waco Fire Drill,” said Phylers’ Crew Chief Ken Spurlock. “It was a simulated aircraft fire, and you have to have them, but it felt real.”
“All the shows have some sort of drill (prior to the performances),” Lamb said. “When you think of disasters, it’s not just planes crashing; it’s also someone getting out of their plane after it’s flown in the rain and the wings are wet.”
The U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team was arriving later Friday, but another flying acrobat team, Warbird Thunder, said that while they might look perfect from the spectator’s point of view, watching the postgame wrap-up is always tough for the six-member team, its leader, Chris “CT” Thomas, said.
“We’re always aiming for this mythical level of perfection that just doesn’t exist,” he said of their 12-minute-long performance of twists and dips.
Their planes, the SNJ Trainer, carry with them the reputation of training nearly every single pilot who fought in World War II and Korea, Thomas said. They’re recognizable not only in look, but by sound.
“You’ll start hearing it make a barking noise — that’s when it’s breaking the sound barrier,” he said. “One show we did, there was a man jumping up and down trying to get our attention, and it was a colonel in India’s Air Force who was in the last training squad using these planes. It’s a historical airplane.”
This weekend marks the second air show Gary has hosted after a seven-year hiatus, and the city hopes the expected crowds enjoy what it has to offer.
“The City of Gary is thrilled to host the Gary Air Show in Marquette Park,” said Gary spokeswoman Erika Blackwell. “This spectacular lakefront park is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and surrounded by the beautiful Indiana Dunes. We hope that visitors will stay and explore more of our community. There is plenty to see in Gary this weekend, from the shops and restaurants in our Miller Beach neighborhood, to the Gary South RailCats games downtown.”
South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Phil Taillon, agreed with the excitement.
“The Gary Air Show is one of the most exciting events we have in Lake County every year. The beautiful backdrop of Marquette Park Beach adds an element to our Air Show that sets us apart from others.,” he said.
The Gary Air Show runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting.
Air show parking is $40 for the day or $60 for the weekend. There is a shuttle service originating at the Miller South Shore Station that will run every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition, GPTC bus service will be free on Saturday with route L2 departing at the top of the hour to Marquette Park from the Adam Benjamin Metro Center, where the L2 also connects to the Broadway Metro Express and other GPTC routes.
For more information, visit https://www.southshorecva.com/air-show.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
