The planes, the planes -- Here they come flying into Punta Gorda -- with an astonishing Team of Top Guns and Record Holders leading the way

Here they come. You will soon hear them overhead. The planes that will be roaring into Punta Gorda for this year's Air Show. Headlining the 2011 Florida International Air Show at the Punta Gorda Airport is a performance by the Heavy Metal Jet Team piloted by Top Guns, world-record holders, and former Thunderbird pilots.   Take a look at the above video of this exciting team of pilots.

Within this newly formed Heavy Metal Jet Team are some astonishingly accomplished individuals including record-holders for the fastest time around the world Eastbound. 

One of the Jet Team's pilots  is Jared "Rook" Isaacman,a 28-year old, self-made millionaire and founder and CEO of United Bank Card, Inc. A man who has been pushing the boundaries all his life, Isaacman quit high school at age 16 to start a credit card processing company out of his parents' basement in Far Hills. United Bank Card now has more than 100 employees and handles more than $8 billion annually for more than 100,000 clients. He picked up flying as a hobby to relieve the stress of an 80 to 90 hour work week.

Rook, together with Jet Team member, Doug “H-Dog” Demko, are current record holders of the fastest time around the world Eastbound with a 2009 flight of just under 62 hours.  Holding type-ratings in 15 different business jets,  HDog is the Director of Operations for 26 North Aviation, a premier aircraft management company.   In addition to his corporate aviation type-ratings, H-Dog also holds type ratings in L-39 and T-28 experimental aircraft.

Col. Jerry “Jive” Kerby, USAF (ret.) began flying in 1975 and entered the Air Force in 1983,  graduating number one in his pilot training class,  Jive has logged over 4000 hours of fighter time including over 3400 hours in assignments to Europe and Asia and deployments to Saudi Arabia in the 1990s.  A graduate of the prestigious USAF Fighter Weapons School, Lt Col Kerby has won numerous Top Gun awards, including “Top Flight Lead” at 1992’s William Tell Worldwide Air-to-Air competition.

Honor’s graduate from Navy Top Gun, Navy Fighter Pilot of the year , Grumman Aerospace “Topcat of the Year”  are just some of Captain Dale “Snort” Snodgrass accomplishments. Over his 12 operational Fighter Squadron/Wing tours, he amassed over 4800 hours in the F-14 distinguishing him as the highest time Tomcat pilot in the world.  Since his retirement from the USN in 1999, Snort has continued to fly at air shows.

Major John “Slick” Baum, USAF  enlisted in the USAF in 1993,  was commissioned in 1999, and graduated form the Euro Nato Joint Jet Pilot training at Sheppard AFB in 2001 as a Distinguished Graduate, Top Air-to-Air Pilot, and Wingman Warrior in the F-16. After his first assignment in the F-16, Slick was selected for Weapons School and later served as a Weapons School F-16 Instructor. Slick was name requested for the USAF Thunderbirds for the 2009-2010 air show seasons. He has over 2250 hours as a USAF pilot.

Major Sean “Stroker” Gustafson, USAFR, entered the USAF in 1997 as a commissioned officer. After two overseas assignments following pilot training, he returned to the US to fly F-16CJ’s. He also served as an Instructor Pilot and a Flight Commander. In 2006, Stroker joined the USAF Reserve. He was serving as the Training Officer at the 93rd Fighter Squadron and working as a Delta Air Lines 767 ER First Officer flying internationally from John F. Kennedy Airport in NY when he was chosen for an assignment with the USAF Thunderbirds. He served two seasons with the Thunderbirds while serving as a Full-time Reservist.  Stroker has over 2300 hours as an Air Force pilot and over 1000 hours as a commercial air line pilot.

LCdr. Mike “Buick” Eberhardt has been both a Navy and commercial pilot with more than 9000 hours including 542 carrier landings.  Buick joined the US Navy in1985,  and after training,  was assigned to the F-14B “Tomcat." Aboard the USS Saratoga, Buick flew over 100 combat hours during missions in support of Operation Desert Storm.. He was chosen for  Instructor tours in the TA-4J “Skyhawk”  also flying both TA-4J and T-45 at CNATRA (Chief of Naval Air Training).  Buick left active duty in 1999 to fly 747-200s with Atlas Air, returning to military duty just prior to September 11. After 22 years of active duty, Buick retired from Naval service and returned to Atlas Air as a First Officer on the Boeing 747-400, where he flies cargo around the world, covering every continent except Greenland.

Heavy Metal Jet Team’s  Narrator is  LM “Lunar” Sawyer.  Sawyer, who has also been an actress and model,  has been narrating at Air Shows for over five years.

More details on the Heavy Metal Jet Team can be found at http://www.heavymetaljetteam.com/Pilots).

More on this year's airshow's performers can be found at http://www.floridaairshow.com/Performers.html