Look! Up in the sky! It's six blue and gold F/A-18 Hornet attack/fighter jets, flying near supersonic speed with just inches separating the planes.

It's the Blue Angels, of course, the renowned U.S. Navy flight demonstration team, here to perform at the MCAS Miramar Air Show. They'll be joined by a cast of other military and civilian performers and an array of static displays – from an MQ-1B Predator to a Stearman biplane to an S-2T firefighting air tanker – in “A Salute to Marine Aviation,” the theme of this year's event.

The Blue Angels pilots are among the most skilled and daring aerobatic fliers in the world. Performing at speeds up to 700 mph – just under Mach 1 – and at heights ranging from 15,000 feet to 50 feet, their precision in supertight formations, inverted passes and other feats is legendary. During a show, the planes produce a biodegradable smoke trail, which helps both spectators and fellow pilots identify the flight profile of each aircraft. Apart from that and other minor modifications, the planes are the same as those at work in the fleet, and if needed, they could be refitted and returned to a carrier for combat duty within 72 hours.

DETAILS The 2008 MCAS Miramar Air Show When: Tomorrow through Sunday. Gates open at 8 a.m. Performances start at 9:30 and continue until approximately 4:30 p.m. Twilight show is 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday only Where: MCAS Miramar Tickets: Free general admission, parking and blanket seating. To purchase preferred seating packages, visit miramarairshow.com or call (877) 772-5425 Online: miramarairshow.com

The Blue Angels headline almost seven hours of aerial performances in each daytime show (they will not perform at the Saturday twilight show). Other daily attractions include the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a multirole fighter capable of withstanding enormous G forces; the AV-8B Harrier fixed-wing V/STOL (vertical short takeoff and landing) light attack jet; the improved F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; and the F-22 Raptor advanced tactical fighter, famed for stealth and speed.

“Fat Albert,” the lumbering C-130 support plane for the Blue Angels, will load up a rack of jets on each side and show how quickly 155,000 pounds of plane can get airborne using jet-assisted takeoff. And in a daunting display of combined air, artillery, armor and infantry forces, the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) will simulate an actual assault operation, complete with special-effects explosions.

The air show also features performances by Bill Reeseman in a MiG-17F, Sean Tucker in his biplane Oracle Challenger; John Collver in an AT-6 War Dog; The Patriots Team in L-39 jets; the USAF Reserve Biplane Show; Steve Stavrakakis in his rare IAR 823 war bird; and Chuck Aaron, performing aerobatics in his stock BO-105 CBS helicopter.

Also putting on a show will be the Army's Golden Knights parachute team and The Silver Wings wing walkers. Bret Willat will loop and roll his sailplane to music, and Dan Buchanan will show his hang-gliding chops. And for something really different there's the Shockwave Jet Truck that races airplanes at 300 mph – if only briefly.

The twilight show on Saturday will feature Fat Albert, several of the same civilian performers and Bill Leff's “Starfire Night Skyshow,” an aerobatics performance choreographed to light and music. A gala fireworks display will lead to even more pyrotechnics as the MCAS Miramar Ordinance Disposal Team lights “The Great Wall of Fire” for a spectacular finish.