A former Air Force fighter pilot who logged more than 300 combat missions over Vietnam, Bill Reesman can still recall the day he became enthralled with the idea of flying. He was just 7 years old, and his father had taken him to see the Cleveland Air Races.

JOHN GIBBINS / Union-Tribune An F-16 Fighting Falcon took its turn dazzling the crowd at the MCAS Miramar Air Show yesterday. The event continues today.

Now 60 years later, Reesman spends much of his time entertaining others with his aerial ballet, hoping to inspire the same sort of passion for flying he remembers feeling at a young age.

Reesman, nicknamed the “Pit Bull,” piloted his lipstick red MiG-17 Russian warplane high above spectators yesterday at the Miramar Air Show, executing steep climbs, dives, loops and rolls, all the while “pulling 8 G's,” or eight times the force of gravity.

A regular in the air show circuit with his wife Julie, who narrates his performance, Reesman participates in eight shows a year, down from the 22 a year he used to undertake.

DETAILS Miramar Air Show When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Gates open at 8 a.m. Where: Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar Road between interstates 805 and 15. Admission: Free parking and blanket seating. Preferred seating areas are available with paid admission. Information: miramarairshow.com

He is among a large crew of civilian and military performers who participated this weekend in the air show, an annual event at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. Many of the participants, like Reesman, are regular performers at air shows, with Miramar being one of the more coveted destinations, they said.

Some 700,000 people are expected to attend the three-day show that ends today.

“The Miramar show is one of the top three air shows in the country and the top one on the West Coast said Reesman, dressed in a black jumpsuit adorned with patches bearing the name Red Bull, his sponsor. “It's also considered the most prestigious in the country. Only the best performers get to do this show, and we're all aware of that.”

Reesman, who gave up a very brief career as a commercial airline pilot because it was not much more scintillating than “driving a bus,” said it costs him about $250,000 each year to perform in air shows beyond what he is paid in sponsorship money because of high fuel and maintenance costs – not to mention travel expenses.

JOHN GIBBINS / Union-Tribune Bill Reesman stood beside his ride, a MiG-17, yesterday at Miramar. Reesman spends a hefty amount of money for the thrill and honor of participating in air shows each year.

After retiring from the Air Force at 45, Reesman started what eventually became a successful financial services company that he sold seven years later, allowing him to concentrate on his air shows.

Reesman is fond of telling people that he trained 20 years in the military to fight the same aircraft he is now flying for fun.

As daring as his act appears, he likes to inject a little humor into the show. At the end of his routine, he maneuvers his plane low to the ground almost at a standstill and then races the “ShockWave” jet truck as it belches flames and smoke. The truck stuns spectators, pulling ahead of the MiG-17 and winning the race in a stunt meant to be more a crowd-pleaser than reality. (The fighter plane could easily outrun the truck, said Reesman's wife).

Not all of the aerial derring-do at the air show involves airplane maneuvers. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ben Borger of the Golden Knights parachute team uses a wing suit inflated with air to remain airborne traveling at 40 to 60 mph after jumping from an Army transport plane. A crew of several other parachutists also performs a sky-diving routine.

Borger's jump in the wing suit begins at 12,500 feet up in the air, followed by a final descent in a black and gold parachute. Heavy cloud cover yesterday, though, obscured part of his sky-surfing performance.

Now in his third year as a member of the Golden Knights, Borger said he started sky diving as a hobby while stationed in Hawaii and liked it so much he applied to be on the parachute team. To qualify, one has to have completed 150 free-fall jumps, he said.

“We get to show people our military capabilities,” explained Borger, who is stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and participates in 30 to 40 air shows a year, in addition to dozens of special events. (He's even done a parachute jump with George Bush Sr. in Texas).

“The show is an example of what an airborne operation would be in a combat situation.”

Borger said he loves doing the air shows, especially Miramar because of the large crowds it draws, but he realizes after his four years on the team are up, he must return to his regular duty in an infantry unit.

Observing the participants during an early morning briefing yesterday, it became clear the performers, both military and civilian, relish the showmanship they bring to their acts.

Said Reesman, “It's the most emotionally, physically and mentally demanding thing I've ever done, but it's what I love to do, and I get to pretend I'm still a 25-year-old fighter pilot.”