Great air show in wings: Thunderbirds top weekend lineup at Mather Airport.

Byline: Ed Fletcher

Jun. 4--A year after the Navy's Blue Angels drew 100,000 spectators to the region's first Capital Airshow at Mather Airport, organizers are expecting just as many to turn out for the precision flying of the U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds this weekend.

When it comes to air show performers, there are the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels -- and everyone else.

Other aerial performers -- from wing-walkers to ethanol-fueled aircraft to a rare appearance by an F-22 Raptor -- may not grab headlines in the way the nation's top military air precision teams do. But aviation experts say the air show Saturday and Sunday off Highway 50 near Rancho Cordova boasts a great lineup.

"It's a pretty remarkable show," said John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows. "This is the kind of show that grabs your attention."

Today offers an early preview with a KC-135 refueling aircraft, an F-16 fighter jet and a U-2 reconnaissance plane flying over the Capitol around 10 a.m., and later over Raley Field after the River Cats game.

The air show itself will draw people from a great distance, said Cudahy. A U-2 on display and an air demonstration by an F-22 -- one of the country's newest and most expensive jets -- are not common sights, said Cudahy.