Spinning and twisting through the air, then screaming along the runway, propellers a few feet from the ground, the aerobatic performers were, for many, the highlight of Saturday’s third annual Lincoln Airport Day and Airshow.

The rain passed through on Friday, leaving the skies clear for Saturday’s air show, though the turnout appeared to be less than anticipated. While the aerobatic pilots, including Cameron Park’s Julie Clark, performed the most exciting maneuvers, there were many other interesting shows and displays.

“It was definitely a success,” Airport Manager Dave Daly said.

More than 4,000 people passed through the gates and 80 kids were given free rides through the Young Eagles program. Though some of the aircraft, especially the World War II planes, were forced to stay home due to bad weather in other parts of the state, Daly said he was very pleased.

The show started with the national anthem and a skydiver carrying the American flag descended earthward as two planes circled him, trailing smoke. After that, there were flybys of historic aircraft, including military trainers and a P-51D Mustang, one of the best fighter planes of World War II, its polished skin shining in the sunlight.

After that, the crowds were thrilled by the aerobatics of six performers, their talents ranging from high-performance maneuvers to inverted ribbon-cutting only feet off the ground.

Air Force Lt. Col. Tim Decker, whose Pitts Special biplane is based in Lincoln, said he likes seeing the looks of awe and the smiled on kids’ faces.

“It’s just an enjoyable family event,” he said.

With 20 years in the Air Force as a pilot, Decker currently flies the U-2 spy plane and T-38 trainer, but takes every opportunity to fly aerobatics at air shows. He said he prefers to fly a biplane “because it’s cool.”

Eddie Andreini, based out of Half Moon Bay, brought his highly modified Stearman PT-13D biplane to the show and as the climax to his performance, flew upside-down to cut a ribbon suspended between two poles just feet above the ground.

The hardest part of Andreini’s performance, however, is getting him to land, said the announcer. Once on the ground and taxiing past the fans, Andreini spun his plane in a circle with the smoke on, engulfing the crowd and getting rid of most of the ribbon that still clung to his plane.

“The children’s theme is very strong this year,” Daly said.

The biggest opportunity for the kids was the chance to take a free ride in an airplane.

Two kids who got to fly were Ansel Alvarez, 10, and his 9-year-old brother, Liam, of Folsom.

“My favorite part was taking off. It was kind of like you were shot out of a bullet and you’re just in there,” Ansel said.

Liam’s favorite part was the turning, he said, adding, “It felt like you were water in a bucket being spun around.”

The air show was a surprise to the two boys, as their mother, Angela Cochran, didn’t tell them where they were going.

The boys had to wait almost two hours for their flight due to weather delays and the number of kids taking advantage of the opportunity, but they said it was well worth it.

The flights were donated for free by members of the Young Eagles, a group that promotes kids’ interest in aviation. There were eight planes and pilots giving rides.

Pilot Maynard Smith, who lives near Colfax and flies out of Auburn, took Ansel in his ERCoupe.

“I like just giving the kids a ride,” he said. “I like flying anyway, and it introduces kids to flying.”

He said his flights are usually the first time the kids have flown in a small plane and parents are usually welcome to join the kids in the air.

All the pilots who gave rides donated their own planes, fuel and time to the event. The same opportunity will be offered Saturday in Auburn at the Auburn Municipal Airport starting at 9 a.m., and Smith said they will give rides until there are no more kids in line or until it is too rough to fly. For more information, go online to www.youngeagles.org.

Static displays on the ground rounded out the day and they included modern small aircraft, police and rescue helicopters and planes, historic aircraft and even a large Albatross seaplane, which was open for tours.

Tim Redden and Carl Stolnacke of Sacramento brought their Boeing Stearman N2S-5 World War II training plane to the show.

“It’s a neat connection with history,” Stolnacke said. “We like to support other pilots and be around air shows. It’s really neat to get kids into aviation.”

“It’s like an old motorcycle,” Redden said. “It doesn’t go anywhere fast, but it’s really noisy.”