CLEVELAND (Tribune News Service) — The Cleveland sky on Saturday, deep blue with wispy white clouds, was as perfect a canvas as any artist could ask.

The artists this weekend, however, are not painters. They’re pilots. And their medium is not brushes and paint, but airplanes and jets.

The Cleveland National Airshow returns to Burke Lakefront airport Labor Day weekend for a dazzling display of American aviation innovation.

Thousands of aviation fans were on site Saturday to watch the artistry in action.

Headlining this year’s show is the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, in their iconic red, white and blue F-16 Fighting Falcons. During their roughly 50-minute show, pilots will roar across the Cleveland skies at upwards of 700 miles per hour and in formations that sometimes put them within 18 inches of one another.

Other jet demonstrations this weekend include the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier, the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Air National Guard F-15 Eagle. Non-jet (but just as entertaining) demonstrations include the AeroShell Acrobatic Team, a C-130 demonstrations, the Hot Streak II Jet truck and U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.

On the ground, visitors can roam an aviation “theme park.” They can go inside military, vintage and commercial planes as well as meet experienced pilots.

Unique planes will include a WWII B-25, U.S. Marine Corps Harrier and U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy. Commercial planes on the grounds will range from a small Cessna used by flight schools to a large United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Tickets and parking passes are available only online at clevelandairshow.com. No tickets will be available at the gate.

General Admission tickets are $35 for adults, $20 for children ages 6-11 and FREE for children 5 and younger.

Those who attend the show are encouraged to bring sunscreen and ear protection.

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