(Tribune News Service) — Travis Air Force Base’s annual Wings Over Solano Air Show got off to a flying start Saturday, showcasing some of the nation’s finest pilots and planes from both on and off the base in a two-day spectacular.

Headlined by the Blue Angels, the show is free to the public on both Saturday and Sunday. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. and the show begins two hours later.

Col. Derek Salmi opened the event by inducting six new members into the Air Force and administering their oath to them,

“We are super excited to have you here today,” he said to the audience.

The show gives Travis Air Force Base an opportunity to showcase for the public the kind of precision and air power that the military is capable of as a tribute to all military members and veterans, Salmi said.

“We recognize we could not do it without you,” Salmi said. “So this is our thank you to you.”

Amongst the many aeronautic performers were two local stars — Jason Booker and Angad Takhar — both graduates of Rodriguez High School in Fairfield. The duo went to the Air Force Academy together and have since joined the Wings of Blue parachute team.

“We both tried our together and we made the team, so now we jump out of airplanes together,” Booker said.

“Honesty, I had no idea about the Academy of what it actually was until Jason introduced me to it,” Takhar said, “His uncle went there, his bother went there and his dad went there.”

While many might balk at the opportunity to jump from thousands of feet in the air, Booker said the duo has been hooked from their first chance. The very first jump in their program is solo, he said, and it captivated his sense of wonder and focus like nothing else.

“You’re up there all alone, you feel the wind hit you, you’re out there, your blood is rushing, your heart is pounding and you open up your canopy and ... it’s such a beautiful sight,” he said.

While attendees clearly enjoyed the event once inside, many struggled to make it past the gates, as traffic leading up to Travis became formidable, turning some would-be attendees away.

“We are aware that increased public attendance at the 2024 ‘Wings Over Solano’ Airshow caused significant traffic delays in the local area, a spokesperson for the 60th Air Mobility Wing said. “Base security forces personnel are reviewing traffic procedures to mitigate delays for Sunday’s event. The safety and security of both the installation and attendees remain our highest priority.”

Richard Seibor, a veteran and attendee of the event, was with his grandson, Richard Siebor III, sharing the chance to spend time as a family and enjoy the afternoon. Having come into Solano County from Tracy, the family was glad to see the good weather for the event. The Siebors have come to the event before, he said, and also go to Wings over The Capitol in Sacramento.

Siebor said he was most looking forward to seeing the F-22 fly. Despite 24 years in the armed services and many air shows, he said, he had yet to get the chance to see one.

While cutting-edge jet engines were plenty to go around, there was no shortage of propellers and old school displays, as the Commemorative Air Force and other organizations brought a blast from the past to the Travis tarmac for Saturday. Michael Hohls said his organization focuses on educating and inspiring the next generation with the living history of antique aircraft.

Planes dating back to the 1940s are on display by CAF, he said, and the group brought a World War II era Mitsubishi Zero to this event. The Zero was a frontline fighter for the Empire of Japan, Hohls said, and forced the United States to develop the Hellcat to combat it.

“They get to see it and touch it and feel that aircraft,” he said of the displays. “It really shows them how things have changed.”

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