For about an hour today, the skies around Hickam Air Force Base and Honolulu International Airport will be cleared of all other aircraft so the Air Force Thunderbirds can perform their aerial maneuvers.

People on the ground will get no such treatment.

More than 120,000 people are expected at Hickam for the air shows today and tomorrow. That could mean substantial traffic backups on the road leading to the base and congestion throughout the area.

People headed for Hickam or the airport should be prepared for delays on the ground throughout the day and in the air once the restriction on takeoffs and landings takes effect from 3 to 4 p.m., the state Department of Transportation advises.

If you're headed for the air show, come early. If not, avoid the area if possible.

Police will be on patrol and will ticket anyone who stops along the H-1 Freeway or Nimitz Highway to watch the air show.

But for those with patience and lots of sunscreen, the payoff will be a thrilling — if noisy — display of skill and daring.

The aerial show of red, white and blue F-16s begins at 3 p.m. today and tomorrow, but the base opens to the public at 10 a.m. so you can experience the rest of Wings Over the Pacific event, the Hickam open house featuring aircraft from the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps, live entertainment, food and prizes.

Visitors can get a peek at a variety of aircraft, from passenger jets and F-15 Eagle fighter planes to giant cargo planes that cars can drive into at one end and exit at the other. Volunteers will be on board to answer questions.

"All weekend the public can get a chance to see these," said air show director Lt. Col. Scott Weber. "From cargo jets to fighter planes to bombers, these are things that the public only gets to see in movies, and we're lucky enough to work around every day."

Yesterday, about 1,400 sixth-graders from 10 elementary schools, from 'Ewa Beach to La'ie, got a preview of the aircraft, engines and helicopters on display.

Clusters of students crowded up the removable staircase as they climbed aboard various aircraft on the Hickam tarmac. The message from the men in uniform to the sixth-graders: Stay in school and learn your math and science.

"It's so big," said Aspen Watkins, a Pearl City Elementary School student who was seated inside a cargo plane.

Nelson Baker walked into the tiny cockpit crowded with dials and levers and oxygen tanks. As he filled the space with his rapid-fire questions, a pilot fielded them.

"Can we sit in the seats? Can we touch the wheel?" Baker asked. "I've never been inside the cockpit before or behind the wheel. It is amazing. There's so many dials and controls."

The purpose of the preview, said Maj. Ric Trimillos, is to show students first-hand the real-world applications of math and science.

"These kids are awesome," Trimillos said. "They're so enthusiastic. They're our future."