The Navy’s Blue Angels said aloha to Kaneohe in typical fashion Monday — with six jets flying wingtip to wingtip in a diamond pattern and trailing smoke as they screamed by in a low flyover just before 2:30 p.m. They then split off in opposite directions before landing at the Marine Corps base.

And that was just their arrival.

"Their coordination was really impressive," said Kate Poland, 25, who was among about 100 people in nearby Hangar 5 watching the aerobatic jets land.

A seventh F/A-18 trailed the first six, and the Marine Corps "Fat Albert" C-130T touched down later.

About 130,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Kaneohe Bay Airshow, which will include a Blue Angels rehearsal show on Friday and shows open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. The base gates will open to the public at 9 a.m., officials said.

The famed Navy flight demonstration squadron is visiting Hawaii for the fifth time since 1995. The blue and gold jets soar as high as 15,000 feet and as low as 50 feet at 700 mph (just slower than the speed of sound), depending on the weather.

The 2012 Blue Angels season commemorates the War of 1812 and celebrates 100 years of Marine Corps aviation.

Air show director Maj. Kristin Solberg said a Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration will include three types of helicopters dropping off and supporting Marine infantry.

"So there will be some good flying and some various interaction with the ground elements and then some big booms," including the "wall of flame" pyrotechnics that were practiced recently, Solberg said.

Two F-16 Fighting Falcons out of Japan will be flying. The air show also will feature pilots Kirby Chambliss, Hank Bruckner and Jacquie B, among others, along with the Navy "Leap Frogs" and the "Flying Leathernecks" sky divers, the Flash Fire Jet Truck, and aircraft on display on the ground, including an Air Force F-22 Raptor.

"It’s going to be a stellar show," Solberg said. "It’s a unique opportunity for everyone on the island and the nearby islands to actually bring their families and experience an air show in their vicinity. So I think it’s going to be a good time. We’re going to have a lot of good acts and a lot of good statics (aircraft displays) out there."

The Blue Angels arrived Monday after flying nine hours from California, getting refueled by tanker aircraft about a half-dozen times each on the way over, Marine Corps officials said.

The air show is one of 36 being put on this year across the country by the Blue Angels to enhance Navy recruiting and represent the armed forces to the public.

To be able to perform, the Blue Angels must have at least three nautical miles of visibility horizontally and a minimum cloud ceiling of 1,500 feet, which the Federal Aviation Administration can waive to 1,000 feet.

At those conditions the Blue Angels can perform a limited number of maneuvers in what is called a "flat" show. When the ceiling is at least 4,500 feet and visibility at least three nautical miles, a "low" show can be performed, which includes some rolling maneuvers.

With a minimum ceil- ing of 8,000 feet and visibility of three nautical miles, the Blue Angels can perform their "high" show, which includes all maneuvers.

The closest the aircraft fly to each other is 18 inches during the "Diamond 360" maneuver.

The F/A-18 can reach speeds just under Mach 2, almost twice the speed of sound, or about 1,400 mph, the Blue Angels said. The maximum rate of climb is 30,000 feet per minute.

The Blue Angels are usually among the last performers of the day during the air shows. A special show for school students will be held Friday, and aerial practice will be conducted Wednesday and Thursday, officials said.