Nine-year-old Rylan Nishikawa and his dad, Lloyd, were barely inside the gate at the Kaneohe Bay Airshow Saturday afternoon when the Flash Fire Jet Truck rocketed by on the runway in a race with a low-flying stunt plane piloted by Kirby Chambliss.

“That was cool!” Rylan said.

“Very fast. Amazing when it was racing that airplane,” his father offered.

The boy’s comment was one of thousands of exclamations of “cool!” and “awesome!” accompanying the flying demonstrations that culminated with the half-hour precision aerial display put on by the Navy’s Blue Angels.

That didn’t disappoint, either, as day one of the two-day air show came to a close at the Marine Corps base.

“It was awesome,” said Steve Godmere, 55. “I’m here with my 12-year-old son and his friend and they are still talking about (the Blue Angels) since they landed. Just fantastic.”

The Navy flight demonstration team was wrestling with a decision on the type of show to put on because of cloud cover over the Koolaus, but wowed the crowd with some low-level flying including two neck-snapping “sneak passes.”

The closest the aircraft fly to each other is 18 inches during the “Diamond 360” maneuver, and as low as 50 feet at 700 mph.

The air show drew about 60,000 to 70,000 people Saturday, and it’s expected to draw a similar number today when the gates open at 9 a.m.

Static displays included a giant Air Force C-5 Galaxy cargo plane, a Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 Raptor fighter, and Marine Corps Super Cobra, Huey and Super Stallion helicopters.

Jason Godmere, 12, said he “liked it best when they (the Blue Angels) came up over us unexpectedly. That was awesome. I jumped like two feet off the ground.”

For Steve Godmere, the patriotic display had some extra meaning. A native of Canada who lives in Mililani, he became an American citizen on July 11.

“So a whole new sense of pride,” Godmere said of the air show, adding he was “just impressed to see American strength, our tax dollars at work, and that it’s open and free to the public. Just a great day in Hawaii.”

Aerobatic pilots flung their planes through the air, and Alan Miller showed his piloting skills by landing his yellow propeller plane on the back of a moving pickup truck.

A mock Marine Corps helicopter insertion came with the “wall of flame” pyrotechnics that had been practiced recently.

“The explosions — you could feel the heat,” said Jason Godmere.

Lauren Tangaro and six family members and friends staked out a spot on the concrete tarmac near the C-5 Galaxy and looked pretty organized with connecting folding chairs topped by an umbrella, a double stroller and a beach towel to sit on. She confessed, though, that she “didn’t have a strategy this morning. We brought everything.”

“We have three kids with us. We have to be organized,” the Kahaluu resident said.

Spots in the shade went first — including the fairly sizable area beneath the C-5 Galaxy wings, which was jammed with chairs and people. Both ends of the 247-foot cargo plane were open and the interior created an informal rest spot, with the fold-out seats lining both sides of the interior in use.

“It’s big and it’s cool. Ten times bigger than a regular plane,” said Brock McTigue, 9, as he walked through.

The cargo carrier with the 337th Airlift Squadron flew in from Massachusetts on a training run that included a stop in California to pick up the Flash Fire Jet Truck and three aerobatic airplanes flown in the show.

“I’m impressed with the enthusiasm of the people that came to the air show,” said Master Sgt. Vid Setaram, one of the C-5 crew. “Just the people and how interested they are in the planes and coming here. We’ve been to some places in the U.S. where they are not as enthusiastic.”

“Fat Albert,” the Blue Angels C-130T, put on the lead-up show to the Blue Angels, swooping across the runway in a 370 mph flat pass.

Some who went to the air show at 11:30 a.m. said it took only five to 10 minutes to park. By 1:30 p.m., it took about a half-hour.

Leaving was another story. More than an hour and a half after the air show ended, cars were still crawling toward the exit.