AMERICAN AIR POWER

Today and Sunday, the skies over Kansas City will be the stage for the KC Aviation Expo & Airshow at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (480 Northwest Richards Road). The expo, sponsored by the Mid-America Youth Aviation Association, will have people in the crowd craning their necks to watch exciting aerobatics, thundering jet-fighter tactical demonstrations, parachute teams, a Chinook helicopter exhibition and more. The airstrip itself will be a runway, all right: The Air Force Reserve’s Jet Car hits 400 mph. Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. both days. There’s practically no parking at the airport, but a free shuttle service picks up from downtown and Briarcliff locations. For ticket information and details about the rain-or-shine airshow, see kcairshow.com.

Sat., Aug. 22, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 2009