Aerial Thrills : Air show: More than 100,000 watch the Canadian Snowbirds, Blue Angels and a variety of lesser-known pilots. Their skills will be showcased again today.

Against a backdrop of near-perfect weather conditions, a crowd of more than 100,000 packed the first day of the Point Mugu Air Show Saturday for demonstrations by some of the best pilots in aviation.

Rear Adm. William E. Newman, the Naval Air Weapons Station’s commander and a former commander of the Blue Angels, said he envied the aviators’ opportunity to fly in such weather.

“I would have paid money to get weather like this when I was in charge of the Blues,” Newman said. “It doesn’t get much better than this.”

The sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s are expected to return today for the show’s last day.

The audience Saturday, estimated by Navy officials at about 108,000, was entertained between the Canadian Snowbirds and Blue Angels flight demonstrations by a variety of lesser-known, but equally skilled pilots.

Acts by biplane stunt pilots Sean Tucker and Joann Osterud and the Point Mugu squadron VX-4 wowed the crowd--with the latter showing the audience some of the ear-splitting aerial dogfight capabilities of the Navy’s F/A-18 Hornet and the F-14 Tomcat fighters.

The balletic artistry of the Canadian Snowbird team had onlookers cheering as the nine-jet Saskatchewan-based squadron took to the skies simultaneously, then performed a 35-minute routine of intricate diamond- and wedged-shaped patterns--with wingtips often just feet apart. Three Russian-built aircraft flown by American pilots showed the crowd what pre- and post-Cold War Russian aviation technology looked like as they flew a routine of stunts.

Also entertaining the crowd were races between “Shockwave”--a jet-powered Peterbilt truck and two biplanes. The truck, with a top speed of 300 m.p.h., easily bested the propeller-driven stunt aircraft as they raced along the base’s 11,000-foot runway.

The huge crowd, however, clearly was out for something else--to see their Navy’s Blue Angels take to the skies.

The unit’s leader, Cmdr. Greg Wooldridge, said he enjoys participating in the Point Mugu show.

“Our mission is mainly focused on the kids,” Wooldridge said. “If by our presence we inspire some young man or woman to consider a career in the Navy or elsewhere in aviation, we’ve done our job.”

As the show’s last act, the Blue Angels’ sleek blue and yellow F/A-18s roared into the skies precisely on time at 3:15 p.m. and began a series of stunts and maneuvers designed to show the crafts’ aerial capabilities, including the ability to stalk and pounce on an enemy virtually unannounced. That was illustrated when, during a momentary lull in the show, two of the Angels flew directly over and in front of the bleachers at high speed.

One member of the audience, actor James Doohan--who played Scotty in the television series “Star Trek”--flew from his home in Washington state to attend the Point Mugu show.

“What a lot of people don’t know about me is that I’m a pilot myself,” Doohan said. “When I heard about the show, I couldn’t help but come by. I like all the acts, but I have to admit that I’m partial to the Angels and the Snowbirds.”

For Roma Prior of Newhall, watching the Navy squadron is always worth the drive.

“I love them,” Prior said. “Besides, it lets people know what their tax dollars are buying.”

Sherie Valley, 28, of Camarillo echoed Prior, saying the show was a chance to spend some time enjoying the sunny weather, the aircraft and her family--husband, Mike, and children Sarabeth, 9, and Jacob, 6.

“We got here late and I thought we’d have to really fight the traffic,” Valley said. “But we didn’t have any problems and the show’s been just great.”

For Jacob, the air show, which will continue today when gates open at 8 a.m., held two primary interests: planes and hot dogs.

“I like the jets because they go fast and they’re loud,” he said between mustard-laden bites.