The California International Airshow brings speed, stunts and precision to both sky and tarmac.

There is a certain logic behind the decision to strap into the seat of a vintage military aircraft and take it for a spin – literally.

“The MiG-17 can maintain an 8G turn, which keeps the action front and center for airshow crowds,” Jason Somes, a pilot with High Alpha Airshows, has said.

Even after making a name for himself on the racing and show circuit, Somes kept a day job maintaining aircraft. He once explained to the aviation blog Evan Flys that keeping flight as a hobby was critical. If it became work, he reasoned, it might no longer be as enjoyable.

Somes pilots everything from World War II fighters to jets. He brings the MiG-17 – this one built in 1959 for the Polish air force – to the California International Airshow in Salinas, joining a lineup that includes aerial stunts and performance shows, along with some more grounded features, such as displays and monster trucks.

While the MiG is subsonic, capable of speeds “only” in the 700mph range, the USAF Thunderbirds return to skies over Salinas with demonstrations of both formation routines and full-throttle flights in the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The former include planes showcasing harrowing precision – wingtip to wingtip, nose to tail – at high speed. The two solos are meant to showcase the F-16’s power while still inspiring awe through tight tandem patterns.

The Thunderbirds are the marquee act, of course. Other jets will be in the sky, including an A-37 Dragonfly and a T-33 Shooting Star. But Michael Goulian’s Extra 330SC – a propeller craft – may challenge the legendary turn rate of Somes’ MiG.

Goulian is a veteran aerobatics pilot. His performance features daredevil gyroscopic tumbling, where the plane seems ever on the verge of breaking loose from the sky, and plenty of smoke. Just when control appears lost, Goulian quickly swings into pinpoint turns.

All of this is routine for the annual airshow, as is the opportunity for people to get a closer look at aircraft. Displays on the tarmac include the massive C-130 Hercules and a Douglas B-26 from World War II. Cal Fire will be on hand with some of the specialized aircraft used to combat wildfires.

CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW 9am-5pm (flying 11:30am) Saturday, Sept. 26-Sunday, Sept. 27. Salinas Municipal Airport, 30 Mortensen Ave., Salinas. $50-$109; $34/children ages 6-12; free/children 5 and under, active military. salinasairshow.com.