Two days before their first performance in the Wings Over Pittsburgh air show, the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels made their presence felt yesterday, but not in the way organizers had hoped.

John Heller, Post-Gazette Aerobatics pilot Sean Tucker, in the red aircraft, flies with the Navy's Blue Angels pilots Lt. John Allison, top, and Lt. Cmdr. Ted Steelman, center, during an afternoon practice session yesterday. Click photo for larger image. Related articles Blue Angels fly with local ties Bus service added for air show

At least 18 flights into or out of Pittsburgh International Airport were delayed and scores of motorists got stuck in traffic during practice runs yesterday by the precision flying team.

The practice runs closed airspace around the airport from 11 a.m. to noon, 1 to 2 p.m., and 3 to 4 p.m., causing delays for some airlines, including the airport's two largest, US Airways and Southwest Airlines.

They also resulted in the closing of a portion of Business Route 60 from 10:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., leaving motorists stewing in traffic jams on roads near the airport.

It made for a lot of unhappy travelers.

"It's been a huge inconvenience. You'd think they'd find a better time. It's like doing highway work in the middle of rush hour," said Ron Zaluski, whose wife and two boys were supposed to arrive in Pittsburgh about 2 p.m. on a Northwest flight. They were still stuck in Akron late yesterday afternoon.

Another traveler drove from Cleveland to catch a flight in Pittsburgh only to be delayed. He was so upset he vowed not to use Pittsburgh International again unless he was somehow compensated.

Master Sgt. Mark Winklosky, deputy chief of public affairs for the 911th Airlift Wing Air Force Reserve Base, which hosts the air show, said the airspace and Route 60 closings were safety precautions required by the Blue Angels.

While airspace has been restricted in the past for practices by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, another precision flying team, Mr. Winklosky said he does not believe they had three in one day, as the Blue Angels did yesterday.

"They were up in the air quite a bit. It was just them practicing, trying to get their maneuvers down and checking out airspace in Pittsburgh since they had never been here before," he said.

Lt. Cmdr. Garrett Kasper, spokesman for the Blue Angels, said the team must conduct its most thorough test runs on Thursdays before a show.

He said the team requires a "sterile," or empty, cylinder of airspace extending five miles from the airport and 15,000 feet high.

"We can't fly blindly into an air show venue," said Lt. Cmdr. Kasper. "We need the utmost safety of the pilots and spectators."

JoAnn Jenny, an Allegheny County Airport Authority spokeswoman, said the airspace closings had been worked out in advance with the airlines and the 911th. But she acknowledged that the flight delays yesterday seemed more prevalent than in past years when the Thunderbirds performed.

"Obviously some things went wrong today," Airport Authority Executive Director Kent George said. "We're going to take a look at that and try to correct it."

At least one airline, Comair, a Delta Air Lines subsidiary, said it was not notified in advance of the airspace closings. Shortly before noon, a Comair flight from Cincinnati was diverted to Akron when it ran low on fuel waiting to land in Pittsburgh. About 30 passengers scheduled on a return flight to Cincinnati were transferred to other planes.

Comair spokeswoman Kate Marx said the airline typically receives written notice when changes are made in airport operations due to activities like construction or air shows, but did not in this case.

"Obviously we regret the inconvenience for our customers," she said. "We're going to work with the airport to determine how we miscommunicated and resolve it for the future."

Ms. Jenny said that all station managers were made aware of the airspace restrictions in advance. The closings, she said, were coordinated with all the airlines. The carriers, she added, agreed to the times. "I'm saying the airlines were aware of it and they said they would make adjustments," she said.

The airspace closings prompted US Airways to delay nine flights. Phil Gee, a US Airways spokesman, said all of the flights pulled away from the gate on time, but were held on the runway by air traffic control.

He said he never had heard of planes being delayed by an air show practice in his five years in the business. "The people I spoke to didn't seem to think this happened every year," he said.

Five Southwest flights were delayed by 13 minutes to an hour, spokeswoman Paula Berg said.

Asked how the airline felt about the delays, she replied, "Obviously, on time performance is extremely important to us and our customers. I guess I would just leave it at that."

Mr. George said the authority would meet with the airlines to determine what adjustments needed to be made. He said one of the difficulties is that airlines are now spreading their flights throughout the day rather than in several one- or two-hour banks. In the past, the authority was able to work around the banks for special events.

"You can be assured that we're going to take a look at it and keep any closures down to an absolute minimum that would affect the scheduled airlines," he said.

Ms. Jenny said airspace again will be closed to commercial jets today, tomorrow and Sunday from 1 to 1:30 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m., but organizers aren't expecting major delays.

Sgt. Winklosky said the delays for motorists could get worse as the weekend approaches and people head to the air show. Route 60 will be closed today from 3 to 4:15 p.m. and from 2 to 4:15 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday.

"I just have a feeling a lot of people are going to be stuck in traffic," he said. "I've been telling people to leave early, leave very, very early. I think the majority of people are going to have a good time if they come out and see the show. Our main goal is to keep everybody safe. If that means closing down Route 60 as one of the requirements, that's what we have to do."