Flying upside-down at 120 mph in an airplane that is not much bigger than a Mini Cooper may sound pretty scary to most people, but to John Klatt, it's just another day at the office.

Mr. Klatt spends much of his time flying a Staudacher S-300D, an aerobatics plane that is the aviation equivalent of a high-performance sports car. And in his spare time, when he's not thrilling thousands of people at air shows, he is a major with the Air National Guard in Minnesota, where he flies an F-16 Fighting Falcon.

This weekend, it will be Mr. Klatt, not Maj. Klatt, who will be performing at the Wings Over Pittsburgh air show, hosted by the 911th Airlift Wing at Pittsburgh International Airport.

For Mr. Klatt, 41, a resident of Lakeville, Minn., Pittsburgh will be one of 18 stops he'll make on this year's air show circuit.

"One of the greatest things you get to do in this job is create some special memories," he said, speaking over the plane's intercom while flying 2,500 feet above the countryside just south of Pittsburgh International.

And although his "office" is a bit cramped -- think of a two-man kayak with wings -- you just can't beat the unobstructed view from the plane's bubble canopy.

"I'm a pretty lucky guy," he acknowledged.

During his 9¹/₂ minute performance this weekend, Mr. Klatt will perform 18 maneuvers, reaching speeds of more than 240 mph and sustaining up to 9 positive Gs. In one of his favorite maneuvers, he flies the plane straight up and allows it to tumble backward, seemingly out of control.

What does he do then?

"Well, I fly the plane backwards," he said.

Asked which plane he likes better, the S-300 or the F-16, a fighter and attack jet that can fly at twice the speed of sound, Mr. Klatt was diplomatic.

"I like them both," he said, noting that the air show plane is purely for fun. "The F-16 is serious."

Military aircraft are a major component of many air shows and Wings Over Pittsburgh has numerous performers and static displays involving the military.

This year's show will commemorate Pittsburgh's 250th birthday and also will mark the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. The air show will feature a traveling exhibit that includes a 68-panel photo exhibit depicting the history of the airlift.

The headline act of this year's show will be the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, Canada's Air Demonstration Squadron. The nine-jet formation will be making its first appearance at the Pittsburgh air show.

Another first for this year's show will be a demonstration by an F-22 Raptor team. The F-22 is the U.S. Air Force's newest and most advanced fighter aircraft.

In addition to the 15 military and civilian air show performers, there will be 40 static displays, including a B-52, a B-17 and a C-47, one of the mainstays of the Berlin Airlift.

Sean Walleck, chief of public affairs for the air show and a spokesman for the 911th Wing, noted that the air show, marking its eighth year, has grown from a small open house to a mammoth two-day event.

"We went from basically having hundreds to having hundreds of thousands," he said. Organizers expect about 225,000 visitors for this weekend's event.

The air show runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, but no one will be allowed through the gates after 3 p.m.

Admission is free and parking is plentiful around the area, Mr. Walleck said, but visitors are reminded that there will be no parking for the air show at Robert Morris University this year because of a conflict with the school's commencement.

For a complete list of performers and other information about the air show, go to www.wingsoverpittsburgh.com.