'Wings Over Pittsburgh' air show wraps without a hitch

Doug and Megan Taylor faced a tough choice Sunday: watch their beloved Steelers open the season against rival Baltimore or go to the final day of this year's Wings Over Pittsburgh air show.

They put on their Steelers gear and chose the latter.

"There's no better place to be on the 10th anniversary of 9/11," Megan Taylor, 25, of Oakdale said as a fighter jet thundered past at the Air Force Reserve's 911th Airlift Wing in Moon.

Then as she looked at her daughters, Bella, 3, and Sophia, 17 months, Taylor said, "I knew Bella would like the planes and Sophia would like the noises."

An estimated 75,000 to 80,000 people attended yesterday's show. That boosted the estimated two-day total to about 150,000, down from last year's record high of 350,000.

Event organizers said yesterday's turnout was more than expected, given the Steelers game, 9/11 memorial events planned throughout the region and an ominous afternoon forecast that included a chance of thunderstorms and hail.

The bad weather never materialized during the show. Conditions were mostly sunny, although a few light sprinkles fell and dark clouds gathered in the mid-afternoon.

Although weather conditions didn't stop the event, President Obama did -- twice.

The president flew into Pittsburgh International Airport aboard Air Force One about 10:45 a.m., then immediately boarded the Marine One helicopter for a trip to the 9/11 memorial in Shanksville. He returned to the airport about 2 p.m. On both occasions, all air-show and commercial flights were grounded for security reasons.

Otherwise, all 56 air show-related departures went off without a hitch, said 1st Lt. Richard Bell of the 911th, a Shaler native who served as an assistant ramp coordinator for the event.

The crowds went away happy.

"I love coming to this show. It's all just really awesome," Alivia Martin, 14, of the North Side said as she stood under a wing of the hulking C-17A Globemaster III cargo plane. She said the shows have made her want to join the Air Force when she's old enough.

The next air show will be in 2013 and then biannually after that, organizers said. The schedule change is related to budget constraints and the amount of work required for troop deployments and operational requirements.