Modern and vintage aircraft will take to the skies over the Coachella Valley today.

Aviators and skydivers will perform their high-flying stunts at the 2009 Jacqueline Cochran Air Show in Thermal, and aircraft dating as far back as the 1940s will be displayed on the ground and in the air.

“It can be very educational for the family,” air show marketing manager Veronica Helgeland said.

Organizers hope to at least match last year's attendance of 35,000.

“This air show has a lot of very good aerobatic pilots and people should be amazed at what the airplanes can do,” said Riverside pilot Martin Kennedy, 45, who will perform in his Staudacher S600. “What I do is tumbling my airplane, flat spins — anything that doesn't look like it should occur in an airplane.”

It's not something you can see everyday, Kennedy said.

“There are very few airplanes that can tumble; they're very specialized.”

Kennedy is one of several individual pilots performing today.

They will be joined by the U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper West Coast Demo Team, the U.S. Navy F-18 Demo Team, 21 members of the U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight program and The Golden Stars Skydiving Team.