The hangars are abuzz with Historical Aircraft Restoration Society volunteers putting the final touches on their prides and joy before the world arrives to see them on Saturday.

The big-box present this year is the reassembly of the Southern Cross, a replica of the plane in which Sir Charles Kingsford Smith made history when he flew it across the Pacific Ocean.

HARS members have completed rebuilding the large wing which sits atop the plane’s fuselage, and when the Mercury visited yesterday they were busy putting on the finishing touches. 

We were there to watch former RAAF Squadron Leader Jeff Trappett land his 1960s-era Sabre jet, but the plane had a little mechanical trouble and was still on the ground in country Vic. Such is the life of the vintage enthusiast; patience is a virtue. (He arrived, no problem, a little later in the afternoon).

To the uninitiated Wings Over Illawarra might seem like a distant storm but getting up close and personal with these magnificent flying machines is a rare treat indeed.

Whether it’s the pioneering planes braced by timber and clad with cloth, or the sheer straight-line power of the great fighter jets, these are machines which can receive a lot of love.

For member David Milnes, the sheer power of the 1960s F-111 fighter bomber sets it apart. “This was just out-and-out speed,” he said.

The armed forces of today will also be well represented on the weekend, with the Defence Department confirming the three branches bringing 14 craft between them.

These include the F/A-18 Hornet, Roulettes acrobatic team, and the monster transports C-17A Globemaster and C-130J Hercules.

Meanwhile, 10 Albion Park High School science and maths students (picture, above) won tickets to the air show after building model planes for the occasion in a school competition.

For details of the airborne attractions see the Wings webpage at www.wingsoverillawarra.com.au

Wings Over Illawarra is on Saturday and Sunday at the Illawarra Regional Airport, Albion Park. One-day tickets at the gate are $50 adult, $25 child, $40 pensioner. Two-day pass $80/40/64.

Book online and tickets are about 15 per cent cheaper.