The V-22 Osprey can take off and land like a helicopter but can also fly like a plane by rotating its propellers from horizontal, seen above, to a forward facing orientation.

AP / HENRY BARGAS

This year, the air show is showing off.

The Rhode Island National Guard Open House & Air Show, which is Saturday and Sunday at Quonset Point, features not just one headlining jet-fighter-performance team, but two: the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

“I am hearing that this seldom happens,” says Lt. Col. Denis Riel, the Guard’s public affairs officer. “It’s like seeing the Rolling Stones and the Beatles at the same concert. Or, if you’re younger, it’s like U2 and the Cure.”

But there are lots of other performers. There are dozens of aeronautical demonstrations, fly-bys and simulations (of an airfield attack). And there are lots of people, usually about 70,000 each day.

Perhaps that last point isn’t an attraction, but this year it shouldn’t be a deterrent. Route 403, which brings traffic from Route 4 to Quonset, has been expanded from two lanes to four.

“That will make traffic so much better. We know that was a sticking point in the past.”

Every year the show, which is now in its 19th year, has a theme. This year it’s “Look up Rhode Island!”

“That isn’t meant to be a double entendre, though it is. We know we’re in tough economic times.”

Admission is free. Parking is free. But there is a suggested $10 donation that goes toward Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

“This is our way of thanking the community for its support.”

Among the thanks you’ll receive is a view of a V-22 Osprey, an aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter but also fly like a plane by rotating its propellers from being horizontal to the ground to vertical to it.

“Seeing this fly is quite stunning.”

You can also see an F-22 Raptor jet fighter, the appearance of which at the show Riel calls “a coup.” There are only about 120 of these jets in existence, according to Riel, with no more to be made because Congress cut their funding on the grounds they’re too costly.

And you can see a Fat Albert C-130 transport plane. No, transport planes generally don’t generate much awe. But this one employs a JATO (everything’s an acronym in the military). That stands for jet-assisted take-off.

“They put in two engines at a severe angle. It allows the aircraft to take off on a very short runway at an acute angle.”

There are parachutists, the Army’s Black Daggers, and several civilian barnstormers, including Sean Tucker, who has performed every year for the show. “He’s the godfather of civilian stunt pilots,” Reil says.

And there’s a simulated military take-over of Quonset Point, with jets and troops and pyrotechnics.

“That is always a hit,” Reil says. But the biggest draw of the show is always the formation fighter jets. And this year, the draw’s doubly big.

“Most years we’re fortunate to get one primary military jet formation team. This year we’ve got two, and there are only about four in the world.” (Every other year the Blue Angels perform in Rhode Island. This is that year. But show organizers entered into discussions with the Canadian Snowbirds, who happened to be available.)

For those who think jet formation teams are all alike and once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all, Riel says think again. The reason the show is offering two teams is the two teams offer very different shows.

“The Blue Angels focus on combat tactics in a way that’s instructional to the observer. The Canadian Snowbirds are more of aerobatic ballet.”

The Blue Angels fly seven planes; the Snowbirds fly nine. And the planes are very different: F/A-18 Hornets for the Angels, CT-114 Tutors for the Snowbirds.

“The Canadian planes are trainers, not front-line fighters. They’re a little bit slower and a little bit more agile.”

For the Blue Angels, tight formation flying isn’t something done for show, but for war. By flying very close together, Riel says, enemy radar can’t determine if it’s one plane or many planes approaching.

“It’s a necessary tactic for survival in combat,” Riel says. “One jet is dangerous. Two are lethal. Four or more are invincible.”

Saturday and Sunday the gates open at 9 a.m. and the show begins at 10 a.m. The schedule, which is subject to change, has the airfield simulated take-over at 1:30 p.m., the Canadian Snowbirds at 2 p.m., and the Blue Angels at 3 p.m. For more, visit riairshow.org.

brourke@projo.com