Cyndi Loza

Despite a steady drizzle, thousands gathered along the lakefront Saturday to gaze at the aerial marvels of the 49th annual Chicago Air & Water Show. The event — which officials said was expected to draw 2 million viewers — continues today, with the water show at 9 a.m. and the air show at 11 a.m.

“It’s worth it, even if it’s raining,” said 14-year-old Ben Shurts of Geneva, whose favorite performers were daredevil pilot Sean Tucker and Team Oracle.

Tucker performed various aerial stunts while broadcasting from the cockpit. “I’m giggling,” Tucker said, seconds after death-defying air tricks.

Another crowd pleaser was the high-performance aircraft F-22 Raptor, which can cruise at supersonic speeds — greater than Mach 1.5 — without using an afterburner.

No other spectacle, however, drew more attention than the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. The select group of Air Force pilots — who perform intricate maneuvers as close as 18 inches apart — are returning after their mid-air collision in the 2005 Chicago Air & Water Show.

Capt. Elizabeth Kreft of the Thunderbirds Public Affairs Office said that after the accident, the squadron altered the ways the group executed its maneuvers. “Any kind of aviation is a calculated art,” she said. “Safety is first.”

The flight group also welcomed the two first-ever female pilots for the Thunderbird Demonstration Jet Team: Maj. Nicole Malachowski and Maj. Samantha Weeks. Kreft said a jet serves as a great “equalizer” of gender.

“Whether it’s a guy or a girl, the jet doesn’t know who’s in the cockpit,” Kreft said. “The input is based on the skill of the pilot.”