When some think about the old Homestead Air Force Base they talk about how Hurricane Andrew destroyed it in 1992.

Two presidents, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, weighed in on the need to rebuild it -- and it was as an Air Force reserve base.

This weekend many will see the vibrant -- and growing -- base.

More than 100,000 visitors are expected to attend Wings Over Homestead on Saturday and Sunday, the first major air show in 17 years to be sponsored by the military base.

In fact, it's the only major air show of its type this year in these parts until Fort Lauderdale's popular Air & Sea Show returns in 2010.

Homestead's two-day free event features performances by the Thunderbirds, F-15 Eagle demonstration team, U.S. Army Screaming Eagles Jump Team and the U.S. Air Force Jet Car.

In addition, Maj. Sean Gustafson, a former reservist at the Homestead base who lived in Palmetto Bay, returns to fly the No. 4 aircraft in the Thunderbirds' diamond formation on both days. Four jets take off from a runway with a mighty thrust, loop overheard and come together in a precise diamond shape.

``The diamond demonstrates the precision of the Air Force,'' said Gustafson, the first Air Force Reserve pilot chosen to fly with the Thunderbirds since the team's inception in 1953.

Expect a big noise.

So much that Pinecrest officials released a notice late Wednesday alerting residents that because of the air show, ``there may be the presence of military aircraft in Pinecrest's air space in the coming days.''

The military might is geared toward reviving an area whose image of late has been dampened by a contentious voting season and a near billion-dollar plunge in Homestead's tax base.

``This is a great opportunity to put Homestead on the map,'' said Brig. Gen. William Binger, 49, the commander of the base's 482nd Fighter Wing and a resident of Palmetto Bay. ``My goal strategically has been to raise awareness and show [Homestead residents] their military up close and personal.''

Although the 2,200-acre base isn't as expansive as it was pre-Andrew, it still has 2,000 reservists who are assigned to the wing. At any given time, 400 to 500 men and women are deployed to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The numbers are expected to grow as the base expects to get active duty Air Force troops in a couple years.

After Andrew, control of the airfield, which first opened in 1942 during World War II, was turned over to Miami-Dade County. The county hired a contractor to run two smaller air shows in 1995 and 1996.

The base is in a good ``strategic location for the Caribbean,'' Binger said. ``Based where we are, we are a staging point where goods and services come in. We work hand-in-hand with FEMA to help folks in the Keys and the area.''

Binger, who entered the Air Force in 1981 and who has since flown 40 combat missions in Iraq, says plans for this show began a year ago.

Maj. Sean Carpenter, who will direct the aerial portions, says a staff of about 40 worked to secure performances, hire security and food vendors, design a parking plan for massive crowds and book entertainment for the grounds.

``There tends to be 1,000 different logistical tasks prior to letting 100,000 people on the base,'' Carpenter said.

``We call this internally an `Open House.' We are bringing people on the base to show what the military does in Homestead but also an increased awareness of what they do on missions in Afghanistan and Iraq,'' he added.

The Homestead Air Reserve Base, U.S. Southern Command and dozens of other installations in South Florida account for 47,000 direct and indirect jobs and $3.7 billion per year, according to the Beacon Council.

Binger says that the Homestead base's contribution to that figure is $220 million annually.

``I want to see us move on from Andrew,'' Binger said. ``When I came down here I was really surprised at the lack of local awareness of the base and what the citizen airmen here do for this nation. What better way to highlight the base than an air show?

``I don't want to be defined by Andrew but by what we do now.''