The 52nd annual Dayton Air Show is set to begin Saturday, with gates opening at 9 a.m. and flying scheduled to start around 10 a.m. Nearly all of the displays and performers are already in Dayton ahead of the weekend, putting the focus on the show’s opening hours and the logistics that come with a crowd expected to top 30,000.

For Scott Buchanan, that means leaving early. He said he would try to get there between 8 and 8:30 a.m. because there will be a lot of traffic just to get settled, a calculation that reflects how much the Dayton Air Show has become as much a transportation event as an aviation one. Visitors can still buy tickets at the front gate for $33 apiece, but they are also being told to follow the directions of parking directors when they arrive.

The air show is built around performances and displays of aircraft from all over the world, and that scale is part of why the traffic warning matters before the first plane takes off. With more than 30,000 people expected over the weekend, the arrival window may shape the day as much as the flying itself.

What remains unknown is how long the delays will run once the gates open Saturday morning. The schedule is set, the aircraft are in place and the crowd is coming; the question now is how smoothly Dayton can move that many people into the show before the flying begins.