Because of its main features, the Pikes Peak Regional Airshow compels people to look to the skies. With their soaring, swooping aerobatics, the aircraft and their crews garner most of the attention.

But the biyearly event is a massive undertaking made possible by hundreds of people on the ground, many of whom are volunteers, said Colorado Springs Sports Corporation President and CEO Megan Leatham.

“The Pikes Peak Regional Airshow would not be able to do what we do without the hundreds of volunteers who help make it work,” Leatham said.

Event coordinators and staff members put in a grueling week in preparation for the show, working 12-hour days for a week in order to set up the infrastructure for the event, Leatham said. But volunteers are the lifeblood of large scale events like the airshow and the upcoming Labor Day Lift Off.

“We need as many as 800 volunteers to help keep things running smoothly at an event like this,” said volunteer coordinator Evan Owen. “They help with parking, admissions, the beer gardens, security, information and a lot of other issues.”

Many of the event’s volunteers put in long, grueling days, officials said. Kristi Grounder, who helps coordinate the security volunteers, showed up each day at 5:15 a.m. to begin securing the airshow grounds and the runway. The rest of the day was spent patrolling the venue, staying alert for any suspicious activity and helping attendees when needed.

“It’s a long day,” said Grounder, who was working her fourth airshow. “But I enjoy being able to give back in this way.”

Carla Fraser, who oversaw special needs parking, said she enjoyed her first airshow, despite the warm weather.

“You get to meet lots of great people,” Fraser said. “Also, it’s good for the soul.”

The efforts of the airshow volunteers, who put in long, unpaid hours, is not lost of PPRA officials. That’s why they put on an appreciation event at the National Museum of World War II Aviation on Saturday.

“That was incredible,” Fraser said. “It was so nice to be appreciated. Plus, we got to meet the Blue Angels.”

The Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off, the annual hot air balloon festival, is less than two weeks away. With an estimated 150,000 slated to attend the 48th annual festival, there are multiple opportunities to volunteer, Sports Corporation officials said.

Those who join the Pathfinders Volunteers Program — which requires volunteering for multiple sessions — can receive commemorative merchandise, a Pathfinders T-shirt and raffle entries for a free hot air balloon ride.

“We can never have too many volunteers,” said Sports Corporation spokeswoman Lauren DeMarco. “But it’s important that those who sign up show up.”

For more information about the Pathfinders Volunteer Program, visit coloradospringslabordayliftoff.com.