This is what the Royal Australian Air Force aerobatics team are gearing up for, as part a mass fly past over Lake Burley Griffin, marking the force's centenary.

Roulettes Flight Lieutenant Aimee Heal struggled to describe the feeling of being part of the

"It's an absolute sensory overload," said.

Flight Lieutenant Heal and her team are among the pilots who will take to the skies on Wednesday to commemorate the Royal Australian Air Force's centenary.

"I haven't comprehended what it means to be part of that ... it's something I will look back on in a few years and think, 'wow, I was part of that'," she said.

The crew flew in from Sale, Victoria in preparation for the Roulettes' 12-minute spectacular on Wednesday morning.

It will be the first time the new aircraft, the PC-21, will perform over Canberra.

Roulettes Leader Jamie Braden said a special performance was planned to mark the occasion and hoped it would inspire future pilots to take off.

"As a child, my father would take my brothers and sisters to air shows around Victoria," he said.

"I would see the Roulettes fly and be absolutely gobsmacked. I never thought I was capable of doing it."

The team will begin with a "bomb blast" manoeuvre over Government House, after the Governor-General presents a new Queen's Colour to the air force.

"We head at the crowd and then peel away," Roulettes Leader Braden said.

From 11.15am more than 60 aircraft, from historic war birds to the latest, fastest technology will put on a 30 minute performance.

It will all culminate in a 12-minute show by the Roulettes, finishing with a 'cascade' as the planes peel away over Parliament House.

Roulettes Leader Braden was honoured to be part of the occasion to commemorate the women and men that have served, and the more than 11,000 lives lost in the past 100 years.

He hoped the air "spectacular" would highlight the skill of air force pilots and fleet of aircraft at their disposal.

"It takes a lot of training and practice and it is important the general public appreciate that," he said.

For Roulettes Flight Lieutenant Mark Keritz, it will be a special moment, carrying on his family legacy. His father served as a pilot in World War II.

"It's a big honour to be part of the team and to have such a big part in the commemoration tomorrow," he said.

Air Force Director General Air Commodore Andrew Elfverson said the event was a nod to the 350,000 people who had worn the uniform.

"The air force is 100 years young today," he said.

"Those are the shoulders we stand on today and it's important to acknowledge and commemorate that, including the 11,191 people who paid the ultimate sacrifice."

The planes will fly east to west over Lake Burley Griffin from 11.15am.

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