LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Fresh off a trip to Las Vegas earlier this week, Thunder Over Louisville organizers are now figuring out which acts to include in the event. 

In just a few short months, tens of thousands of people will gather on both sides of the river for Thunder Over Louisville 2024. Preparations have been underway since the conclusion of last year's event, and the countdown is on for this year's show. 

The Air Command Center Group met Friday in Thunder Over Louisville producer Wayne Hettinger's basement (aka the "Thunder Ranch") to trade notes and finalize selections for the airshow. Earlier in the week, Hettinger and other organizers were in Las Vegas at the International Council of Airshows Convention to meet with aircraft representatives from around the world.

Thunder Ranch sign at Wayne Hettinger's home

Pictured: this image grab taken from video dated Dec. 8, 2023, shows a "Thunder Ranch" sign in the basement of Thunder Over Louisville producer Wayne Hettinger. (WDRB image)

That's where they got inspiration for some of the acts that will be chosen for this year's show. 

"We talked to one guy who does sky writing," Hettinger said earlier this week. "He certainly is one of the picks of choice. Like everything else, it’s being more and more perfected because computers are running it. So the guy literally spells out sentences in the sky, which is pretty phenomenal."

Airshow convention in Las Vegas

Pictured: Thunder Over Louisville producer Wayne Hettinger and other organizers attend the International Council of Airshows Convention at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 5, 2023. (WDRB image)

On Friday Hettinger and other organizers regrouped at the Thunder Ranch to finalize their selections of aircraft performers and review military support. 

Some aspects of the show will remain a closely guarded secret, but organizers said Friday's meeting sets the pace for the entire show.

IMAGES | Air show soars above downtown for Thunder Over Louisville 2023

"We want to keep it exciting for the entire airshow, so we don't want two kinds of similar planes flying back to back, so we'll go through a mix up," Hettinger said. "Some of them are gonna take 20 minutes, some of them will just do a straight pass through, so we've got to rearrange that and nail it."

The Kentucky Derby Festival will announce the official lineup at a later date.

WDRB is the official Thunder Over Louisville station in 2024, and you can watch coverage all day on air and online. 

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