• @alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      98
      edit-2
      8 days ago

      Does anyone else also fly bombers and fighter jets over stadiums at the start of a game? Do you take 2-5 minutes to honor some guys in the military during half time?

      • Pup Biru
        link
        fedilink
        English
        36
        edit-2
        8 days ago

        to be fair, that one (afaik) is a legitimate training exercise. it’s useful to train pilots to be at an exact place, in an exact formation, at an exact speed, at an exact time… and if you can get marketing and morale out of it, welllll why not

          • @alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            35
            edit-2
            8 days ago

            I mean yes, I love airshows, but there’s something about a mass celebration of these machines of death where a crowd gathered for a completely unrelated purpose gets to see the last thing an afghan child at a wedding sees gives ick in a way that normal airshows, even with all the military recruitment and propaganda don’t.

            It doesn’t even apply to all flyovers, sometimes it’s like F-14s or Chinooks or WWII era planes where the message isn’t so dark.

            • @spooky2092@lemmy.blahaj.zone
              link
              fedilink
              English
              248 days ago

              where a crowd gathered for a completely unrelated purpose gets to see the last thing an afghan child at a wedding sees

              I know this probably makes it worse, but the Afghan child most likely wouldn’t even have a chance to see the plane (or more likely, predator drone) that fired the missile that killed them.

              It’s one of the many reasons these children are fucking terrified of clear skies and sunny days.

          • Pup Biru
            link
            fedilink
            English
            48 days ago

            yyyyyyyes but it’s also expensive and thoroughly weird when compared to the rest of the world… so whilst it does serve a legitimate purpose, it’s worth noting those points too

          • @real_squids@sopuli.xyz
            link
            fedilink
            English
            1
            edit-2
            7 days ago

            Piling on the list of negatives - they use leaded fuel, which is bad for you. I still like planes though

        • @Bytemeister@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          128 days ago

          It’s also dope AF. Frankly, I’d rather have those planes boosting morale here than dropping bombs somewhere else. I see it as a win-win.

          • @merc@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            15 days ago

            The whole purpose of those flybys is to glamorize and advertise the same planes they use to drop bombs.

            In many other countries, their military acrobatics teams don’t even use true military jets.

            New Zealand’s Black Falcons use propeller-based trainers. Japan’s Blue Impulse team uses Kawasaki T-4 based trainers. Britain’s Red Arrows and Finland’s Midnight Hawks use BAE Hawk trainers. Australia’s Roulettes use turboprop trainers. Canada’s snowbirds use Canadair Tutor trainers.

          • Pup Biru
            link
            fedilink
            English
            178 days ago

            not at all - they’re all exactly the same… i’m just noting that there are reasons to do them beyond only propaganda and nationalism

          • Pup Biru
            link
            fedilink
            English
            06 days ago

            you can, but as i said at the end of the comment: you have to do it anyway… you either entirely waste the fuel, maintenance, and pilot time, or you use it for something

            in a couple of comments people have said they think it’s “plain old cool” and “a mini air show”

            propaganda? perhaps

            but people also seem to enjoy it… better than entirely wasting it