General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsB2 Flyover
We live in the KC area, and the planes from Whiteman AFB (including the B2 Stealth Bomber) apparently circled the city today, flying over all the hospitals to "honor" the health care workers. To me this display is eerily similar to the militaristic parades in North Korea, China and Russia, where they trot out the hardware to "lift spirits" and make the populace feel "proud." That'll take their minds off the fact that they're sick, can't pay rent, or are working long hours exposing themselves to sick people because they are "essential."
Look, I enjoy watching the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds and the B2 fly over. But the money spent putting these planes in the air would be better allocated to finding PPE for our health care workers, or maybe putting a few extra people on the job developing a vaccine. We can do the damned flyover AFTER that.
malaise
(269,157 posts)a complete waste of money
jimfields33
(15,931 posts)This is needed training for flight hours. Im grateful they are doing this. Its wonderful and brings joy to many people during this time. Of course you always have one.
Baked Potato
(7,733 posts)Baked Potato
(7,733 posts)this is wonderful, IMO. Many doctors, nurses, and other health care providers are ex-military, so Im sure they, at least, would understand and connect with what a flyover is meant to accomplish.
SeattleVet
(5,478 posts)And the ground crews and maintenance people will also have some real work to do, instead of getting put on shit time-wating details like painting the fence (again) or edging the grass (again) or stripping and waxing the shop floors. I know how bad 'busy work' can be - when I was in the Air Force we actually had to go out and (after a warm dry spell that had turned it brown) PAINT THE GRASS green so that it would look nice when President Ford landed a mile away and went to see off the US Team for the Montreal Olympics.
There are a whole lot of people that need to actually perform their jobs to remain proficient.
MuseRider
(34,115 posts)all the time flying in and out of Forbes and they always went past my then house on the hill really close then over my farm. I kinda liked the big stealth when they would come around. Pretty awesome but it was always for training. They moved your way quite a number of years ago, we get the occasional but mostly it is training on military planes and AF1 now and again. Now it is drones. Great big drones.
lastlib
(23,271 posts)it flew almost directly over my house on the back leg, and just a stone's throw away on the front leg. Impressive sight, yes, BUT--
I TOTALLY agree with you that they should've parked the d---planes (those things don't fly CHEAP!), and spent the money on PPEs for the med-workers, or (heaven forfend!) TESTING for victims!
cbdo2007
(9,213 posts)I mean yeah...it would have been kind of interesting for my kids to see (I've seen them before) but it must have cost like $250,000 for that flyover that lasted 30 minutes for the whole area.
xmas74
(29,675 posts)They were flying either way. (I think something is flying right now. Yep-little house shake.) This just gave the public advance knowledge.
HarlanPepper
(2,042 posts)I don't think it's uniquely American. The single jet flying toward the formation represents the virus (hopefully) leaving Italy. And the Pavarotti i guess speaks for itself. They're doing some C-17 flyovers in my area Friday. I'm looking forward to it.
Baked Potato
(7,733 posts)FoxNewsSucks
(10,434 posts)I was reminded that they fly the planes regularly for maintenance, practice and training purposes anyway.
So today instead of flying formations over random fields, or going to the coast and back, they did flyovers of hospitals. I'm ok with that, I just hope the personnel it was intended for got to see it.
Remember, the PPE shortage is caused in part by tRump cronies intercepting and stealing shipments.
My only problem would be if MF45 somehow finds a way to take credit for it.
rustysgurl
(1,040 posts)tblue37
(65,483 posts)when I was a kid, but I don't get how watching planes fly over is exciting to people. They aren't doing stunts or any sort of fancy flying other than being in formation, so what's the big deal about watching them fly by?
tclambert
(11,087 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)When I heard about it all I could think of why?
We need supplies, PPEs and support for our first responders. Money to keep us going.
Its nice to have the air show but.......we need real stuff first.
xmas74
(29,675 posts)These were already scheduled training hours. The pilots are not allowed much time off. They are expected to be at the top of their game at all times. They just turned the training into a public display. In the end it was still training.
It would have happened either way. This way the public knew the course and could look up if they like. Watching them land is very impressive.