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The Air Show Letters from the Canary Islands by Barrie Mahoney

'Writing Inspired by an Island in the Atlantic'

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The Air Show


Phew! Thank goodness that is over for another year! Yes, I’ve said it, and I know that it may upset many people. That’s the way I feel about it and I’ve avoided mentioning it in the past, but it is now time to speak out.

From a purely selfish point of view, the noise has been awful, and the dog and cat terrified. It is impossible to drive into town as all the roads are closed to cars for three days, car parks have been turned into “emergency helicopter landing pads” and roadside parking of any kind, if you manage to get into town, is banned for three days. In addition, disabled parking at the railway station is no more and disabled access restricted. I am told that this is all a “safety precaution” should there by an “incident with an aircraft crashing into the crowd”. Given this horrendous scenario and knowledge of other air show disasters in the past lead me to wonder whether providing such a performance in a small seaside town is such a good idea after all? Surely if we must have such displays, would they not be better held in a large area that is less constrained by buildings and other infrastructure?

Looking at the broader issues. Is it right for aircraft to be joyriding the skies in a show of machismo during the climate crisis? Given the huge costs of energy and fuel poverty in the country, is it right to be casually flouting an endless supply of aircraft fuel for joy riding? What about pollution of both the atmosphere and noise? Yes, the pilots are well trained, gifted, and clever individuals, but hopefully the public are aware that such displays are basically another recruitment tool, along with Armed Services Day, for military service? Air shows are generously promoted and encouraged by the military in the hope that more young people will be encouraged to sign up to protect our country or, in other words, to be used as possible cannon fodder in a war that the Government chooses to participate in.

It concerns me to hear the jingoistic and imperialist slogans and comments, such as the “Britain does it best” mentality much favoured by Brexiteers and others who have an excessive nationalistic agenda. Do we really need renderings of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, ‘Rule Britannia’ and the ‘Dam Busters’ theme? Yes, the Red Arrows are an impressive display team, but are they really “the best in the world”? They are not. Closed minds lead to such distorted comments from people who think they know, but they don’t. The Spanish military aerobatic team, ‘the Patrulla Aguila (Eagle Patrol) are most impressive, as are their French and German counterparts. Don’t let us also forget that the USA, Canada, Sweden, Pakistan and even Ireland all do a fair job of showing off their display teams.

I watched the huge numbers of people heading to the beach, clad in the skimpiest of summer clothing and sun hats. Many were carrying bags of food, crates of beer and suntan oil to sustain them through what will be a very long day. Thankfully the sun was shining, which may or may not be of benefit during those long hours peering into the sky to see the next display. The beach and promenade were already packed, and finding a space will be difficult for those arriving late. The only way to get into the town was by walking, or by getting a train or bus. Hordes of bodies were being disgorged from coaches and buses in the centre of the town. It would be a most enjoyable day and create memories for many. As well as supporting the military agenda, the event also brought a lot of money from tourists into the town, which many small businesses desperately need in our post Covid lockdown world. There would be sunburn, food poisoning and hangovers to deal with, but nevertheless it had been a most enjoyable day.

Some of us are just very pleased it is all over for another year.

© Barrie Mahoney 2023

Join me on Facebook: @barrie.mahoney

To find out more about Barrie and his books, go to: http://barriemahoney.com/

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