Andrew Dickens: Warbirds over Wānaka is just about planes

So yesterday the Otago Daily Times ran an article about the thoughts of Grant Kitto, a former Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) worker.

Grant Kitto argues that showcasing the USAF F-22 Raptor at Warbirds Over Wānaka effectively legitimises US military power and the weapons systems that have been used in conflicts where civilians were killed. 

The Raptor is made by Lockheed Martin and back in 2015 incident,  a US Air Force gun ship —also built by Lockheed Martin— attacked a Doctors Without Borders hospital, killing 42 people, including 14 staff members.

He also worries the huge emissions from the planes.

A local councillor echoed his concerns and said that the current global environment was not good for a display of US military power. And he said because this is kit in current use, it makes a difference compared to the older planes.

What a load of tosh.  

Firstly I guess the giveaway is the name of the event: Warbirds. This is a celebration of war machines, but more so the ingenuity of the people who built the amazing planes.

And I wonder where all the dissent was back in the day when American F16s visited, the Australian F-111s. How about the Soviet-era MIGs, which at the time were the height of weapons of mass destruction? What about the Vulcan bombers that have killed thousands? Or even the mighty Spitfire?

Do these guys also have a problem with shooting at the Olympics, or Archery? The javelin is based on spear work.

I understand the concern but the thing I’d say is maybe it’s better to understand the weapon rather than ban it. And maybe it’s not the planes or the guns that do the killing, it’s the people controlling it.

And the F22 Raptor is a mid bogglingly good piece of kit.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.