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Air Show - Love it or Loathe it?
Ever since I was a little kid, I've had an infatuation with airplanes. Growing up near Pearson and having planes fly overhead was never a nuisance, but was rather pleasurable. I was a visual collector and I could identify the make, model, and airline of nearly everything I saw in the sky. When the summers were waning and the time to relinquish my summer freedom near (by heading back to school), I would have one last hurrah - the Canadian International Air Show.
I'm still an aviation nut. I love flying, and I love watching planes. What's not to like about seeing old historic bi-planes doing flips, parachuters and gliders coming in over the lake, and state-of-the-art supersonic jets that can carve the sky and seemingly defy physics?
Sure, the majority of the excitement of the air show comes from watching what are ultimately machines of destruction and death. Clearly the smoke trails and burning fuel are harmful to our air. Undoubtedly some people will wince at the sound of explosive jet engines rocketing through the city as they try to work/play/nap.
Is the air show the "NASCAR-of-the-skies"? Would you be upset or ecstatic if the airshow didn't come to Toronto again?
(Photography by Jerrold Litwinenko)
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Tyler - there are plenty of spots you can go to by the lake to have a good Air Show experience without paying anything for it.
When I lived in Parkdale I _had_ to get out of town on this weekend, because it was unbearable otherwise. I agree with the previous poster -- cut it to one day. Why does the whole city have to suffer noise and air pollution and bad traffic for a minority to stare at machines designed to victimize and people?
My friends who live in Parkdale, their cats spend the entire weekend cowering along the floor and shitting and pissing themselves they get so frightened.
I can hear and see the planes way up here at Oakwood & Vaughan... ridiculous.
While I'm sure it's cool to watch, I'm with everyone else who has mentioned the noise and pollution. I haven't noticed it yet this year, but in previous years, you could taste the jet fuel in the air.
I could live with cutting it down to one day, but no, not a fan and never will be.
I'm sure this is known to many people, but i should make a point of it given the subject matter and the unanimous understanding of the air show's military nature.
Although the CIAS is clearly a public demonstration of the military prowess possessed by North America and other nations, this is merely a cover-up for its true purpose: the International Arms Trade. The CIAS is the demo segment for a convention where big federal spenders from countries all around come to shake hands. While layfolk gawk at the metal winged beasts, diplomats buy and sell these killing machines. Yes, these planes are for sale, and you're not the buyer.
So, have fun paying a ticket for a show that's not intended for you.
cheers,
.rs
It is noisy though.
Also, military technology trickles down to civilian uses that can improve our lives.
If anyone involved in the CAIS were exceeding the speed of sound near or over the city, they'd be in an awful lot of trouble.
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-75-246-1220-10/on_this_day/science_technology/kelowna_sonic_boom
It's obnoxious and unnecessary.
Based on this website...
http://www.aviationexplorer.com/sonic_boom_facts.htm
If it's not breaking Mach 1 and creating a sonic boom, it's pretty damned close.
What I know from being underneath it - it's deafening. I can't imagine lightening hitting the building having as much impact in terms of noise or vibration.
It's unnecessary and obnoxious.
I don't know... I've always been a huge gadget and technology geek, so environmental/political issues aside, I've got to say seeing a Raptor maneuvering over the water is just fucking cool.
Cats and Dogs are NOT people. Too bad if they are frightened by the big noise. I can promise you the city could care less about your plight. Now, be gone.
Sorry, you may come down here to start fights at Richmond & Peter, but some of us live here.
Actually, why not stay out of the real city and stay at the mall in Brampton? Or go hang out with the other knuckle-draggers in Trenton or something.
Also, comparing Caribana & Gay Pride to this noise attack is such complete garbage; in terms of disruption they are two completely different worlds. And neither have anything to do with killing machines, which is what the air show is here to show off.
Although at the core, these are machines intended to cause damage, they are still outstanding acheivements of engineering and design. They may not contain the emotion or meaning of the fine arts, but these machines are still outstanding works of human creative ability.
Actually, I'm going to take back that they lack emotion. To see an F-22 flying alongside a P-51 is just awe inspiring. This is an aircraft that is one of the heroes of the second world war, with a sound so distinctive and a visual so distinct that I can't help but be reminded of the skill and courage that any pilot displays when flying -any- of these aircraft, let alone all the ones who have died. The sight of that classic masterpiece flying alongside a new relative is like a newly established graduate conversing with a great great grandfather.
Or maybe that's all unnecessarily defending it all against people who have just lost the kid in them. Having insanely fast jets scream overhead is just fun to watch.
Also, for those who want a different view then the lakeshore, it can often be better to watch it from the airport where you can see almost everything (non-prop) take off and land. Although this year was pretty uneventful, you'll often get fly-bys and see it much closer.
Are you serious? Yes, they are NOT people. Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Is that mean then, their well-being doesn't count? My cats weren't in the best of states all weekend either, and at one point because I had forgotten there was an air show I thought it was some crazy thunderstorm that came out of nowhere. Additionally, I was trying to spend my long weekend realxing outside and was constantly interrupted by the annoying whizzing.
I find the air show to be intrusive and a complete disregard for the environment. Considering how much pollution airplanes make, why would then would we allow planes as part of some cheezy entertainment pollute more? If anything, please at least cut it to one day.
lots of things that are done just for fun create pollution: car races, going on holiday on a plane, even producing a movie creates pollution think about all those trailer trucks with diesel generators going all day... anyone complains about those things?
>noise: i live on low roncesvalles and honestly it's not so bad, yes there are few loud passages but they are a minority of the show.
>Arm trading: that's very funny. honestly, you can't seriously think it.
>death machines: if you make a count, only 4 out of 15 planes (considering the Snowbirds as a single plane) are war planes, out of these only 2 have actually been used in active combat, not so much of a war-display.
A feel that a lot of the haters are not into Aviation. But a lot of people are. So it's not another summer festival, just not one your interested in.