[Newsbot]

Title: Tanks, choppers trump Snowbirds' jets
Category: Military
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2009-03-26 09:16:26
Canadian

[ridenrain]

No one will die if the Snowbirds miss a season.

The opposition needs to stop playing politics over this.

[saturn_656]

Why didn't the Snowbirds recieve Hawks when we switched our pilot training from the Tutors?

That would have been the smart thing to do.

[bootlegga]

It's called being cheap, not politics. Take some of the $400 million MacKay saved from cancelling the Aurora upgrade and they're halfway there.

Given the Snowbirds profile, they are an excellent recruiting tool. Why throw it away? I don't know about you, but I'd prefer not to go to an air show here and watch the Blue Angels.

[SigPig]

saturn_656 saturn_656:

Why didn't the Snowbirds recieve Hawks when we switched our pilot training from the Tutors?

That would have been the smart thing to do.

It would have been the best idea if you are thinking long term. The problem with politicians is they think about how they can save money now. At the time we had just retired the Tutor training fleet for the Hawks so they had a lot of surplus airframes to keep the Snowbirds running. Good short term solution, bad in the long term. The only small complication was that we are only leasing the Hawks and didn't buy any outright so we would have had to buy the hawks for the Snowbirds seperately.

[saturn_656]

SigPig SigPig:

The only small complication was that we are only leasing the Hawks and didn't buy any outright so we would have had to buy the hawks for the Snowbirds seperately.

Maybe we should have purchased (not leased) Hawks for pilot training, the Snowbirds, as well as a couple light attack squadrons.

[ziggy]

There was a good documentary on the snowbird's and how they originated on either the history or discovery channell the other day.
With my brother,Dad and mom being pilot's I got dragged to every fly-in around western Canada but the snowbird's were the best.

I would hate to see us lose them.

[SigPig]

saturn_656 saturn_656:

SigPig SigPig:

The only small complication was that we are only leasing the Hawks and didn't buy any outright so we would have had to buy the hawks for the Snowbirds seperately.

Maybe we should have purchased (not leased) Hawks for pilot training, the Snowbirds, as well as a couple light attack squadrons.

Why the heck do we need a couple light attack squadrons? I can think of a dozen things we need before that.

[ridenrain]

That aircraft definately should hhave been replaced but to try and blame only the curent government is small town cheap. The last government was paying a deficit but they also got us into a war that is costing a great deal to keep running. The priority simply must be keeping the soldiers we have in the field safe.

I find it ironic and fitting that Dawn Black from the NDP has any opinion at all because I doubt the NDP has any experience or car for the military anyways. Hopefully, this will be the last comment she makes as an MP.

[bootlegga]

ridenrain ridenrain:

That aircraft definately should hhave been replaced but to try and blame only the curent government is small town cheap. The last government was paying a deficit but they also got us into a war that is costing a great deal to keep running. The priority simply must be keeping the soldiers we have in the field safe.

I find it ironic and fitting that Dawn Black from the NDP has any opinion at all because I doubt the NDP has any experience or car for the military anyways. Hopefully, this will be the last comment she makes as an MP.

You're right these planes should have been replaced years ago, but they weren't, just like we should have kept our Chinooks, but we didn't. There's plenty of blame to go around for everyone when it comes to the CF.

The current party has spent billions on other planes and helos, so why are they suddenly 'out of money'. Oh yeah, it's that recession that Harper told us was no big deal in the last election...

And good luck getting that dumbass Dawn Black to shut her mouth...she'll be harping until the day she dies.

[saturn_656]

SigPig SigPig:

Why the heck do we need a couple light attack squadrons? I can think of a dozen things we need before that.

Because I've heard that "the CF-18's are too expensive to deploy" once too often.

[SigPig]

saturn_656 saturn_656:

SigPig SigPig:

Why the heck do we need a couple light attack squadrons? I can think of a dozen things we need before that.

Because I've heard that "the CF-18's are too expensive to deploy" once too often.

Which then begs the question. Where would we be deploying our CF-18s exactly? It has been stated on numerous occasions that there is ample firepower in A-stan when it comes to aerial support. And when it does come down to it we are capable of deploying them when needed. Reference the Gulf War in 1991 and Kosovo in 1999. So in short, light attack squadron is not needed. get me some EC-665 or some Apaches instead. A much better option then a trainer aircraft with some bombs strapped to it.

[2Cdo]

bootlegga bootlegga:

And good luck getting that dumbass Dawn Black to shut her mouth...she'll be harping until the day she dies.

One can dream, can't we?

Maybe she'll get hit by a bus or something!

[ridenrain]

She has anounced that this is her last term as MP and she will be moving to BC provincial politics.
.. by happy coincidence, I will be leaving Surrey North and moving into her riding where I will continue to be an active Conservative supporter.


Boot: instead of trading barbs, lets just agree that military funding is too important to be left to the party of the day.

[Canadian_Mind]

ridenrain ridenrain:

Boot: instead of trading barbs, lets just agree that military funding is too important to be left to the party of the day.

RR, just an outside opinion on this, but you seem alot more reasonable and willing to get along with those who support the left wing of the political spectrum of late. Why the change? o.o