Airshows (1)

I am sorry to note that The Times leader (September 13) was extremely irresponsible with regard to the matter of aviation, to say the least.

I feel it is irresponsible to encourage "sports" which are extremely dangerous - not only to people who take part in them as well as the spectators, but also those people who innocently carry on with their lives, not being able to help themselves and their properties from any accident which certainly is prone to happen from above their heads.

I recall the events of the airshow of 1983, when I watched from the rooftop of Mater Admirabilis College at Tal-Virtù, Rabat, a two-pilot plane crashing onto the newly refurbished school hall just a few metres away from the part in which I was, while friends and colleagues of the dead pilots helplessly looked on from nearby Hotel Verdala in Rabat. To date, I can still remember one of the pilot's burnt remains, hanging halfway down the drainage pipe of the building! Apart from the sense of the tragedy of this magnitude, such an accident could have had much worse consequences. The same can be said for the recent accident over Marsamxett.

Malta is a densely populated country. Such aero events should not be allowed to take place. The airport and runway area in particular are densely built-up areas and the villages surrounding the runway are in peril. Having a solid insurance is just the beginning - it is not, in itself, enough, for no insurance can ever make up for lost lives. This is not a question of safety precautions. In life, there are instances when safety precautions, however perfect they may be described to be, are useless.

Flying is one of them.

It isn't a question of airshow boxes either, because as the saying goes, when the pilot is up there, "the sky is the limit" and no policeman will be booking pilots if they overstep their limits. Especially at a certain speed.

I suggest that the mayors of the villages surrounding the airport and airfield protest and take the matter up with the competent authorities before a tragedy takes place, similar to the one that took place over Marsamxett.

The leader rightly states that "activities such as the air show have long been one of the strongest crowd pullers, with thousands enjoying the thrill of seeing the best of human talent and technological brilliance".

True. But at what cost. Drug abusers are also "thrilled" ... but what about the aftermath and the general picture?

We have to admit it: in Malta, we have our limitations. We simply cannot do everything that other, much larger, countries do. With such "sports" events taking place over our heads, we are expecting an accident to take place, which will leave tragic consequences in its wake.

And then, what will The Times say?