# Why are we wasting money on flyovers?! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 12, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651 "2020-05-12T17:15:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/41 "2020-05-13T00:50:11Z")
Flyovers aren’t fascist. Trump’s military parades, OTOH… ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/42 "2020-05-13T00:57:12Z")
_adds procrustus to the Lick-My-Nutsus list_ ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/43 "2020-05-13T00:57:40Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > They need to stay proficient, the flyovers help maintain that proficiency. Air Force and Navy pilots get less than 20 flying hours per month. You think flyovers are the best use of the time? Well, shit, let’s turn all the flying hour programs for each of the services to doing flyovers of various cities. They will maintain proficiency, as you said, and people will get a kick out of it. Maybe we can close down some ranges because there won’t be much need for them with all the flyovers going on. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/44 "2020-05-13T01:01:57Z")
Chemtrails. The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are just picking up the slack from the down turn in commercial flights. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/45 "2020-05-13T01:50:55Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > There’s a reason we call it “Flyover Country.” 😃 > [@Ravenman](#): > > Well, shit, let’s turn all the flying hour programs for each of the services to doing flyovers of various cities. They will maintain proficiency, as you said, and people will get a kick out of it. Maybe we can close down some ranges because there won’t be much need for them with all the flyovers going on. Heh, exactly. If our national security really relies that much on aerial acrobatics over urban areas, eh, maybe we should use drones instead or, you know, change our defense strategy so as to not rely on aerial acrobatics over urban areas. What would our pilots do if they needed to dogfight over open water?! What if the modern threat landscape doesn’t involve dogfighting at all? Oh, right, Space Force. I feel safer already. I hope Facebook Force is next. Some of these arguments actually make sense… Hard to pivot military spending on a dime? Fine. Pilots are doing routine training anyhow? Ehh, expensive but ok. Makes the populace happy? Eh, at least a few people, fine. Recruitment? Definitely. But that the Blue Hornets are somehow essential to the general combat readiness level of the US Armed Forces? I’m just not buying it. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/46 "2020-05-13T01:52:21Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Fascist. Ok. Yup ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/47 "2020-05-13T03:30:32Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Air Force and Navy pilots get less than 20 flying hours per month. You think flyovers are the best use of the time? Yes, I’ve already quoted an actual Blue Angel on the precision flying involved. Which you ignored. They’re doing what they would have done with their cancelled shows. As for the National Guard flights, I’m not sure what you think they do in their training. They’re not doing Top Gun stuff. The military training areas are over ordinary airspace. In my state they would have flown past my city anyway so flying a 2-ship formation over the hospitals was literally them flying by on their way to work. They made one sweeping pass to cover the area. Why you’re on this rant is beyond me. No extra money is spent and they log some precision flying time in the process. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/48 "2020-05-13T07:47:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > **Broomstick** , you appear to have misattributed a quote from **Ravenman** to me. My apologies, in that case, I assure you it was an accident. I’d go back and fix it but we’re a little past the edit window. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/49 "2020-05-13T08:21:08Z")
as someone who lives where 90 percent of all the military aircraft is conceived built and tested its a rare day we don’t see something unusual laying overhead but we don’t get to take pictures or talk about it however, we do get amusing newspaper/radio announcements that the weird-looking thing that was flying at 2 am is a military/Boeing/Lockheed etc project and not a UFO and its a federal offense to take a pic of it ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/50 "2020-05-13T12:09:50Z")
So we need the flyovers so the pilots who do them can keep their skills sharp so they can do flyovers. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/51 "2020-05-13T12:12:41Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > So we need the flyovers so the pilots who do them can keep their skills sharp so they can do flyovers. No, moron. They do the flyover on their way to the training location. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/52 "2020-05-13T12:40:57Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > No, moron. They do the flyover on their way to the training location. Ah, so that they can continue to do the flyovers. And here I thought it was mindless jingoism, boy am I embarrassed. I’ll never question anything my military does again. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/53 "2020-05-13T13:02:14Z")
I think it would be cool if they did something like fly under the St Louis Arch. Or buzz right over the Statue of Liberty’s head. We had a tanker plane fly over Lansing yesterday. Big yawn. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/54 "2020-05-13T13:11:25Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Why you’re on this rant is beyond me. No extra money is spent and they log some precision flying time in the process. Why you are saying that flying over cities is the best use of scarce flying time is beyond me. If that’s the case, we can eliminate any training ranges they use. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/55 "2020-05-13T13:16:21Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think it would be cool if they did something like fly under the St Louis Arch. Or buzz right over the Statue of Liberty’s head. We had a tanker plane fly over Lansing yesterday. Big yawn. If they’re short on training opportunities, I heard there’s a terrorist hiding in the White House. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/56 "2020-05-13T13:50:07Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Why you are saying that flying over cities is the best use of scarce flying time is beyond me. If that’s the case, we can eliminate any training ranges they use. What is being said is that these flyovers are not the scandalous, abject waste of resources you seem to think they are. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/57 "2020-05-13T14:05:16Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > What is being said is that these flyovers are not the scandalous, abject waste of resources you seem to think they are. So you’re rebutting me with a straw man? I’m saying there’s better ways to spend money that provide substantially more benefit to the pilots. Nobody can seem to address that criticism. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/58 "2020-05-13T14:21:05Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Why you are saying that flying over cities is the best use of scarce flying time is beyond me. If that’s the case, we can eliminate any training ranges they use. To be fair, if they start training with ordinance, I’d really rather they not do that over a city. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/59 "2020-05-13T14:26:51Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > To be fair, if they start training with ordinance, I’d really rather they not do that over a city. Keeps 'em sharp. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651/60 "2020-05-13T14:29:00Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > So you’re rebutting me with a straw man? > > I’m saying there’s better ways to spend money that provide substantially more benefit to the pilots. Nobody can seem to address that criticism. They’re all too busy being surprised that you answered what they thought was a rhetorical question with a ‘yes’ and then moving the goal post so that your experience on formation flights wasn’t good enough. That bit was hilarious, they should do it again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-wasting-money-on-flyovers/853651.md?page=4)