Warbirds over Wanaka

[happytraveller]

Heard a story yesterday in town, and checked on the internet and also rang the Warbirds office. It seems that the 2 seat Spitfire will not be flying at Warbirds this year, due to paperwork problems in the US. The warbirds office said that it was unlikely that any Spitfires will be flying, so the show will be without one of its highlights. See the stories below, one is 'tongue in cheek," but it does make the point.

First article from TV3 online news:-


Paperwork blamed for spitfire's no show
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:33p.m.


Organisers of the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow are disappointed that a Supermarine Spitfire aircraft will not be at the show.

The aircraft's owner Doug Brooker is blaming "ludicrous"Â￾ paperwork for the no show.

He said the recently rebuilt fighter had missed the last possible freight vessel from the United States to New Zealand because of a wrangle over export approval with the US customs and defence departments.

Mr Brooker, who will fly his MX 2 aerobatic plane at Easter, plans to make Warbirds Over Wanaka 2010 the debut show for the Spitfire.

NZPA

Second article from www.worldaffairsboard.com not a serious article, but it makes the point!!!

American decision making on foreign aircraft.
US GOVT SCARED OF SPITFIRE TR9

BARTOW-Fla. A Supermarine Spitfire TR9 is being denied export permission from the United States due to Government concerns about the export of military technology and the proliferation of WMD's.

The Spitfire, MH 367, was restored in Florida but has recently been sold to a New Zealand pilot. It is being held on the docks awaiting approval to be exported.

Although the basic design of this fighter plane is nearly 75 years old, the USAF still views the aircraft as a major threat. The Rolls Royce Merlin engine that powers the Spitfire means that it is classified as a "Warplane, Merlin-engined, Defense', or WMD. "Obviously we don't want other countries to have WMD's,"Â￾ said a Pentagon official who did not want to be identified because he did not have the appropriate permission to leak top secret military information to the general public. "We want to make sure that WMD's are only going to be used by rational, peace-loving, intelligent people...er... like our Government."Â￾

"Our entire Continental Air Defense Strategy is based on intercepting lost Cessna 172 pilots who fly to close to Dick Cheney's house,"Â￾ stated Secretary of the Air Force Michael W Wynne, who did not want to be identified because he didn't know what he was talking about. "Just one of these fighters, in the hands of a civilian pilot, could rip through our defenses in no time flat. That would not look good on my daily report to the boss."Â￾

There are major concerns about the technology in the Spitfire falling into the wrong hands. With delays in the F-22, F-35, and air tanker programs much of the air force inventory is not much younger that the Spitfire. Jane's All The Worlds Aircraft 1945 ed. states that the cutting edge technology incorporated into it's design means that it can still dominate the aerial battlefield. "Let's just say that when this [potential export] was first discovered, there were a lot of diapers in the Pentagon that needed changing,"Â￾ said Wynne.

The major US concern is that this technology will fall into the hands of potential adversaries of the US military. With the recent expansion in Russian and Chinese forces, coupled with nuclear progress in Iran and North Korea, military tensions are already high. A single Spitfire TR9 could be all that is necessary to tip the balance.

Military Defense Contractors are also concerned about the potential export. "If this technology was available to our allies, it could ruin the domestic armaments industry"Â￾ stated President and CEO of Lockheed Martin Robert J Stevens, "Just imagine if Britain could build Spitfires"¦they wouldn't need to buy the JSF. I wouldn't be able to buy that fourth super yacht I've had my eye on. It would be devastating."Â￾

Israel could also be a potential market for the Spitfire. If Israel were able to acquire Spitfires surreptitiously it would put the $16 billion worth of free weaponry it gets from the US at risk.

Asked to comment about exports to nominally neutral countries like New Zealand, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice replied "New Zealand? Where's that? Sounds foreign."Â￾

The Spitfire is capable of some amazing aerial maneuvers. It can fly straight and level, turn corners, and go up and down. With a suitably experienced pilot it can even do low passes, wing-overs, and half-Cubans. "It's the half-Cubans that concern us the most,"Â￾ said Dr Emilio T Gonzalez of the INS. "It's an election year, so Immigration is getting a lot of public attention at the moment."Â￾



smooth landings.

[Daniel]

How dare they do this! Just because there B 2 Bombers are falling out of the sky it does not mean they have to replace them a spitfires!
I am attending Warbirds Over Wanaka and this will seem like a huge loss.
Do they think this spitfire is going to start a war?
I have just wrote a very strong letter to the US customs. I will probably be banned from entering the US now!

Daniel

[Anthony]

This really sucks.
I'm not going to Wanaka this year (I will in 2010 though!) but it's still rubbish.

There is a large quantity of doubt in my mind that the Spitfire is likely to cause any issues defense-wise, so i don't see why their impounding it.

I sent an email to someone at the Department of Homeland Security, but I got an auto-reply.

Cheers
Anthony

[Ian Warren]

HT One reason years back i said Tim Wallis should have been the Prime Minister ! ..... he could run a very good bisness ( same as running a country) , have very close diplomatic relations with the Northern Hem , and Hell OWN s his own airforce , We wasted this opputinuity , a squadron of 'SPITFIRES' -

Although the basic design of this fighter plane is nearly 75 years old, the USAF still views the aircraft as a major threat. The Rolls Royce Merlin engine that powers the Spitfire means that it is classified as a ‘Warplane, Merlin-engined, Defense’, or WMD. “Obviously we don’t want other countries to have WMD’s,” said a Pentagon official who did not want to be identified because he did not have the appropriate permission to leak top secret military information to the general public. “We want to make sure that WMD’s are only going to be used by rational, peace-loving, intelligent people...er... like our Government.”

So close

[deaneb]

I think it was a given many weeks ago that the Spitty was a no go. It takes a wee while to ship over, assemble and test fly and as they said its missed the boat.
Real shame, but thats red tape for you - if you make a rule and stick to it, then this sort of stuff happens.

Deane