Sat, Sep 09, 2006
Air Show Organizers Scratch Warthog Demonstration
Organizers of the Nova Scotia International Air Show, scheduled
for this weekend, are replacing an A-10 flight demonstration with
an F-16. That decision came after a Nova Scotia woman, also the
mother of a Canadian soldier killed in a 2002 friendly-fire
accident, expressed concern that an A-10 demonstration should come
on the heels of last Monday's fatal friendly-fire incident.
As ANN reported on Tuesday,
it was an A-10 Thunderbolt, nicknamed Warthog by its crews, that
mistakenly -- and tragically -- strafed and killed Pte. Mark
Anthony Graham of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment.
Associated Press International reports said the A-10 pilot was
responding to a request for air support from ground forces under
fire. These mission are called "close air support" because pilots
fire at an enemy who is frequently in close proximity to the
soldiers they are supporting.
The Canadian Press reports the decision by organizers to
withdraw the A-10 was made in consultation with the US Air Force.
Air show executive director Colin Stephenson said, "With an
investigation underway we are very sensitive to the emotions that
this type of incident invokes. At the same time we are sorry to be
cancelling such a popular and interesting aircraft presentation.
Many fans have e-mailed and called asking that we still bring it
and [I'm] sure it will be back in the future."
The A-10 demonstration was to have included a simulated attack
"complete with a pyrotechnics display," according to the Halifax
Daily News.
Ironically, it was an F-16 in April 2002 that dropped the bomb
accidentally killing 4 Canadian soldiers. In fact, the Falcon is a
regular at the Nova Scotia Air Show -- it has appeared for the last
three years without a complaint.
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