Misophist: Lucky you. Must be 30 years since I saw the Blue Angels, though I do get to see the Red Arrows three-four times a year so I'm not exactly suffering.

Mooh: I'm not sure what aspect of life hasn't had its tragic consequences - from my listening to folk music I suggest that love has a lot more to answer for than air shows. The position is ludicrous and the pleasure transitory....or is that standing on a flight line with a straining neck?

Think of it this way: the jet fighter is to today what the steam locomotive or the sailing ship was to our forebears. They don't seem to have the same quality of songs, I grant you that.