Saturday, January 03, 2026

On Venezuela, flight, and appropriate use

Light the burners
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As the world wakes up to the news that the U.S. has attacked Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, I find myself musing about airplanes.

Military planes, specifically. The kind I photograph at air shows. Or interrupt whatever I’m doing whenever they spontaneously fly overhead. Just because.

In the back of my mind I recognize the duality of these craft. That they are as much instruments of freedom that can defend a nation’s sovereignty as they are weapons of tyranny that can be used to take others’ freedom away. It all depends on the intent of those doing the wielding.

I’ll admit I’m torn this morning because it isn’t yet clear that this qualifies as a just use of an extreme capability. But it is indeed clear that these weapons of war are being used for questionably political purposes by a leader whose fascist aims become more obvious with each passing day.

Every time I stand on the tarmac shooting some U.S. Air Force or Navy craft overhead, I muse about why weapons of war are necessary to maintain a certain sense of peace.

Yet when the tables turn and the intent is no longer peace, it’s difficult to look at these planes, and those who fly them and follow the orders, through the same lens.

#throwback #airshowlondon #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #flyyxu #usaf #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #f15 #eagle #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography


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