Labour MP Justyne Caruana has been quoted as saying that taking the helicopter trip from Gozo to rush to the airport was not exactly a nice experience and that the aircraft she flew in was a piece of “plastic” was to be “donated to the air museum”.

Let us not go into the merits of the trip and whether or not it was a waste of taxpayers’ money. But let us delve into Dr Caruana’s comments about one of the AFM’s assets – An Alouette helicopter that was admittedly built in the 1960s and was taken on as a refurbished aircraft. That helicopter has been in service with the AFM’s Air Wing since 1992. It has saved hundreds of lives in many ways. People have been airlifted from Comino or Gozo to Malta for lifesaving treatment. People who were near to drowning have been winched out of the sea time and time again, by the AFM’s gallant crews – pilots, winchmen and the rest. These helicopters have scoured the sea for migrants who are in distress and have guided patrol boats to save them. Those machines – kept in the air by the AFM’s sterling mechanics, are good reliable old workhorses. The matter was taken up on Facebook, by a former AFM serviceman who asked whether a politician would feel aggrieved if their thesis was torn to pieces – saying that what Dr Caruana said was tantamount to doing the same. He said that AFM crews lovingly and painstakingly work hard to keep the aircraft airworthy. He also said that the helicopters have saved hundreds of lives and that many servicemen were offended by Dr Caruana’s comments. He also posted a screenshot of Dr Caruana’s wall, where she later thanked the army because she was frightened of getting into the helicopter and they calmed her down. But the former serviceman argued that this was a knee-jerk reaction.

The Facebook thread that followed included many comments by current crew who backed up what the former army man said. In reaction, Dr Caruana posted on the thread that she had never intended to insult the AFM or the helicopter crews by what she said, adding that she was grateful for their sense of duty and commitment in protecting and serving.  It seems that the MP simply did not enjoy the ride, and was actually frightened. It also seems to be that she did not intend to insult anyone, but had a bad case of ‘foot in mouth disease’. We believe that Dr Caruana was trying to show that she did not go for a joyride and that the whole experience was unpleasant for her. But it is also very evident that she does not understand the pride that army men and women take in maintaining these machines. Ground crews believe that they are actually lending their pride and joy to a crew to go out on a sortie. Air crews describe the machines as their babies. These men and women do the best with what they have – old or not old, those machines risk their lives every day.