Hi Teh.
I'm not military, but I enjoy a good airshow as much as the next person.
As pointed out earlier, Bang for Buck is probably the number 1 reason why we don't see the Roulettes in jets these days. I'm just glad I got to see them in their Macchi phase tbh. Military bands could fall into the same category but due to their lower cost, will never be as constrained or scrutinised as much as the Roulettes.
My 2 cents for your topic though is possibly a little deeper than you may want your assignment to go, but "choose to use" if you wish...
Most bean counters will tell you that the dollars don't add up enough to put them in jets & that's probably a fair point, especially, as alluded to earlier, it detracts from operational requirements. But, what value is put on National pride? It's an arbitrary figure that cannot be added to the budget, so it is easily dismissed. There are plenty of detractors to Nationalism, and thats another topic in itself! I'll always stop & look at a Blackhawk passing over, or a F18, even a Frigate in the bay...they all form part of the reason why I sleep soundly at night...(That & the fact we have a pretty powerful mate across the Pacific!)
You & I live in a country that has been largely spared the horrors of war on our own soil & it is easy to dismiss what we see on the TV as "over there" and change channel if it becomes too uncomfortable. I personally feel that every Nation should take pride in the work of our respective armed forces but, how exactly can we as civilians do that? We have a holiday for ANZAC day, some even go to the ANZAC day marches. We stop & remember on Armistice day...for a minute...of those that have gone before, and we buy a poppy or a legacy badge every year. These are all great initiatives of course but, whenever I watch the Roulettes & admire their skill, I like to think of our RAAF Lancaster crews during WWII, the Beaufighter pilots that protected our shores, etc. If I watch a parade, I think of those at Gallipoli, Kokoda, Long Tan, etc.
In my mind, the Roulettes not only represent the RAAF of today, but of almost 100 years of the RAAF service. Sure, they work as ambassadors & recruiting tools, but I think they represent more value than that. It's unfortunate that that value doesn't always equate to dollars & cents.
(Sorry for being long winded....)