Sponish Herd | Plataforma Brony de España

Remember, the wing power rating is a traditional, yearly competition between different towns. Her not participating is probably a procedural thing out of her hooves. She was there in an official capacity at the behest of Cloudsdale to observe and record the collective wing power, remember?
I also recently rewatched Wonderbolt Academy. The first event, the flag hunt, covered so much ground it makes sense for Spitfire to not have seen Lightning Dust's recklessness. The second event, the obstacle course, is more ambiguous, but it's plausible Spitfire didn't see how Lightning Dust caused the crash because Spitfire had to use a telescope to see the aftermath of the incident. For the third event, the cloud busting, she wasn't present at all, and she took appropriate action as soon as Rainbow Dash told her what had been happening. To me, at the time of the episode's airing, she came across as a competent, but not omniscient, drill instructor in Wonderbolt Academy.
I want you to understand, though, I'm not defending Spitfire here. I'm actually trying to make a neat point about her character.
Because of Rainbow Falls we know she's actually a fairly manipulative and sleazy pony. Initially I found that very jarring, but then I started thinking back to her previous appearances, especially The Best Night Ever and Wonderbolt Academy.
In The Best Night Ever she invites Rainbow Dash to spend time with the Wonderbolts, but then she promptly ignores her when noble ponies start hobnobbing with her. I don't particularly hold this against her, but it does establish social climbing is on her agenda more than hanging out with the pony, who saved her life.
In Wonderbolt Academy I still think she comes across as a competent, but not omniscient, drill instructor. She comes across as one, but she isn't necessarily one. I'm now curious if she actually knew about Lightning Dust, but was willing to let Lightning's bad behavior slide because she had talent. I think it's entirely plausible Spitfire only acted at the last minute to preserve her own reputation, and the big reason I think this is because the way she worms herself out of trouble in Rainbow Falls is disturbingly similar to what she did to save face at the end of Wonderbolt Academy.
I don't set out to like characters, I set out to appreciate characters, and I can appreciate how the show has established Spitfire as a manipulative social climber. It makes me wonder how much of her position as a high ranking member of a State sanctioned paramilitary organization she actually deserves. How her character's been shown over time is, frankly, fascinating to me. I don't like her as a person, but she's definitely one of my favorite characters now.
I hated Rainbow Falls for its plot, but I can't help but appreciate the episode for the other things it did, like the cuteness of Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps, the return of Derpy, and how it revealed so much about Spitfire's character. I just wish Rainbow Dash would stop worshiping the bitch.
TL;DR: Spitfire's actually a pretty fascinating character for how much screen time she's had.