Fast jets in Scotland

"John Mullen" wrote in message
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"Anonymous" wrote in message
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John Mullen wrote in message ...
I was driving down the A9 from Inverness to Edinburgh today and got a
really
good look at a Tornado GR as it passed at low level over the road.
Later
I
saw what looked like F-15's (2, maybe 3 - they were quite far off but
the
plan form is quite distinctive)

There was quite a bit (50%) of cloud at the level they were flying at,
and
obviously a lot of mountains about. Made me think of the fairly recent
case
where the US tried to fit up a Scottish ATC jockey for their F-15's
unfortunate interaction with a mountain. Amazing this doesn't happen
more
often really.

I'm up in Thurso, right up in the far North East.

The RAF jets from Lossiemouth, Leuchars, and Fort William seem to be
giving
us a constant daily airshow.

A Tornado buzzed the building in which I work yesterday (an IT call
centre)
and it made all the glass window panes in the roof rattle like crazy.

They fly round here almost daily, although it is almost always Tornados.

I did see a pair of F-16s (unmistakable) flying over the river past my
high
school about 6 years ago (while I was still a pupil there).

The skies are surprisingly busy round here, considering that the nearest
RAF bases are each over 80 miles away.


I know many local people find the noise disturbing, but on my visits I
really enjoy seeing what amounts as you say to a free airshow!

Couple of years ago I saw what looked like two Tornadoes practicing
dog-fighting off Skye! That was amazing...

John

I got the same when visiting my Brother-in-Law (could be around three
decades ago) at Peterborough when he was serving with the RAF as drill
instructor at Wittering and I saw Harriers and (IIRC) Hunters whizzing
around all over the skies. He basically told me, "you saw nothing and it
never happened" when I quizzed him on this practice.


Richard.