My sister Veronica writes about something so common in Lincolnshire – RAF aeroplanes.
On my daily commute between Boston and Horncastle, I pass the RAF Coningsby runway on the B1192. On an evening, it is a fairly frequent occurrence that I am stopped by the red flashing lights to indicate planes landing. The traffic comes to a halt and we sit and wait. For some commuters I imagine the wait is frustrating, holding them up on their journey home from a busy day. I, however, find the sight fascinating and, although I don’t know anything about planes, I watch in awe as they fly past us so close to the ground.
Today was no exception. I got to this part of my journey at about 4.20pm; it was dusk but not completely dark, the best time to see them in my opinion. The planes are lit up and the runway has green, red and orange lights in various places so the pilot can see exactly where to land (I really must find out which colour means what but I expect it’s a similar idea to the different colours used on motorways). It looks magnificent and slightly mysterious! But the funny thing is that more often than not, I never see the plane actually land and come to a stop. I watch them coming across the fields and try to guess what will happen! They get so close to the runway that you think the display is over, but within inches of the ground they soar into the air again to complete another circular route across the sky. The noise from the engines is so loud you feel your car shake!
At other times of the day too I see people in the lay-by watching closely so they can capture these planes on camera, patiently waiting for the best moment. The jets move with such grace as they smoothly travel in and out of RAF Coningsby and it intrigues me, making me want to know more about these creatures that we see so often in the skies of Lincolnshire. They are so powerful and are used for war but as a regular member of the public sat waiting, I just see a fascinating display of three or four graceful engines as they cross my path on my way home, and wonder where they will be going next.
Guest post written by Veronica Addis
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