Big jets
/Living in a house where the girls make up a mere 25% of the population has brought about a few things I didn't expect. Firstly, I didn't fully appreciate that boys are apparently born without the gene for locating things outside of their immediate line of vision. And I didn't expect to have detailed information about the Premiere League stored in a file in my brain which I can whip out at a moment's notice for general chit chat or to gain kudos with teenage boys in my classroom! I didn't quite realise that boy's toys are way more fun than girls - I really don't know what to do with that pink aisle in the toy shops, but give me a bucket of Lego and I'm good to go. And I was quite unaware of how exciting big jets are! Which is why our special trip to RAF Aldergrove a couple of weeks ago was one of the best afternoons we've had as a family for ages.
A friend of ours very kindly invited us to bring the boys to watch 2 Tornados being flown into Aldergrove - it was an offer we were never going to turn down! We were met at the base, signed in all very officially and given a pair of ear plugs before being led to the runway (the RUNWAY!!) to watch the jets fly over and then land. It's very hard to describe just how amazing the whole experience was. The boys were loving it all, Patrick out loud and Conor in his own quiet way. We stood at the end of the runway with just a couple of other families and watched as these jets screamed from nowhere into our line of vision and into the distance in a matter of seconds. It's the noise that's so impressive. Just incredible. And then after another fly past they landed and taxied to where we were standing.
Such impressive machines. I was in my element taking photographs with both my camera and my trusty hipstamatic on the phone! And to know that these planes see active service in Afghanistan and other areas where our forces put their lives on the line for humanity was very humbling. But the fun didn't stop with just the tour around the planes as Patrick got to sit in the cockpit of one and have one of the pilots tell him all about the controls. So cool when you're 8 years old! And to add to our excitement, a Sea King helicopter on a search and rescue mission also graced us with its presence as it landed to refuel! Seriously, it was one great day out!
As an additional highlight, the planes flew over Bangor the next morning on their way back to Scotland. I happened to be sitting in a friend's house which overlooks the Lough when they screeched overhead. There's every chance I made a total idiot of myself as I leapt up shouting "It's the jets! It's the Jets!" But it really couldn't be helped! Like I said, it's quite a surprise just how exciting big jets are!
