RAF Tornado's buzz playground full of kids, farm park owners furious

The British Defense Ministry has launched an investigation after two Tornado fighter jets out of the RAF Leeming base buzzed some fifty kids who were enjoying the day at Diana Gardner's Newbridge Farm Park, near Hereford.

The fighters appeared to be on low-level target practice runs when they buzzed the children's outing. According to Ms. Gardner, the aircraft appeared to aim their flight paths right at the kids, all under five years of age. The result, of course, was pandemonium.

To make matters worse, just as the children and the animals were recovering from the flyover, they were buzzed by another jet flying behind the first one.

The park's owner was furious. “The planes seemed lower than 250ft and made an appalling noise," said Ms. Gardner. “It must have been clear to the pilots there was a large number of children and animals on the ground. I understand the need to train — but why over our park?”

The organizer of the outing for the kids, Ms. Rita Cornish, stated that “We are used to seeing military aircraft flying low but I have never known anything like this. It was as if we had been targeted. The kids were screaming and animals were flying all over the place.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence stated that they were investigating the incident and added, “The farm is in an area where aircraft are allowed to practise low flying at no less than 250ft above ground.”

FMI: http://www.raf.mod.uk/stations/f_stn.html