JIM FERGUSON, Aviation writer This is something that really doesn't happen very often, despite these pilots typically operating at close to 500mph and 250 feet above ground level.

JIM FERGUSON, Aviation writer

This is something that really doesn't happen very often, despite these pilots typically operating at close to 500mph and 250 feet above ground level.

You don't get in and say to your friend "right, who will we buzz today?"; you book into a low level route, it could typically be planned weeks ahead, and the conditions have to be right before you fly.

The fighter crews do a certain amount of low-level training, typically to avoid being detected by ground radar, although their normal operational activities take place at considerable altitudes.

The training is a vital part of any crew's operational development, as it is a skill that has to be kept current. I've been on one or two low level flights myself, and I know it's not like riding a bicycle - you would very easily become rusty without regular practice.

We just don't know what went wrong here. The weather seemed good yesterday, though I don't know if there was any storm activity around the area, but the investigators may want to look at a possibility such as multiple bird strikes, control and/or engine failure.

The RAF Board of Inquiry will consider what the Tornado was tasked to do, and they'll be interviewing the crew of the other aircraft that was flying with it.

They'll also want to talk to witnesses, and they should, provided one was fitted, be able to extract information from any accident data recorder if it survived the impact.

Once the process is completed, a military air accident summary will be published, probably in a year or so, which will provide some information to the public.

If they do find any potential Tornado fleet-wide problem then this could, if necessary, be resolved overnight.

As is well known, the Tornado has been around a very long time. Its replacement, the Typhoon, is literally coming over the horizon and should be in service in Scotland very shortly.