When the mirror crashed I called you...

Despite sitting on my butt 400 yards from a runway for 3 years, I never tire of the aircraft.

Possibly because it's not a busy airport, and there aren't planes taking off every two minutes - but every time one does take off, I raise my head and watch these monsters trundle down the runway and impossibly lift off.

This week, we have had the Antonov twice, several TNT Cargo - they are big. The obligatory 4 Ryanair, and Donald Trump in his "Trump" plane, and in coming.... and then today outgoing - a real life Dakota from the Second World War.

The arrival of the Dakota was announced on Facebook and Twitter, and voyeurs were asked to go to a certain part of the airfield for the best view....

Prestwick is not the best place for watching planes, as there is a dual carriage way around most of it. The arrival was delayed, from 3pm, til 4, then 5.30, but then just about 5; we heard the engine noise.

I ran out, just in time to see it skim over the top of the trees (the gardeners are a bit slack).

I went back in, pleased that I had seen something historic, something that in it's lifetime had made a difference. I had just sat at my desk, and it bloody well went past again.

So today, when I parked the car, there were several other cars parked where their typically aren't. I spotted the drivers taking out tripods and camera and I shouted, "What's coming in?"

"Dakota is leaving in 5"

So I ran in, opened up my desk, and ran up to the stair window, opened it and listened. I couldn't hear the engines, so I went down to my desk again for five minutes, and then ran back up again.

And so it went for the next thirty minutes, and then I heard the engine, and I ran out; but the flipping thing took off low, under the tree line. I caught sight of it, and imagined that it was taking off and turning right over the coast and heading back out and up to Iceland.

So I grabbed this shot as it started to turn, and headed in to my desk.

And as I sat down, did the bloody thing not come past again - a nice low fly past.

Dang you plane. I don't have the patience for plane spotting.