I was at Waddington the day the event occurred but I left after the Vulcan arrived - couldn't be bothered to wait another 40 minutes to see an F-16. Before the Vulcan arrived an E-3 and Sentinel were doing overshoots and rollers, all of which were very impressive from the spot under the approach lights, but of course they were at about 50ft as they crossed the road.
As ever, the Police turned-up and told everyone to move away - which they did. I didn't, and as ever, the coppers admitted that they couldn't make anyone move, it was just advice. I pointed-out that I'd been standing there on and off since the 1980s, so I was aware of the risk and I was willing to take my chances.
I think that's fair enough. What I don't understand is why there is no sign that informs people of the risks. Surely, a simple sign could be erected that states the danger and that anyone standing there does so at their own risk. Obviously, even the lowest approach is safe, and it is rare that there is any true danger (I can't remember how long ago it was when a Starfighter actually hit the fence, but we're talking decades). The key problem is that most people don't even realise the potential danger and are therefore unprepared to do anything about it if they need to.
I was astonished to see one person actually standing on a stepladder right under the approach lights on the road side. Okay, he still wasn't nearly high enough to be at risk but he would obviously be in no position to make a swift exit if an aircraft really did come in way too low. Why would one need to be on a ladder in any case? Bizarre!
I suspect the whole issue will be resolved during the runway reconstruction. I heard dark rumours a long time ago about that stretch of the A15 being diverted or even closed (using the parallel road instead). I doubt if there's enough money to do this but I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of arrangements were made to simply keep people away from the area.
Although it smacks of "spoilsportism" I can see how frustrating it must be for the coppers, when people still dump their cars on the roadside, even though there's a dedicated car park. The A15 is a very busy road and some of the people you see there just act like idiots, throwing themselves into the road and running about as if it's Alton Towers. I don't think the police or the RAF will be happy until the whole area is cleansed of enthusiasts. Still, the way things are now with no show and no aircraft worth seeing, I doubt if many people are going to be standing there any more, so maybe the problem is solved by proxy!