Eyes to the sky as RAF Tornados roar over region in finale tour - VIDEO and PICTURES

Thousands of people turned their eyes to the sky as RAF Tornados roared over Staffordshire and Shropshire today.

The legendary war planes, known as Tonka's by aviation enthusiasts, whizzed over the National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield, the Defence Electronics and Components Agency in Stafford, RAF Cosford and RAF Shawbury near Shrewsbury.

And RAF Cosford was jam packed as thousands of enthusiasts turned out to watch the Tornados before their retirement after 40 years in operation.

WATCH: RAF Tornados final flight over Cosford

Roads were completely gridlocked both ways heading into the site from the A41, with traffic going as far back as the M54 Junction 3 coming from Telford.

The two-person aircrafts were due to fly past at 1.29pm but they appeared a few minutes early, causing people to scramble for their cameras to try and grab a picture before they bolted through.

Visitors had mixed feelings, with many disappointed at being stuck in traffic and others upset that the planes only went past once. However many were thrilled by the spectacle.

Michelle Edwards, from Wolverhampton, took her boys Ollie, eight, and six-year-old Archie to Cosford.

She said: "The boys had a good time. We got here really early and had a look around the museum. We weren't going to but thank God we did. It's good to have something to do with the kids in the holidays." Archie added: "It was scary and really fast."

Ken Wilson and his wife Val, both from Leegomery, Telford, took their grandchildren, but were left underwhelmed.

Ken said: "We're a bit disappointed to be honest. The traffic was pretty terrible obviously, and I suppose we've only got ourselves to blame for not getting here earlier. It would have been good if they could have at least flown round a few times.

"You barely saw them. It's a bit of a grey day as well so that doesn't help." Val added: "We've got three disappointed grandchildren in the back now. We'll have to take them out for ice cream instead."

Alf Thomas, from Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, said: "It was very nostalgic to see them. It's amazing how they seem to creep up on you with no warning, then they're just there, making all that noise, and then they're gone.

"The pilots must be so skilled to fly that close together and at such speed. It fills you with pride to see them."

Three-day tour

The flyover is part of a three-day tour which takes in several RAF bases.

The planes passed the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum shortly after 1.30pm and RAF Shawbury at around 1.40pm before continuing onto RAF Valley in Anglesey.

On Wednesday they will travel across the south of England, and they will finished to tour tomorrow in the north of Scotland at RAF Lossiemouth.

The jets were launched in 1980 and were first used during the First Gulf War. Most recently, they were deployed in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria alongside the newer model Typhoons.

The initial plan was to retire the Tornados in 2015 but this was postponed so the warplanes could aid the fight in the Middle East.

They were also used in the 1999 Kosovo war and were also used for the UK's deployment in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, and in Afghanistan from 2009 until UK troops were pulled out of the conflict in 2014.

The planes have two huge turbofan engines which each generate 16,000lb of thrust and reach a top speed of 1.3 Mach, around 1,000mph.

The aircrafts are 16.72m long, has a wingspan of 8.6m and can reach a maximum altitude of 50,000ft.

They can carry Brimstone air-to-surface missiles, which are designed to minimise collateral damage and are capable of hitting moving targets. They are also equipped with a sensor capable of taking high quality images, day or night.

• Did you see the Tornados? Tweet us your photos at @ExpressandStar and @ShropshireStar to feature in our collection below.