Willy's Wings

[Selfloader]

Can anyone tell me what exactly it is that HRH Prince William has achieved in just four months of training in the RAF? News reports on Friday showed him proudly sporting "wings" after a parade, that were presented to him by his father. What do you learn in just four months (PPL equivalent?) and and how many hours will he have logged? Surely this is not enough to earn RAF wings, and certainly William cannot be opertional. Is it just something Royals do? I know Charles was never operational but he wears wing. However Prince Andrew, was operational having seen action in the Falklands. What gives here?

[Solid Rust Twotter]

There's already a thread on JB for those who feel the need to whine about it. It has nothing to do with African aviation.

[south coast]

Selfloader, you obviously dont understand the meaning of the Royal famly.

It is good that the future King of England does a short stint in each branch of the armed services.

[Witraz]

Try this link. Gives so info on his training

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/PeopleInDefence/PrinceWilliamGetsHisWings.htm

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:

It could perhaps be argued that for a young man of dubious antecedal claim to the throne of England to spend a short time parading himself through the armed services is nothing more than a waste of taxpayer's money?
The British are inordinately proud of their armed might and the men and women who maintain such an influential international tradition of excellence under combat fire. To treat the services they represent rather as a small and spoilt child would treat a selection of sherbet dips is perhaps not the sort of behaviour one might seek to find in the man who may well eventually claim to be, presumably in any old order of appearance, an Admiral of the Fleet, an Air Chief Marshall or even a Field Marshall.
It all might rather remind one of the private pilot who sports four gold bars and a flying suit the day after he passes his PPL and decides to take his girlfriend up in a rented Cherokee 140. Still, it might impress some and most certainly the Africa Forum is the place to come to flaunt such manifestations of heroic grandeur. After all, if the gutter press is to be believed, there is more than a whiff of bedsheet gunpowder between the House of Saxe Coburg Gotha and certain elements of the ci devant Rhodesian aristocracy.
The fact that the last true king of England died on the field of Bosworth in 1485 has absolutely nothing to do with African aviation either.:ooh:

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Probably better a future monarch has some understanding of service ethos from serving in all branches, however temporary that may be, than the current Brit govt who are trying all in their power to destroy the traditions of the military.

Still doesn't belong in this forum, though...

[Flightsimman]

If my memory serves me correct was it Prince Charles that almost overshot the runway in a BAE-146 back in the early nineties ?

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:

Memory serves correctly. It happened in June, 1995 and it was a trifle more than an almost overshot. The BA 146, at Islay was, from memory, a write off. The Captain and Navigator were held at the inquiry to have been grossly incompetent. Charlie was the handling pilot at the time. Charlie, whoever's fault it really was, did not do the honourable thing and take, at the least, a share of the blame.
The report on the accident was restricted, no doubt in the public interest?
This is all rumour of course, which is what Pprune is for, is it not? But whichever way you cut it, the heir to the British throne slunk off into the heathered undergrowth and let better men carry the shrapnel. :yuk:

[SortieIII]

They had a nav on a 146 in 1995?:confused:

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:

Royal Air Force standard crew procedure?
Flight into unknown terrain?
Highlands and Islands?

Many RAF Navigators are given training in the landing of military aircraft, specifically Tornado navigators flying in The Middle East.
Perhaps in this case it would have been a cheaper option for the taxpayer had a seat change been arranged before the final approach was undertaken.
It is rumoured that Charles Coburg Gotha likes his boiled eggs prepared 'just so'. There are no stories extant as to how he prefers his scrambled ones.:D

[south coast]

I believe during war in mainland Europe, they took the surname, 'Windsor'.

Why do you continue to refer to their previous name?

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:

Actually, if one were to take the family name through Philip, son of Prince Andrew of Greece, it would be, for Wills....
William of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, with an umlaut on the first u of the last name or quartering as one supposes it might be termed.
The name of Windsor was adopted during WW1 in an attempt to distance the royal family from their Germanic connections at a time when England was at war with the uncles and cousins of those who then held the crown of England. Quite whether this expediency of name changing was ever legally and formally established by deed poll is difficult to establish. Therefore the name of Windsor may reasonably be supposed to be an alias of convenience, adopted for reasons of concealment of true identity and thus presumably, in today's political Britain in particular, an illegal adoption of identity expressly undertaken for the purposes of subterfuge.
:suspect:

[AVSEC]

I dont find this thread amusing.
It is unfair to the person of the individual reffered,and some nationals of the associated country the individual represents in constitutional capacity may well find this thread very offensive.
No one seems to mind when presidents are photographed wearing airforce or military combat attire for photo opportunities during a war.
Give the Gentleman a break,as he is by force of circumstances having to carry out a role with dignity he never asked for,and doing a damn good job at it.:D

[purplepilot1]

Gautengflyboy,

To correct you a Pome is actually a reference to an australian as it is "prisoner of mother england"

Just so you know.

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:

Be that as it may, to describe an Englishman today as a 'prisoner of mother England' is highly appropriate, snivelling of course, or not.:O

[Nickerbal]

I guess the new RAF standard for wings & training is about right for an empire that is now a mud bank off the coast of France and having a former Colony own the Jaguar logo! Sorry guys your tea has gone cold:D

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Perhaps you should consider the third world hole SA has become before you gloatingly point fingers.

Also, bear in mind the course was not a full military front line combat course and the youngster will never be exposed to the kind of risk found in war zones as a combat pilot, being second in line for the throne as he is. He is merely getting to know the contents of what will soon be his toybox, something that would benefit many of today's leaders who have never served a single day but are happy to commit their forces to conflict. Hopefully the youngster will have more interest and influence in making sure they are properly equipped and able to return home in one piece and still breathing than the trendy socialist government currently in the UK.

On the other hand, please don't let the facts get in the way of a good dribble.:hmm:

[SAT_BOSS]

SRT, fully agree with your statement: “Perhaps you should consider the third world hole SA has become before you gloatingly point fingers”

But then again we actually taught these guys how to make stinking third world holes. Do you maybe recall the SAAF Commando Pilots?

In the old days when things were Lilly White it went something like this:

i) You invited the “brass” for a “blesbok” skiet on the farm that the Land bank owned, the Landboukrediet raad financed and basically 2 bokke got you in.
ii) 3 Bokke got you a squadron leaders job
iii) 4 Bokke made sure you could buy a heap of s:mad:t and get it fixed on the taxpayer’s money so that you could pay for it flying “Kommandante” & sy maatjies around the sky.

Nah you see in life it’s not really about the k:mad:k you can make but the k:mad:k you can take and methinks we can’t take what we gave. The roosters have come home. But on your comments that this is not really the right forum for the discussions at hand I fully agree. But the Jag & Tata gives me a wry smile. Quid Pro Quo I guess it’s called by the clever people.:}

[south coast]

Nickerbal

Tell us about your world class air force instead then!

If ours is a joke, yours is hilarious!

[Groot_Pens]

Indian Air Force Maybe? http://indianairforce.nic.in/ :D

[Lynessa]

it's since our country has stopped National Service that we in the crap we in.
The boys of today never grow up.
Normally the people who have the most to say about the SAAF are the people that did'nt have the balls to do their time in the first place.
Nothing wrong with our SAAF, maybe if National Service was brought back our flying standards would also get back to something respectable.

[Trawler]

Lots wrong with the SAAF. Those thats passionate about flying not allowed in, those that's completely incompetant and unable to pass any standard gets Zim instructors to help them pass because the real SAAF instructors are all RACISTS according to the powers to be. Because the old instructors are trying to uphold some sort of standard they are being worked out. Heard 3 fighter jocks got offered jobs in the RAAF. Nothing wrong!!!!!