Prince Harry to become helo pilot?

[XV666]

Prince Harry to make a lifestyle choice: driving angry palm trees ;)

:ok:

:cool:

[choppertop]

BBC website says Prince Harry wants to follow his big brother into the business. Will his helo instructor help him with the answers, then?

[Bravo73]

It's also all over today's Sun. He wants to be an Apache pilot, apparently. Or 'riding the dragon' as the article refers to it. :yuk:

[Avitor]

Best if I keep my thoughts to myself, they would not make pleasant reading. :oh:

[smudgethecat]

Aint the royals just wonderfull, were so lucky to have them, im sure harry will make a first class pilot just like his dad and brother before him, its something in the royal genes that do it i believe

[Agaricus bisporus]

Best if I keep my thoughts to myself, they would not make pleasant reading.

Why? The lad wants to be a helo pilot, just as we all did. What's wrong with that?

What's wrong with this thread is the sad, bitter and twisted, bigoted sourpusses that infest it.

Some people really would be better keeping their thoughts to themselves.

Get a life!

[206Fan]

Already posted in the military section!

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/348550-prince-harry-become-helicopter-pilot.html

[soggyboxers]

A. Bisporus,

Well said; sounds like a bunch of sour grapes from some very jealous posters. the young man can't help it if his parents are fabulously wealthy. He didn't ask to be born, and if he is given the opportunity to achieve his goal in life, why shouldn't he? I come from a very poor family, but I was luckily enough to be chosen to swear my loyalty to Her Majesty, in return for which I was able to achieve my goal of becoming a helicopter pilot. I served with Prince Charles many years ago, when I was back doing a stint as a mud Marine and he was one of the pilots on 845 NACS on HMS Hermes. I found him to be a delightful man, great fun and always wanting to join in the fun (when senior officers would allow him). I never flew with him, but he seemed to be well esteemed by his contemporaries on the squadron. I for one, was happy that, like his father, he had chosen to spend some time in the service of his country. It should be remembered that Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy in 1939 having been born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu in 1921, and saw active service throughout the Second World War, rising to the rank of Lieutenant. He was present in Tokyo harbour when Japan surrendered. It is sad that present-day Royal advisers are listened to far too much and that those young Royals who wish to serve their country like their predecessors, are too often not allowed in harms way. This is probably due to the gutter press being too ready to splash their whereabouts to all and sundry, making them a tempting target for terrorists.

I, for one, am pleased to see that another young member of the Royal family wants to be part of the UK military and see at first-hand exactly what they do. I wish him every success if he has what it takes to make the grade and hope that he will be allowed to serve in the front line if he gets through.

[Bravo73]

Sorry, chaps, but I think that you might be erroneously grouping me with the 'anti royals' brigade. My ':yuk:' was in reference to flying an Apache being called 'riding the dragon (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/royals/article1858787.ece)'.

I personally think that some of the posters forget that the Armed Forces 'belong' to his granny and if he and his brother want to go off an become heli pilots, then good luck to them. If my granny was responsible for several hundred helicopters of all flavours, I'd certainly be asking for her help. But I am slightly bemused by one of the comments in the Scum. Apparently, one of the reason that Harry wants to be attached to the AAC is so that he doesn't act as a 'bullet magnet' for his comrades whilst out on patrol. But surely an Apache must be one of the most 'magnetic' things on the modern battlefield...? :confused:

[misterbonkers]

Svenestron - was thinking the same myself!

Agaricus bisporus - well said.

I'd like to wish Harry all the best.

[Bravo73]

Nope. They are still 'Her Majesty's Armed Forces'.

And the Commander-in-Chief? Well, surprise surprise, it's HM Queen Elizabeth II.


I'm not even going to bother responding to the rest of the drivel that you wrote. :p

[Avitor]

I hope some of these rather abusive types in this thread feel just a little better now that they have sung the praises for the young playboy. Where is he now, on an expensive motor bike I believe.

Do they consider his foot stamping demand a career move? Or is it that he needs a new toy? :=

By the way, a set of wings does look rather fetching on a dress uniform, does it not! :cool:

[Whirlygig]

The sooner we have a society not based on what family you just happened to be born into, the better.
You mean communism? That worked well before didn't it?

Cheers

Whirls

[Bladecrack]

Nice riposte whirls,

You lot really are getting too predictable... Its just a re-run of the Prince William becoming a SAR pilot thread...

Typical posts that he "is a spoilt rich kid and how dare he want to fly an Apache in the Army Air Corps".. (with the subtle hint of jealousy) Vs the "it's not his fault which family he was born into, give him a chance, and best of luck to him" side.

I don't see why he shouldn't get the chance to serve his country and fly a helicopter like his other family members who served.. :hmm:

[Bravo73]

If you're happy to be ruled by someone, just because who their parents are, then you are a fool.

If you are under the impression that we are 'ruled' by the Windsor family, then you, sir, are the ignorant fool. :p



NB Just because someone isn't 'anti royal', it doesn't necessarily make that person 'pro royal'.

[fluster cuck]

Sorry but some people on here really begger belief. A young lad who clearly wants to serve HM Forces more than he is allowed to do tries another avenue now that it seems he might not be able to be deployed with the infantry again, and he gets criticised for it? Would people prefer William and Harry to make no effort, have no experience of the military of which one of them will eventually be head of?

And as for the 'Royal Worship', I'm pretty sure I have a scroll somewhere with HM signature on it, not John/Tony/Gordon etc. Like it or lump it really...

But maybe you're right Vital, the sooner we give complete control to a society founded on spin, short term gains, loose morals, and dubious economic policies instead of the reasonable balance we have today, the better.

[Avitor]

Now that the drama queens have had their say, I will let it be known, I swore allegiance to King George 6th, it transferred to the Queen and will stay with me for life.
These two boys are playing, 'I want this, I want that'. It would not surprise me to hear that the Duke of Edinburgh was heard to say make up your minds what you want to do and stop flitting around like greedy, irresponsible flies.

[FairWeatherFlyer]

At least he's not chasing the dragon :\ .

For those interested in (reading about) inequality, interesting article in this week's economist (with its own comments section):

Sharing the pain in a downturn | Pain all round, please | The Economist (http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12480828)

[parabellum]

I would be quite surprised if Harry checks out on the Apache. Current Apache pilots have already done at least one tour, (3 years), on either the Lynx or Gazelle and are selected for the Apache at the rate of about 24 per year, all very valuable training slots for career pilots. It has already been announced that Harry won't be transferring to the AAC but remaining with his regiment so the usual career progression for a young officer would be a three year detachment to the AAC, the Gurkhas, foreign armies etc.etc. as a subaltern or captain before continuing his career in his own regiment. My guess is that, provided he passes out, he will get a three year tour on a Lynx, initially as a co-pilot and subsequently as an aircraft commander.

[griffothefog]

Yes, you have to love them don't you?

Rotorwings, nice one mate.... "Nick the Greek" the true face of Britain :D

Think I'll stick to fuel at 18p per Litre and no politicians or tax. :E

Good luck to the boy, if its free, I'll have 2...

[choppertop]

Knowing nothing at all about the miliary, would Harry have to pass the same ground school etc as a civil commercial pilot trainee*?








*On his own

[Bravo73]

No. No No No No

[parabellum]

He'll have to pass all the exams other Army helicopter pilots are required to pass. It used to be the CEB exams set by the RAF for flying subjects and Army exams for Tactics, Gunnery, Signals etc. but that has probably all changed now.
I don't think Harry will be expected to pass CPL(H) theory.

[Tarman]

Rotorwings: As Billy Connolly once said “I think the Queen should be saved and God is the very fellow to do it!”
Seriously though, if her Grandsons are willing to sign up and learn to fly with the Services then good luck to them, just as long as they are assessed honestly and they don’t end up costing some poor, maybe more capable, hopeful a place on the course. But that’s unlikely to happen is it? Similarly, if it turns out they aren’t good enough (it’s not a crime) they should be dropped from the course. But we all know that it won’t happen either!
And SOLO means SOLO not having a safety pilot as a chaperone!!
Then once they’re qualified they can look forward to Stag Weekends the length and breadth of the Country!!:}

[Pelikanpete]

It's all very well criticising the more important members of the Royal family for the choices they make but the reality is that there are few choices available to them. They have to try to make the most out of every opportunity that they can within the rules that constantly constrain them.

They may like a boozy night out (who doesn't?) but both William and Harry are capable and adventurous young men desperate to earn the publics respect and the AAC are crying out for people to volunteer. It is very demoralising for Harry to not be able to fight alongside other members of his Regiment (who by the way are Cavalry - not Infantry as someone said earlier). They both still want to have a front line role so why begrudge them using this opportunity.

It may be a bit harder for their instructor to chop them if they are struggling but if they do turn out to be hopeless I believe they would be failed.

Those posters with chips on your shoulders about this are full of impractical, left wing ideology.

I say - in the wet society that exists in this country today, thank god some public figure heads are willing to join up, get stuck-in in the front line and take some risk.

[VfrpilotPB/2]

The next "News Flash" may be HM Gov all want to mix it with the Rooshians,............... Whoa there dont get excited I mean like his Lordship the Dark warrior who by all accounts is training to drive a JCB, and drink G&Ts at our expense.:rolleyes:

But at least Prince Harry wants to go where we need many good men, and by that I mean soldiers who want to go, how many of you miserable armchair types who constantly carp on about the Royals would volunteer to go to the No1 Sandpit, ......come on stick your hands up lets be hearing from you.

The young Prince is very competative, and I can tell you all whilst at RMAS his platoon failed by 1 point only in trying to be the "Sovereigns Platoon" at their passing out parade! in his previous 12 months he was no slacker .

Cut the lad some slack, he can take all that comes his way!:D


Peter R-B

Vfr

[potroast]

In response to our chap that questions the whole royal family thing: Did Aristotle, or did he not, say that the best form of government was monarchy? He was a bright bloke. Didn't fly a copter, granted. But bright, nonetheless. Bagging the royals is a bit lame, and a bit off the beaten track for rotorheads?

[[email protected]]

Parabellum - you will find that the young lads(and lasses) come straight from Sandhurst to Middle Wallop and there are lots of them That go straight onto the Apache. The initial manning for the Apache came from Lynx and Gazelle pilots because that was all they had.

[parabellum]

[email protected] ([email protected]) - Thanks for that clarification but presumably that applies to young career officers in the AAC? I would have thought that the basic flying course, followed by an Apache course would have taken up most of a three year detachment and the Army would not get it's monies worth out of him? They used to require three years operational. Because it has been stated that he will remain with his regiment and not transfer to the AAC I have presumed he will just do the normal young Army officer thing of three years detachment away, as in SAS, AAC,foreign armies etc. etc. before continuing his career in his own regiment, that is how it used to be. Officers who chose to stay on and do a second flying tour had to take in to account that it might effect their future adversely. (possibly not with Harry though!). :)

[floatsarmed]

Good luck to the young bloke. :D As per a previous post, cut him some slack and let him get on with it. Its a tough course and will require him to put in a lot of effort to pass. If anyone wants to venture that he will get an easy or free ride through the course or on subsequent operations then dream on. Wannabees and pretenders are quickly found out and it appears that the guy has a bit too much personal integrity to allow the rails to be greased.

Both Harry and his elder brother seem as 'normal' as you could be given their personal circumstances. Having one of the Princes within the Army Air Corps can only be a good thing. He's an ideal candidate; drinks to excess on occasions, likes girls, behaves inappropriately at parties, likes to get stuck in, not affraid of a fight and wants to be alongside his men when it gets a bit hazardous.

Detractors can now lay off and go and bleat about something else.

Floats' out.

[[email protected]]

Parabellum - unless he gets a shortened course through DHFS it will still take him 18 months to get through that plus a Lynx/Gaz conversion. I think they will have to make a special case for him to do more than 3 years outwith his Regt anyway if they are to amortize his training costs. I can't imagine him wanting anything but AH anyway.

[Sulley]

Not too sure about the logic of this one. I can understand why he wants to fly the Apache, but if he was pulled out of his previous role because it was too dangerous where do they intend to send him in an Apache ?

[OffshoreHeli]

Good luck to him if that's what he wants to do. Envy is a terrible thing. The army air corps was always an Officers flying club, with SNCO's doing the majority of flying, which was great. I never envied them there desk jobs. More to the point who is going to do the cleaning for the REME servicing inspections, normally a pilot/crewman job.
Maybe he'll join us on the North Sea one day.

[zorab64]

Those who serve,or who have served, in the military, will sympathise with the comments about allegiance to our current (or previous) monarch. Some of those who haven't served will also understand but it appears that some will never get it.

Our Royal Family provide more income (directly & indirectly), to the Government than they receive in Civil List payments. The two young Princes earn their own wage and do their Royal duties on top, at all times being expected to keep a lid on any show of, naturally youthful, exuberance lest the gutter press discover them doing what we all did at their age - enjoy ourselves, from time to time.

That they wish to serve on the front-line, despite the reluctance of the top brass to see them as bullet magnets, is commendable - most of us "lucky" enough to actually get involved in combat, as young men, regarded it as the culmination of our training and our raison d'etre - we were proud to serve Queen & Country and spent the time trying to do our best, not let our colleagues down and concentrating on getting home alive . . . as any other thoughts were not worth contemplating.

I would have thought that flying an Apache would be a "safer" sort of bullet magnet than driving a "snatch" landrover - at least you can spit back!!:ok:

Interesting that the Times today reported a significant increase in public support for our military, as well as a more recruits in all three services. It's possible that the Princes have helped the military image, who knows? Whether we think the Forces are fighting for the right cause, or in the right countries, is irrelevant - they, like all of us who bother to vote, are doing what their democratically elected government are asking them to do . . . although I'd like to wager that they'll quote the Queen long before they mention the man currently residing in No10!!:mad:

(Edited for typo)

[parabellum]

Well said Zorab64, I endorse all of that!

[Brilliant Stuff]

I third what Zorab said.:ok::ok::ok:

[FLY 7]

:ok::ok::ok:

and good luck to him and everyone else who wishes to serve their country.

[Senior Pilot]

He seems to be achieving his aims :ok:

Prince Harry is offered chance to fly fearsome Apache helicopters

Prince Harry may return to Afghanistan now that he has been judged talented enough to fly Apache helicopters.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01605/prince-harry_1605367c.jpg


As the Prince of Wales returns from visiting British soldiers in Afghanistan, where he spent the night at Camp Bastion in Helmand, his son is looking forward to the prospect of a much longer spell on the front line.
Mandrake can disclose that Prince Harry has been offered the chance to fly the lethal Apache attack helicopters, paving the way for him to serve in Afghanistan again.
The 25-year-old Prince is said to have impressed his instructors so much during his helicopter pilots' training course that he has been given the option of flying either Apaches or the Lynx utility helicopter.
Only the most talented trainees are offered the chance to fly Apaches, which are each worth £35 million: just 2 per cent of those who embark on the Army Air Corps' helicopter pilots' training course end up flying the strike aircraft.
The Prince is understood to have been given just over a month to make his decision, which will be taken in consultation with his military commanders, along with his father and Prince William, who is training to be a search and rescue helicopter pilot.
Harry will receive his provisional pilot's "wings" next month and will start his specialist training - in an Apache or Lynx - later this summer. The Prince has been modest about his abilities as a pilot in the past, joking that he did not have the "brain capacity" to be an Apache pilot. At present, the Lynx, unlike the Apache, has only had a limited role in Afghanistan.
Harry secretly spent 10 weeks serving in Afghanistan in 2007 to 2008 and has spoken of his desire to return. His last frontline tour was cut short because foreign media reported that he was in Afghanistan, which put him and his comrades at risk of being targeted by the Taliban.
"Prince Harry has expressed a preference in the past for Lynx, but if they [his commanders] think he is good enough for Apache, he will certainly seriously consider the option properly," a courtier tells me.
Harry passed his basic helicopter training course last year at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, where William, who is serving with the RAF, was also training at the time. He has since been training at the Army Air Corps headquarters at Middle Wallop, Hampshire. If he opts to fly Apaches, he will transfer to RAF Wattisham in Suffolk.
"Prince Harry, like any soldier, retains a strong ambition to serve his country wherever it may send him, including to Afghanistan," says his spokesman. "Ultimately, it will be a decision for the chain of command."
The Ministry of Defence says he could fly Apache, Lynx or Gazelle helicopters. "Which aircraft he flies will depend on his progress during the remaining weeks of his course," says its spokesman.


Daily Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7530911/Prince-Harry-is-offered-chance-to-fly-fearsome-Apache-helicopters.html)

[leopold bloom]

If he opts to fly Apaches, he will transfer to RAF Wattisham in Suffolk.
Two good pieces of news then! Don't you just love accurate reporting?:ugh:

[Senior Pilot]

Prince Harry is to become a Lynx helicopter pilot clearing the way for a return to the front line in Afghanistan, it will be announced today.

He has been selected to join a Lynx regiment that is likely to herald a return to the front line next year, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

The prince has successfully completed his basic helicopter pilot training and will be awarded his wings in the coming days, Clarence House will announce today.

“Prince Harry is absolutely determined to return to the front line in Afghanistan and flying the Lynx will give him the best opportunity,” an Army Air Corps source said.

“But there will have to be proper risk assessment made for any future deployment as neither he nor the Army want to endanger the lives of fellow soldiers.”

Prince Harry last served in Helmand for 10 weeks in 2008 as a forward air controller carrying out the highly skilled job of dropping bombs on the enemy.
However a return to the front line is likely to lead to complications after he was forced to abandon his last operational tour when an American blogger ignored a media blackout request to reveal that he was in Afghanistan.

Prince Harry was originally meant to serve with his original unit, the Blues and Royals, in Iraq in 2007 but was stopped from going by the then head of the Army. Gen Sir Richard Dannatt assessed that his presence would attract greater attention from insurgents endangering the lives of comrades.

It had been speculated that the 25-year-old soldier, known as Lt Harry Wales, would be selected to fly Apache attack helicopters but has been instead chosen to less high profile Lynx, one of the fastest helicopters in the world. In an Apache the prince would almost certainly have been involved in close combat using the helicopters highly effective 30mm cannon to kill insurgents. There have also been incidents where Apaches have accidentally killed civilians.
Flying a Lynx Mk 9A will mean there is much stronger likelihood of a return to combat operations. The utility helicopter, fitted with powerful surveillance equipment, is used for reconnaissance missions as well as ferrying passengers, including VIPs, or occasionally in combat.

Prince Harry will be awarded his provisional wings, known as “brevet”, after he successfully completed the demanding Operational Training Phase at Middle Wallop, Hants.

He will next begin Conversion to Type training ten week course on the Lynx with 23 flying hours and 36 simulator hours.

The Lynx has two pilots and can achieve a top speed of 201mph powered by two Rolls-Royce engines. In Afghanistan it carries two 7.62mm machine guns and can be equipped with a minigun and Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. Twelve Lynx have been specially converted to enable them to fly in the hot and high conditions in Afghanistan.
The Daily Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/7647687/Prince-Harry-to-become-Lynx-helicopter-pilot.html)

[nigelh]

The Telegraph eh ? Well then its bound to be true :rolleyes: !! I guess it is 50% likely at least .....

[Savoia]

.
Harry Promoted to Captain

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/52200000/jpg/_52200492_52200491.jpg
Harry with Dad Charles at the Army Aviation Centre


After five years of serving as an officer, Prince Harry has been promoted to the rank of captain in the British Army.

The royal was also awarded the coveted Apache Badge by his squadron commander on Thursday, St James' Palace announced. The badge is given after completion of the first stage of training as an Apache helicopter pilot.

Harry joined the army in 2005 after a 44-week training course at Sandhurst. In 2007-2008 he spent 10 weeks in Afghanistan, making him the first royal in more than 25 years to serve in a war zone.

Harry's father Prince Charles, a former Royal Navy helicopter pilot, paid a private visit to the Army Aviation Centre last month. The heir to the throne was there in his capacity as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps. During his visit, he flew an Apache, designed to hunt and destroy armoured vehicles, and met students on his son's course.

More (http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities-news-in-pics/18-04-2011/56236/celebrities/)

[XV666]

Prince Harry in Afghanistan: Royal brothers on frontline for the first time (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/9069631/Prince-Harry-in-Afghanistan-Royal-brothers-on-frontline-for-first-time.html)

The Duke of Cambridge, currently in the Falkland Islands on a six-week tour of duty with his RAF Search & Rescue squadron, will be flying from his base on Anglesey when his brother is in Helmand.
Prince Harry is expected to be sent to Afghanistan towards the end of 2012, meaning both he and the Duke will be operational in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.
Having the future king and his brother fulfilling such dangerous roles as helicopter pilots at the same time represents something of a gamble for the monarchy, but the Queen is known to be 100 per cent supportive of her grandsons.
Although Royal brothers may have fought side by side on the battlefield centuries ago, senior members of the Royal family were rarely sent to the front line in Victorian times.
The convention of members of the Royal family having to work their way up through the ranks is a relatively modern phenomenon, with no members of the House of Windsor overlapping in their military service until now.

The princes’ father, the Prince of Wales, had already finished his active service with the Royal Navy by the time the Duke of York joined the Navy in 1979.
He was the last member of the Royal family to fly a helicopter in a war, when he served in the Falklands conflict in 1982 as a Royal Navy rescue pilot.
During the Second World War the Queen served as an Army ambulance driver but her sister Princess Margaret was too young to serve.
The Duke of Edinburgh served in the Royal Navy for five years during the Second World War, and had achieved the rank of commander by the time his Naval career came to an end with the Queen’s accession in 1952.
During his time on HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean, the Duke was mentioned in despatches for his courage in directing the ship’s searchlights while under fire.

I'm not sure that SAR is quite 'frontline', but BZ to both of them :ok:

[FLY 7]

Also, here

Prince Harry Qualifies as Apache Pilot

BBC News - Prince Harry qualifies as Apache pilot (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16950651)

Prince Harry has qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot after 18 months of rigorous training in the UK and the US, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The third in line to the throne was awarded a prize for best co-pilot gunner at a dinner on Wednesday at his training base near Ipswich, Suffolk.

He and 20 others who graduated now have limited "combat-ready status".

Previously, the prince has hinted of his wish to return to Afghanistan after his first tour of duty was cut short.

Last April, he suggested it would be pointless to train as a helicopter pilot if he never served.

"I'd just be taking up a spare place for somebody else if they didn't have me going out on the job, " he said.

In 2007-8, Prince Harry served 10 weeks in southern Afghanistan as a forward air controller, directing planes dropping bombs on Taliban positions in Helmand province.

However, that ended abruptly when foreign websites broke a media blackout on reporting his deployment.

Prince Harry - known to his fellow soldiers as Captain Wales - will now gain more experience of flying Apaches with 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps.

Apaches, designed to hunt and destroy tanks, are used in Afghanistan and were deployed in Libya last year.

During the dinner at Wattisham army base, Apache Force Commander Col Neale Moss congratulated the new pilots, describing the training as "extremely challenging".

"They are assessed continually to ensure that they are up to the challenge of operating one of the most sophisticated attack helicopters in the world," he said of the graduates.

"This requires composure, dedication and hard work."

Eight weeks of the prince's training were spent in California and Arizona, carrying out exercises designed to prepare pilots for action in Afghanistan.

There, he and his fellow students flew helicopters in mountainous and desert conditions, during the day and night, and fired weapons.

[Savoia]

Prince Harry 'operating like Spitfire pilot' as he destroys multiple Taliban targets in Afghanistan


http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02367/harrygetty_2367119f.jpg

Prince Harry has been likened to a Second World War Spitfire pilot after being scrambled dozens of times to destroy Taliban targets during his first month in combat in Afghanistan.

The Apache helicopter pilot has had "multiple engagements" with the Taliban as he provides cover for British helicopters carrying out rescue missions to evacuate wounded soldiers.

The 28-year-old, who is known as Captain Wales in the Army, is part of a four-man team on standby 24 hours a day to provide cover for rescue missions and to destroy enemy targets.

A military source told The Sun: "Think World War Two Spitfire pilot and the Battle of Britain. He can be sat in a deckchair for hours then scrambled immediately. "When in the air his role is diverse. This is no game and Harry is on the frontline of a terrifying war.

"Prince Harry is a co-pilot gunner in the £40 million aircraft, meaning he operates its weapons systems which include Hellfire missiles and a 30mm chain gun.

His role is considered stressful but he is said to be "taking everything in his stride".

The source added: "He's in the thick of it and is one of the lads. He's genuinely liked and respected by his comrades and if people think flying an
Apache in a war zone is privileged child's play they're on another planet.

"He's genuinely risking his life in a war zone because he loves the Army and his country.

"The dangers the Prince is facing were brought into sharp focus last month when the Taliban launched a rocket attack on Camp Bastion, where the Prince is living, and killed two US Marines. The Taliban later said the Prince had been the intended target.

The missions being flown by the Prince typically involve providing "top cover" to British helicopters vulnerble to ground fire as they move troops or rescue the injured from the battlefield. British Chinooks and American Pedro helicopters are among the aircraft that benefit from such cover.

According to The Sun, the Prince carried out one mission in which he was responsible for protecting an aircraft rescuing a seriously wounded British
soldier.

The Prince arrived in Afghanistan for his second tour of duty there at the beginning of last month. He had previously spent 10 weeks in Helmand working as a forward air controller in Afghanistan.

Prince Harry 'operating like Spitfire pilot' as he destroys multiple Taliban targets in Afghanistan - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-harry/9604398/Prince-Harry-operating-like-Spitfire-pilot-as-he-destroys-multiple-Taliban-targets-in-Afghanistan.html)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zaAEl5mUFQM/UHgq8ygKzdI/AAAAAAAAJ3E/6gXM1gM-XO8/s679/Prince+Harry%21+Apparently..jpg
How Prince Harry operates .. apparently!

[Heli-News]

Prince Harry all set to join the Army’s most elite Apache helicopter unit

The 28-year-old, who recently qualified as an Apache commander, could soon be flying from an aircraft carrier while taking part in some of the most challenging missions faced by pilots, the Daily Express reported.

He is one of three pilots given the chance to gain operational maritime experience with the Royal Navy’s high-readiness force.

The move would see him join 656 Squadron Army Air Corps.

Harry is currently serving with 662 Squadron, which has seen numerous operational tours in Afghanistan where it is due to serve a last mission in 2014.

Prince Harry to join royal army's top Apache helicopter unit - World - DNA (http://www.dnaindia.com/world/1873085/report-prince-harry-to-join-royal-army-s-top-apache-helicopter-unit)