In a few years time, he will be at the cenotaph in order to lay a wreath in honour of our dead. Between now and then, many more will lay down their lives in the defence of….well if not our country I suppose it will be somebody’s.
Each of you will watch, and note what the colour of the day is, be it Army, Navy or RAF and observe the wings that adorn his chest.
Each of you will have your own private views as to the validity or otherwise of the entitlement for them to be there. He will then be, as he is now, and always has been, an ambassador. Unlike most MP’s, he will have seen it, even if he has not ‘been there and done it’.
I am sure that given a choice, he himself would have much rather enjoyed a flying tour as his father and uncle did, but for whatever reason, it is not meant to be. So be it, and I sincerely hope that he enjoys every second of it. He has no visions of grandeur, for if he did, he would most probably get chopped at Valley.
I once heard a QFI state that as his uncle was (then) a Sea King Captain, it proved that you can take anybody off the street, and given time and money turn them into a helicopter Captain. Andrew does not have flying in his blood, I know for he himself told me so, along with “I do not miss it an iota”.
If William does have flying in his blood, and he will know very soon, then we all should respect that. The fastrack selection, QR’s reference keeping wings, and entering flying training with poor eyesight are all valid points regarding any normal aircrew student. He is far from a normal aircrew student, and some good may well come of him taking this opportunity, we are on a win – win.