British Prince William will begin taking flying lessons next
week at the start of a four-month assignment with the Royal Air
Force, the military announced on Friday.
The prince will begin his course on Monday with around 10 other
students at the RAF Cranwell base in eastern England, the air force
said.
Known as Flying Officer William Wales, he will learn to fly a
propeller-driven Grob 115E light aircraft, known as a Tutor, before
moving to RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire where he will be
trained to fly the faster Tucano T1 plane.
He will finally progress to RAF Shawbury in Shropshire to fly
the Squirrel helicopter.
"During his time with us, Flying Officer Wales will be realizing
a personal ambition to learn how to fly and this will be the
beginning of a lifelong relationship with the Royal Air Force,"
said Group Captain Nick Seward, commander of the air force flying
school.
"If successful, he will be awarded his RAF wings, and in
anticipation of this a graduation ceremony is planned for April,"
Seward added.
Father's footsteps
William, 25, is following in the footsteps of his father, Prince
Charles, in serving with all three branches of the armed forces.
The British monarch is symbolic head of the forces, and William is
second in line to the throne, behind his father.
Prince William graduated from Sandhurst military academy in
December 2006 and has spent the last year as a second lieutenant in
the army's Blues and Royals cavalry regiment. His younger brother,
Harry, 23, is also an officer in the Blues and Royals.
William will undergo a shortened version of the air force's
standard pilot training course and will follow his stint in the air
force with several months with the Royal Navy.
"We have adapted the course and we have cut out anything
superfluous to his specific needs because we're not teaching him to
be an operational pilot, we're teaching him to be a competent
pilot," said Squadron Leader Kevin Marsh, who is overseeing
William's attachment.
Some questioned the training for William at a time when the
military complains of being overstretched due to the conflicts in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Graham Smith, from the anti-monarchist group Republic, called
the prince's flying lessons "a disgraceful waste of resources".
"If William wants to learn to fly, he should either do it on his
own time and at his own expense or commit to serving a full career
in the air force," Smith said.
(Agencies via China Daily January 5, 2008)
