Prince William Awarded RAF Wings
The Price of Wales has awarded his son, Prince William, with his RAF pilot’s wings.
The Prince received his wings, along with 24 other graduates, at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, UK.
First Solo Flight
Prince William’s RAF training began in January this year. Eight days into his course, he achieved his first solo flight in a Grob Tutor aircraft.
Tucano, Squirrel Training
The Prince – known as Flying Officer Wales – subsequently moved on to the RAF Tucano trainer, and then the Squirrel helicopter. His training took place at three RAF bases – RAF Cranwell, RAF Linton-on-Ouse and RAF Shawbury.
In 1971, Prince Charles himself received RAF training.
Echoing the steps taken by his father, Prince William joined the military after completing university, going on to graduate from Sandhurst at the end of 2006.
Prince to Train with Royal Navy
Following the completion of his RAF training, he will now undertake training with the Royal Navy.
Both experiences are intended as periods of familiarisation, in advance of the Prince’s future role as head of the armed forces.
William’s RAF training took the form of a specially condensed course – lasting 13 weeks in all. Usually, however, RAF pilot training can last as long as four years.
In contrast to Prince Harry, who returned from deployment in Afghanistan earlier in 2008, Prince William will not follow a “career soldier” path. Rather, Armed Forces International understands that he will mix public engagements with military responsibilities.
Royal Family and RAF
The first member of the Royal Family to serve with the Royal Air Force was King George VI in 1918.
Many years later, Prince Charles was trained on the Jet Provost jet powered training aircraft at Cranwell, while Prince Andrew served as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands Conflict.
RAF’s 90th Anniversary
The RAF is celebrating its 90th Anniversary this year, with a number of events marking the occasion planned to take place in coming weeks. Most recently, an anniversary flypast was mounted over London which featured the RAF Red Arrows and four Eurofighter Typhoons.
Source – Armed Forces International’s Political Correspondent
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