J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I personally don't have any problem with the royals, not pro, not anti but was wondering if they are still subject to the same rigorous selection procedures that I expect are in place for you average punter ?

cossie-nutter

iTrader: (45)

I must admit he has worked very hard at this but still is not what you know but who you know and who is willing to suck up to you etc...

fatherpierre

Can you really see him failing the 'rigouress' selection course he has to pass first?

robby

Wasn't he the 1 that could wear trainers instead of boots on a previous selection as his feet were hurting?

Isn't he (as well as his brother) the 1 that couldn't ride a motorbike the other week as he had a poorly stomach?

I'll bet he still goes partying during the trainind period unlike proper trainees who stay on the base?

And how will all his bodyguards fit in the helis?

Is he only doing it as he has seen his brother popping home/ to grannys/ to stag do/ to girlfriends houses in the helis and he wants to play as well

Fuggin lazy spoilt **** should either be treated exactly as other service personel or stay out of it altogether - can you really see them putting their lives on the line in a situation for "normal soldiers"?

Moley

iTrader: (9)

Fair play to him though for doing his bit for gran and country.

How many people on here would be willing to fly into a war zone? (although i'd assume the area he'll be patroling won't be a very risky one)

HankScorpio

Two words - Prince Edward, if they couldn't cut it, they wouldn't be doing it. There are loads of "toffs" fast tracked and do a great job. Academic results aren't everything. They've probably had a bit of a help along the way but they are also under infinitely more scrutiny than everyone else.

Prince Andrew flew in the Falklands as well so they're not just paying lip service.

moff1888

No matter what may or may not have been done in previous training he will not be able to "blag" his way into being a helicopter pilot let alone flying an apache. If he does manage it then fair play to the lad. Can't do right for wrong...

Joins up - good egg but takes criticism, trust me he is not the worst junior officer to have come through, I have come across far worse.

Deploys to Afghan - again good egg yet takes criticism for endangering the troops he deploys with, have a word people its Afghan at the end of the day, where exactly would be safe.

The only place he will be flying an Apache is in some pretty sh1tty places. Give him a chance 1st....All of course IMO

Anyhoo I feel i'm beginning to rant...Someone elses turn i reckon.

Moff...Soon to be off to afghan where some trainer wearing young royal may well be flying around me

StickyMicky

i think he is the more down to earth one (no pun intended lol) out of the lot

gets pissed, and blows **** up, seams like a top chap IMO
wills seams a bit poncey

the ginger one seams like he is a bit more bad ***, probably because he gets mad at people calling him "gingoid" and stuff

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Dont get me wrong, I like them, but one week poncing about with paris Hilton, then decides to fly Helicopters in a war zone, I would imagine for anyone else its tough to get to that level but it seems strange both can get there, what are the odds, ok, its not what you know, but that only goes so far.

I would hope that they have broadly the right skills, as otherwise, those who depend on them would be in a dodgy position.

I am all for bravery, I think most young men will be brave if given the chance to fly an Apache Helicopter, getting shot at will separate the men from the boys, I am not saying I would do it !

I reckon I and most people on here could fly one with the relevant training but its that last few percent to think clearly under duress, when being shot at, deciding what to shoot back at, to multi task effectively and make life and death decisions, not many people can do this, and I think it would be a longshot that both of the lads were this way up.

teamheath2

iTrader: (1)

Definately

If it takes him around 2 and a bit years to get through to fly an Apache then he will be taking the same route!!

The pilots course is around 18 months before conversion !!

IMO he sounds like a good bloke, and could understand all the uproar about him going to Iraq as if Al-Qaeda knew he was there then pretty much everybody would of got spanked in hope they got him, but then the sneaky sneaky move to Afghan was well orchestrated I thought, as it let him get on with his job as a FAC !

If he does end up on Apache, the only places he will be flying are AFG and Arizona on training !!

Geezer

It's pointless. It takes years to become an Apache pilot. One was interviewed on the radio the other week, it's 6 years or something daft, a huge investment in time and money.

There is no way Harry will get to fly an Apache in a war zone 'cos they ain't used for ferrying services like Andrew did in the Falklands, they are a combat machine, pure and simple.

They would be better off spending the effort to let someone who actually has a chance of putting it to use.

I'm not blaming Harry, it's not his fault who his mum & dad are but still.

Geezer

ritchie21

Erm hasn't Harry actually seen front line service?! Served in afghanistan until the press leaked it!!

The boy can't win!

DYK

It is very hard to become an Apache pilot and rightly so,ive also thought that these two lads seem to be flying through these selection tests..

BTW if anyone wants a good book to read about becoming an Apache pilot and what it takes..

get ED Macy's Apache.






An astonishing first book, Apache is a story of courage, comradeship, technology and tragedy, during the ongoing war in Afghanistan. 'Apache' is the first book to come from the cockpit of the most sophisticated fighting helicopter the world has ever known. Designed in the mid 1980s to take on the Soviets, these machines have proven themselves as the perfect tool for combat in Afghanistan. Ed Macy's account of the incredibly hard Apache selection process, tougher than that of the SAS, combined with his description of the sheer difficulty of flying one of these helicopters provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between man and machine fighting in the toughest conditions imaginable. The climactic build-up to the rescue mission at Jugroom Fort is both dramatic and deeply moving. The rescue of Lance Corporal Mathew Ford has been hailed as one of the most remarkable and daring rescues of modern wartime and Ed's bravery on the ground at Jugroom Fort led to him being awarded the Military Cross - one of the first in the Army Air Corps' history.Taking the reader right to the heart of the war in Afghanistan, 'Apache' offers an unprecedented degree of proximity to the action and horror that troops in the region are faced with on a daily basis. Gripping from the first page to the last, it is utterly compelling and impossible to put down.

cossie-nutter

iTrader: (45)

That sound like people at my work always trying to pull a fast 1!

Jerome

I gather only the top 2% of those selected to train as pilots for the Army, will make the grade for an Apache.

As for "most people on here could do it", being a military pilot is much more advanced than being a civilian pilot. We have a couple of military pilots on here. I'm sure both of them will testify that it is much more challenging than being a commercial pilot, let alone a private pilot.

It would seem unlikely that Harry will be in that 2%, and I'm sure no flying instructor will pass him as fit to fly any helicopter, let alone an Apache, if he doesn't make the grade.

I'm full of admiration for the guy. He managed to get active service in Afghanistan, when he could have quite easily avoided it. That he is so determined to get out there again, shows a certain character. Whether or not he makes the grade, I certainly think he is a very remarkable individual, regardless of his background and position.

Leslie

It is disappointing to see the inverted snobbery, which is arguably the worst kind, being displayed in some of the posts.

I think he is a good bloke at heart and he loves his job in the Army. By all acounts he is highly regarded by his compatriots. He pushed like hell to get out into a war zone and it was not his decision to be so restricted in that respect.

He will have to be good to get through that course and he certainly will not get an easy pass as was so unpleasantly inferred. I saw his father doing his RAF training and he had to work at that to get his wings, and Prince Andrew saw active service in the Falklands as a helicopter pilot. He was sent off to fly just clear of his ship to act as a decoy if the Argies fired an Exocet missile at his ship! Takes a bit of nerve to do that I reckon!

Before people start shooting their mouths off unfairly, it a good idea to know what you are talking about!

Les

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Through not fault of his own, he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

At least he's bothering to do something with his life. Whether he is getting a easy ride relative to other personnel is debatable, what isn't a matter of dispute is that he could have it much easier if he wished and just do sweet FA bit like the *cue Spitting image* "unemployed man"

Fair play to him I say.

Ns04

fatherpierre

You don't have to be a graduate to get into Sandhurst.

Jerome

Why then, would no other person get in with those results then?

The Army site just says A levels. It doesn't specify grades.

fatherpierre

I've known people go through with average GCSE results. Depends how well you impress on paper sift and interview I guess.

That was a few years back, though. Criterea change depending on how desperate they are!

Leslie

Yes thats as maybe, and he is obviously not an academic star. However he seems to have had sufficient qualifications to get to Sandhurst anyway, and I question how significant all that is for the job he is doing anyway.

I think it is unfair to undermine him in the way he was, lets see how well he does in the "hicopleter" course, thats what counts after all. I can assure you he won't succeed if he is not capable enough. Too many lives at risk otherwise.

Les

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

What I was saying, most people of decent intelligence and motor skills could be trained to fly one, to take off, fly a circuit and land again, like I said, its the ability to that whilst being shot at, avoiding radar, avoiding terrain, deploying weapons all on the hoof, all subject to events changing the whole mission, now thats where the talent lies, and that is only a small percentage of the population who have the faculties to do that, I couldn't, by a long way.

Mitchy260

The apache conversion course has a higher failure rate than that of selection into 22Rgt SAS.

We are not talking of ordinary soldiers failing, but that of already experienced helicopter pilots.

Each eye has to work independently of each other (A good test for this is to open a book and read both left and right pages at the same time) Additionally all 4 limbs have to do various tasks independently of each other.

All at the same time.

I suspect Prince Harry has just said he wants to be a pilot and the press have therefore automatically assumed that he wants to be an Apache pilot.

He has to get through his basic helicopter pilot license first and that is no mean feat, again there is quite a high failure rate on this also. Military a lot more intensive than civilian, as there is a lot more tactical navigation and ''sneaky beaky'' parts of the course.

There is not a hope in hell the main Apache flying instructor will pass a pilot to fly the aircraft if they were not of the best of the best and upto the job.

£46m apiece and they can do a lot of damage.

If Harry is not good enough (I suspect he probably wont be) then he will get found out and not even make the grade to fly in the simulator, never mind the actual helicopter.

Someone in the know