Royal Slated To Fly Helos In Army Air Corps

Britain's Prince Harry has passed a four-week assessment course that determined he is a suitable candidate for pilot training. He flew a total of 13 hours with a civilian flight instructor in a two-seat Slingsby Firefly at Middle Wallop.

Only half the entrants of the demanding course go on to advanced training. He will attend flight school next month at Middle Wallop in Hampshire, but later in the year will be posted to RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, UK's Telegraph reported.

The first part of the Prince's 30-month training course, known as the Army Pilot's Course, will last until the spring of 2010. After its successful completion, Prince Harry will begin his training for a specific helicopter -- likely a Gazelle, Lynx or Apache.

"If Prince Harry qualifies as an Army Air Corps pilot, he will, like any officer, be available for operational service wherever the AAC flies," a Clarence House spokesman said. Another source added, "If his unit goes to Afghanistan, Prince Harry will go with them. No doubt about it."

The Prince's 10-week deployment to Afghanistan's Helmand Province was cut short earlier this year when details of his posting were leaked on an overseas internet site, making him a magnet for attacks, the Telegraph said.

The 24-year-old Prince is the first member of the Royal family to be deployed to the front lines since the Duke of York, Harry's godfather, flew helicopters in 1982 in the Falklands War.

FMI: www.army.mod.uk/air/air.aspx