Prince William Gets to Fly in a Tornado GR4 Bomber

Prince William, the amazingly handsome son of the late Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles and second in line to the throne of England has been in the news pretty regularly over the last couple of weeks due to his flying antics. Some good and some a bit questionable.

It was on the 11^th April that the dashing young prince received his RAF flying wings from his father Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. Prince William's girlfriend (and perhaps future wife..?),Kate Middleton, watched with pride at the ceremony at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, England.

Then the news broke leaving the question to be asked, 'Is prince William over-stepping the line of Royal privilege?'

It has been revealed that Prince William, during a military exercise, showed off his flying skills by landing a $20 million RAF helicopter in Kate Middleton's, back garden. The Prince was watched not only by Kate Middleton but also by her parents. Apparently he was practicing his landing skills...

The details of this jaunt came to the attention of Air Chief marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, who was not happy happy, just days after William was criticized for picking up brother Harry in a Chinook so that the pair could attend their cousin Peter Phillip's stag 'do' on the Isle of Wight.

Then came the embarrassing news that during his training as a helicopter pilot Prince William made 5 pleasure trips in a Chinook. Buzzing various Royal homes.

Interestingly, RAF officials have said that there have been no rules broken but there had been some 'degree of naivety' shown.

Not all are happy though. According to the Daily Mail, top RAF brass are privately fuming. They are furious at the poor judgment of the commanders involved.

Today though there has been reported in the Daily Mail that yesterday Prince William got a taste of real RAF flying.

He was strapped into a Tornado GR4 bomber as it sped over the Lake District at 600mph and a mere 250feet above the ground.

One plane spotter recalled standing on a mountainside and being able to see Prince William in the navigator's seat in the cockpit.

After getting his feet back on the ground it was reported that Prince William told ground crew, "That was awesome, the most amazing experience of my life." He also joked that it would take weeks for his legs to stop shaking.

According to the Daily Mail an RAF insider said, " We've taught the prince basic flying skills, but this was showing him how we actually fight an aircraft."

Sources -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=558832&in_page_id=1770

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=561393&in_page_id=1770http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=561832&in_page_id=1770