Prince Harry: chopper or chopped?

Apache author Ed Macy — who won the Military Cross in Afghanistan — explains why the Army Air Corps is right for Prince Harry and what he can expect to experience on the tough selection procedure.

He’s a Target!
For Lt Wales to continue his operational role as a Blues and Royals Officer in Afghanistan’s current climate is deemed too risky — to him and his comrades. He is too much of an important target. And yet the Taliban’s highest priority target is the British Apache AH Mk 1, so why put him in one and send him back to fight? Because it’s a flying tank and although these British Apaches have received many hits since May 2006, they absorb the fire, turn around and destroy the unlucky fighter that chose to dent it. Despite costing more than £40 million each they always get back to base, patched up, and sent back out to fight. Due to their cost they are flown to and from high security bases within Afghanistan, so the threat to Harry and his new aviation comrades is negligible.

The Apache’s Hellfire Missiles in action

The Threat
Arguably, the biggest threat to the young prince is not the Taliban but the tough selection procedure he’s about to embark upon. Only the very best of the best make it through Army Air Corps Pilot Selection and get the chance to move onto the Army Pilots Course. Even then the failure rate is high before being assessed as to what helicopter they will fly operationally. If he manages to get ahead of the pack he may even realise his dream of becoming an Attack Pilot on the Apache helicopter.

The First Hurdle
He’s due to attempt ‘Grading’ on Pilot Selection in a fixed wing single-propped Slingsby Firefly 160 aircraft. Grading is a process that assesses a potential pilot’s ability to listen, absorb and replicate simple flying manoeuvres. It‘s a baseline test including ground school to see if they have the aptitude and ability to cope with the Army Pilots Course. It’s monkey-see monkey-do. He will be given a perfect flying demonstration of say, ‘a loop’. Then the instructor will fly the same manoeuvre again with HRH holding the controls with him to get a feel of it. Then the test begins, ‘Lt Wales, perform a loop please’. His ability over twelve instructional sorties and one test flight will be graded. If he makes the grade, he will be interviewed before being offered a place on the Army Pilots Course.

The interview will be ‘a given’; after all, who wouldn’t want a Royal in their regiment? On the other hand, the Grading is not. More than 50% of potential candidates fail and every one of them has been screened for their ability beforehand.

Chopper or Chopped?
If he wanted to become a pilot as a figurehead, he’d do an abridged pilot’s course that he couldn’t fail, like his father. Unlike other members of the royal family, Prince Harry wants to return to Operational Duty. If successful, Harry will be in charge of an Apache helicopter capable of wreaking devastating havoc on the enemy. If he gets it wrong he will kill innocent civilians and troops at worst and be non-effective at best.

The Director of Army Aviation will have no problems failing the prince if he fails to meet the current standards in his training at any stage. With great firepower comes great responsibility.

I wish him the very best of luck.

Ed Macy MC

Attack Pilot and author of APACHE