Extra Tutoring Scheduled To Get Royal Up To Speed

Prince Harry's first weeks at flying school hit a snag recently, when the 24-year-old Royal flunked a written theory-based exam at an RAF base in Lincolnshire.

A Royal family source told News of the World, "Harry didn't reach the grade but he will have plenty of other opportunities to pass it. He will now be given extra tuition. It wasn't a case of Harry failing and being booted off the course. It's part of an on-going assessment."

As ANN reported, Prince Harry began his flight training last fall with a four week assessment process, designed to weed out new recruits with little aptitude for becoming pilots. He flew a total of 13 hours with a civilian flight instructor, in a two-seat Slingsby Firefly (type shown above) at Middle Wallop.

The Prince's aspiration after flight training is to fly an Apache helicopter on the front lines, although he may be assigned to reconnaissance duty with a Lynx or Gazelle, depending on his flying ability.

"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."

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