Prince George of Cambridge - NEWS/Photos

[Lady Liebe]

According to the Aero Club "anyone of any age can learn to fly".

https://www.wlac.co.uk/learn-to-fly/

Other aero clubs I looked at do restrict things to 14+ as that's the age your hours start to count towards getting your license. 


Hopefully the press is exaggerating and this was nothing more than a back to school treat.  IMO he's too young and considering he's in school 6 days a week he doesn't have time for regular lessons.  At this age a handful of "taster flights" a year to support his interest would be perfectly fine followed by actual lessons age an older age.  With current school commitments and very likely boarding school from 2026 (age 13) proper/regular lessons will surely have to wait a few years.

I agree.

The article was written to imply George was doing take off and landings already. 

Nothing wrong with a few flights while on hols, and starting early to study the technical side is also a good thing. 

It seems we're not quite done with the silly summer news season yet . . .

ETA: I don't know if they have it anymore, but Gordonstoun used to have an Air Training Corps. His great Uncle Andrew earned his wings as a glider pilot while there.

[VanillaMoomin]

There’s no age limit to start flying with an instructor. The counter of flying hours can only be set when he’s fourteen.

IIRC William never did log enough hours to be a solo pilot (he was a co pilot) so maybe getting George started young is his way of ensuring George exceeds him?

William is a fully qualified helicopter pilot. I don’t lnow how many ratings he has, but he’s keeping his licence current.

He’s a fully qualified co pilot.

[anneboleyn]

And there must be a difference between piloting a helicopter and piloting a commercial airplane. There must be different levels to a pilots license, I would imagine.

[Ghost]

And there must be a difference between piloting a helicopter and piloting a commercial airplane. There must be different levels to a pilots license, I would imagine.

Yes, helicopter is different from planes. And then each type ( for example, B737, A350, etc.) has it’s own endorsement.

[bumbershoot]

Well, this is just MY opinion, gleaned from my aeronautical engineer dad. Far better George learns to fly a real airplane than a helicopter. As my dad always said," helicopters are like bumblebees: lose that rotor and they fall out of the sky like a stone." 

Your mileage may vary.

[Ghost]

There’s no age limit to start flying with an instructor. The counter of flying hours can only be set when he’s fourteen.

IIRC William never did log enough hours to be a solo pilot (he was a co pilot) so maybe getting George started young is his way of ensuring George exceeds him?

William is a fully qualified helicopter pilot. I don’t lnow how many ratings he has, but he’s keeping his licence current.

He’s a fully qualified co pilot.

As I didn’t find a definitive answer on the big old internet about William’s qualifications, I went to study the pictures found for him in the helicopter.

Now, firstly, most photos show him in the seat on the right side.

Secondly, there’s no fixed position for the pilot and co pilot in a helicopter, it depends on the model, but the majority of helicopters place the co pilot on the right.

Here’s an article that explains a little about the seating:

https://www.smithsonianma...in-the-right-seat-243212/

There are countless images and clips showing William in the right seat.

[Principessa]

Prince George listening to the stories of WW II veterans:

https://www.nu.nl/316509/...-van-wo-ii-veteranen.html

[SvenskaSarah]

Prince George listening to the stories of WW II veterans:

https://www.nu.nl/316509/...-van-wo-ii-veteranen.html

He's getting to an age where these types of events may significantly affect him. When I was only a year or so older than George is now, I went on a school trip to the National Holocaust Centre, where a Holocaust survivor told my class of his story. Hearing his story really affected me and probably is the origin of my current path of working towards a PhD in post-conflict memory studies.

Attending these types of events and meeting people is very good training for the future monarch.

[lyndell75]

[Principessa]

Prince George listening to the stories of WW II veterans:

https://www.nu.nl/316509/...-van-wo-ii-veteranen.html

He's getting to an age where these types of events may significantly affect him. When I was only a year or so older than George is now, I went on a school trip to the National Holocaust Centre, where a Holocaust survivor told my class of his story. Hearing his story really affected me and probably is the origin of my current path of working towards a PhD in post-conflict memory studies.

Attending these types of events and meeting people is very good training for the future monarch.

Just wanted to say that it sounds as a very interesting PhD!

[SvenskaSarah]

Prince George listening to the stories of WW II veterans:

https://www.nu.nl/316509/...-van-wo-ii-veteranen.html

He's getting to an age where these types of events may significantly affect him. When I was only a year or so older than George is now, I went on a school trip to the National Holocaust Centre, where a Holocaust survivor told my class of his story. Hearing his story really affected me and probably is the origin of my current path of working towards a PhD in post-conflict memory studies.

Attending these types of events and meeting people is very good training for the future monarch.

Just wanted to say that it sounds as a very interesting PhD!

Thank you! It's quite interesting to me but may be boring to many 😂 I start my fieldwork next week so quite excited!

[thecrownjewelthief]

Love seeing George at the reception - what an incredible experience at his age to have been able to speak with WWII vets with so few left. Great opportunity to shadow his parents too and learn.

[periwinkle]

Love seeing George at the reception - what an incredible experience at his age to have been able to speak with WWII vets with so few left. Great opportunity to shadow his parents too and learn.

Excellent observation and opportunity for him. Totally agree.