Last month we learned that his Royal hotness Prince William had successfully passed his Royal Air Force Search and Rescue training and today we learn that the young prince has already fielded his first rescue. Over the weekend, Prince Wills was called into action when a man suffered a heart attack on an off shore [...]
Last month we learned that his Royal hotness Prince William had successfully passed his Royal Air Force Search and Rescue training and today we learn that the young prince has already fielded his first rescue. Over the weekend, Prince Wills was called into action when a man suffered a heart attack on an off shore gas rig in Morecambe Bay. Here are photos of Wills taking flight and returning from his heroic mission:
Prince William has taken part in his first rescue flight for the Search and Rescue (SAR) Force, it emerged today. The Prince was co-pilot on board an RAF Sea King helicopter which was called to an off-shore gas rig in Morecambe Bay where a man was seriously ill after suffering a suspected heart attack. The incident took place on Saturday, just over two weeks after the Prince joined the unit. The Sea King, callsign ‘Rescue 122′, was scrambled at 2.11pm after a call from Liverpool Coastguard. The four-man crew, from C Flight, 22 Squadron, took off seven minutes later from their base at RAF Valley on Anglesey, North Wales. The helicopter arrived at the accommodation rig next to a gas production platform in the bay 24 minutes later. At 2.40pm the aircraft was in the air again after picking up the crewman, who had fallen ill that morning. They transported him to an on-shore helicopter landing site where he transferred to a waiting ambulance which took him to a nearby hospital. The Sea King’s crew described the weather conditions as ‘squally winds, which produced some moderate turbulence around the rig’s helicopter landing platform’. A spokesman for Prince William said: ‘Prince William is pleased finally to be able to contribute to the life-saving work of the Search and Rescue Force. ‘He is proud, after two years of intense training, to be able to serve in one of Britain’s foremost emergency services’ … The second-in-line to the throne officially joined his unit on September 17, when he praised the ‘vital’ work of the service. The Prince can expect to be promoted to captain and overall control of the helicopter in the coming years, but how quickly will depend on his ability and performance. William could also find himself flying rescue missions to Northern Ireland as RAF Valley routinely responds to calls there.
I’m certain the Royal Air Force would like to remind folks AGAIN that they should NOT make false calls for help in the hopes of having Prince William respond to the rescue. It sounds like Wills really likes being the hero, which only makes him even more swoon-worthy. Let’s just hope that all of his rescue missions are as successful as this one was.
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