Mick -

The aviation newsletters are abuzz this morning about a rescue misiion flown over the weekend.

A rookie RAF helicopter pilot and his crew of 3 others rescued a hiker from Mt. Snowden in Wales over the weekend.  The poor guy had suffered a heart attack, and needed a helo lift out of there.

The weather was awful - gale force winds and dense fog, along with heavy rain.  Flt. Lt. Wales, the pilot, got the chopper down very low to where the hiker was and managed to get the sling down so the guy's fellow hikers could get him in it and then he was hoisted aboard the helo and his life was saved.

Flt. Lt. Wales is also known by another name - Prince William.

One of the newsletters said that the hiker didn't know until they got to the hospital who had rescued him.  But he was so sick, that when a crewman told him, it really didn't register.

Now that the guy is on the mend, of course, he's quite grateful.

I think it's really neat the way the males of the royal family serve - Harry in the Army, William in the RAF, and actually doing normal duty, not just going to dinners with generals.  I recall how Prince Andrew, Charles' brother, was an attack helo pilot in the Falklands war.

Charles went thru RAF pilot training, but he wasn't a good pilot at all.  He did manage to graduate and get his wings, but after nearly having an accident, they quit letting him fly single seat airplanes, and restricted him to flying only with a qualified instructor pilot.  So, to keep from costing the gov't needless money, he quit flying.

Hi Mick -

Yes, I did read long ago about the Queen (Princess Elizabeth then) serving during WW II as an ambulance driver, along with her sister.

While our President is the commander in chief of our military, the long term convention here is that he never appear in uniform, or actually be a member of one of the military services, unlike the Royals of the U.K.

Our system respects the civilian control of the military to the extent that even Pres. Eisenhower, as a retired general, actually resigned his commision before being sworn is as president, a tradition that was established by Geo. Washington, who did the same thing.

I remember as a teenager how the news covered it when Eisenhower's successor, JFK, re-commissioned Eisenhower after he left the presidency, so that he could enjoy the status of a retired, 5 star general.

Most of our presidents have served in the military, but not all.  But none have occupied the White House while actually being in the service in any capacity other than as the civilian commander in chief.

Nonetheless, I admire the Royal family for how they serve their country, which, of course, has different rules and traditions.

Col. Pescatori -

I can't recall why Prince William goes by "Flt. Lt. Wales", but that's his name in the RAF.  Perhaps for some sort of security, I just don't know.

I do recall back when Prince Charles' wedding to Princess Diana was covered on TV, and they showed them exchanging their vows, that the prince has about a dozen last names.  That's an exaggeration, of course, but the family has a string of names.

Mick -

Doesn't the Queen wear a military uniform at some official functions even today?  It seems like I remember seeing her dressed in a uniform.

That's an exaggeration, of course, but the family has a string of names.



I have a couple for them,

My nephew retired from the USAF after putting in 25 years ,he is now working at boeing,been there 8 years so he will have three nice pensions when he retires ,what with SS as well.
I once asked him why he joined the Airforce,he said It's the only outfit
were only the officers do the fighting,smart kid.

Jerry Eichenberger wrote on 11/23/10 at 14:48:45:

you would think with all that time on his hands he could devise a little machine to bring the mail to his coffee table,along with the news paper.
Funny before I retired I was going throw away my watch and alarm clock,and cancel the news paper. (A) i never used an alarm clock,I was always up in time. (B) I like my wrist watch a gift from my Daughter. and (C) I now walk 1/4 mile each way to get the paper,I just love to see what Sarah Palin is up to, and I cant even start my day without the crossword puzzle.both of em.