Prince William flicks wrong switch and grounds £1m plane
Prince William was responsible for grounding a £1m plane after ‘flicking the wrong switch’ during training. The Daily Mail has the story;
Prince William grounded a £1million RAF aircraft after flicking the wrong switch and ‘overcooking’ the engine during his pilot training, according to a former RAF officer.
‘He flicked the wrong switch on shutdown and overcooked the turbo. I think he switched it back on. The engine tries to start again when it is stopping. He’s not the only one, we’ve had two or three. Better pilots than him have done it.’
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said:
‘We are aware that this incident took place. But we can confirm there was no damage done to any aircraft during Prince William’s training. That’s all there is to say on the matter.’
April 14th, 2009 06:19
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1169763/Have-seen-look-Zara.html
update
April 14th, 2009 08:34
it’s wierd that everyone is worried is the plane ok and no word how W is doing
April 14th, 2009 09:02
Th s br ngs t m nd the m st ke th t McC n m de n the rcr ft c rr er F rrest l. McC n h w l st f ve rcr ft, h t the thr ttle n h s jet nd c used n expl s n th t k lled 134 s l rs. f c urse McC n w s fl wn w y mmed tely w th m n r njur es. Just n ther r ch b y m st ke.
** BRW – Sorry guys – this one was going to get too political! **
April 14th, 2009 09:12
Hannah Stevens,
D d wr ng. F r st rt d by r ck t f r d by pl n n d ck p l t d by tw w th r ff c rs, h t McC n’s pl n nd n th r, gn t ng fu l t nks. ll y u h v t d s r d th r p rt by th USN t s th t y u d n’t kn w wh t y u’r t lk ng b ut. D n’t sm r n h n r bl m n w th y ur BS.
** BRW – Sorry guys – too political! **
April 14th, 2009 09:28
Well I’m glad he was hurt and no big damage was done.
April 14th, 2009 09:31
I meant to say:” I’m glad he wasn’t hurt and no big damage was done” LOL.
April 14th, 2009 10:36
The plane was on the ground. Prince William was never in any danger.
But, even if “better pilots” have made the same mistake, it does make me wonder how serious this RAF training really is. I just don’t see him really doing the whole training and tour. It’s not like he can be a serving officer for life.
April 14th, 2009 11:12
This happened LAST YEAR before William got his wings. Trainee pilots make mistakes, thus why they are termed trainees. The tabloids are once again dredging for “news”. Nothing to see here, move along.
IMO few people go into the military and hope it is a life’s career. There is no guarantee (beyond the required minimum enlistment stint) on how long any one person will serve. Re-upping is not mandatory for anyone.
April 14th, 2009 11:15
Iscariot,
I would call this article “dredging for news.” Noting is really going on right now!
April 14th, 2009 12:05
Hello! Thanks god, William is fine. It’s an unfortunate incident that could happen with any beginning pilot. Let us hope he won’t forget this lesson and continue his successful career.
April 14th, 2009 12:54
What I don’t understand is why the tabloids are focusing on this one incident now. As Iscariot rightly pointed out, this happened LAST YEAR in 2008!
This actually happened 1 year and 3 months ago. And even more importantly, WHY do the headlines all scream that William wrecked the plane, when he did no such thing?
I read the article, and he flipped a switch when he shouldn’t have. That’s it, that’s what he did wrong.
Most of the articles explained in detail how it happened, they explain that when 2 pilots are in the cockpit, sometimes 1 pilot doesn’t know the other one flipped this particular switch, and the overheating is what takes place. The engine can only handle heat up to 650 degrees Celsius, and when William flipped the switch it sent the temperature over 700 degrees Celsius, a more than 50 degree difference.
The articles say that they grounded the plane for several days and checked it over, and that nothing was wrong with it. I also read that it’s a mistake that many pilots have made, and that it’s a very easy mistake to make.
So why are the press trying to make such a big deal out of it, and creating screaming headlines that don’t match the actual truth?
He didn’t wreck the plane, and he didn’t mess anything up. The plane is fine, and the RAF instructor was quoted as saying that “better pilots than Prince William” have made the exact same mistake.
I think the press is just starved for news of the younger Royals, so they pounce on any little thing and make a big deal out of it.
April 14th, 2009 13:09
That’s the problem, there is nothing to report on at the moment because right now everyone is busy and in their own world. The tabs is just coming up with stuff and it’s just crazy. I bet they can’t wait for the summer months start to kick in because that’s when these royals will come out of their shell.
April 14th, 2009 15:15
My question would be why this former RAF guy decided to leak this little tidbit now? I would imagine there would be some sort of confidentiality policy in place that was breached. I suppose people expects William to breeze through and not make any mistakes.
April 14th, 2009 18:29
I use to be a flight attendant, and planes get grounded when there is a one in a million chance of danger. It was one of those minor mistakes that because of regulations, precautions have to be taken above and beyond the actual risk of danger.
But the headline “WILL WRECKS HIS PLANE” with a picture of him smiling and laughing is hilarious. The cover makes it look as if he was pleased with himself for “wrecking” his plane.
April 14th, 2009 20:20
The media is all bent out of shape these days. There is so little to report on in the press. So what happens? They take a morsel of information and sensationalize it. Look at the headlines for Kate.- Kate has a health problem Kate has a health scare. All of these are designed so that people will buy their papers to read the articles. If the truth be known probably people on the internet were blogging about her biological clock ticking. That translated to Kate was worried. At least the papers saw it that way. William is their next person to sensationalize. Across the internet, people are rehashing things that have gone on years ago. People are frustrated about little or no news about William, Kate etc. I too would like them to make an appearance. I know, Rman would say that I must be patient. However, I do miss seeing her and William in public.They love each other and it is nice to see them together. By the way any news about Kate and William over the Easter holiday?
April 14th, 2009 22:02
Kat, do worry I miss seeing them too. No there’s no news on their Easter holiday. I do hope we will see them soon though.
April 15th, 2009 21:43
Here is another french artical on William & Kate’s rumored engagement from March.
http://tinyurl.com/cq6xds
I don’t know something tells me that it really did happen in Scotland but they will announce it when they have the time. I just get a strange feeling on that subject.
April 15th, 2009 22:02
Prince Albert finally talks about marriage and peoples interest in his personal life.
http://tinyurl.com/cq6xds
I wonder if this is how William feels?
April 17th, 2009 22:03
Rman you posted the same link? I’m interested to hear what Prince Albert has to say for himself as I’ve pretty much given up on that one…
April 17th, 2009 22:49
JJ I provide so many links that I sometimes get crossed.
Here is the link of Prince Albert talking about marriage.
http://tinyurl.com/d39n9k
Here is the one on William & Kate.
http://tinyurl.com/dk6kjv
I found this story interesting and it really made me think that it finally happened but they will make it known when they have the time.
April 18th, 2009 04:03
** BRW – Comment removed because you got too personal. **
April 18th, 2009 04:05
Rman, your positive attitude is uplifting. That article seems like a rehash of the Point De Vue one that,I suppose has been proven erroneous at this point. With the window for a 2009 wedding pretty much closed,I fear we have quite a wait ahead of us.
While I d still think W/K will eventually marry, I think they are in no hurry to take on the roles that will come with that marriage. JMO. 
April 18th, 2009 07:53
I hope Alsgal is OK, haven’t heard from her for a long while now.
April 18th, 2009 09:18
Lisa it is a rehash to that artical but I just posted it. We just have to wait and see what happens.
April 18th, 2009 10:34
Thanks for the link Rman… I guess we wait