Royal praise for bravery of Apache crews 20.07.11
8The Prince of Wales has praised the courage and bravery of Apache attack helicopter crews in Afghanistan. He has been presenting operational medals to 35 soldiers from 4 Regiment Army Air Corps at Wattisham Airfield. They have just returned from their first tour of Afghanistan. Prince Charles said the aircraft technology had left him far behind when he came to see Prince Harry who is undergoing training with the Army Air Corps. He said:: "I was lucky enough to have a flight in an Apache a few months ago. I had to be shown how to strap myself in and just about every other aspect of the aircraft by my youngest son. "I found I am past my sell by date when it came to controlling such a sophisticated aircraft. "I am not part of the Playstation generation which seems to be vital when getting to grips with the controls of an Apache. "I couldn't read the writing on the dashboard so I was constantly peering at the display." The Prince paid his respects to the families of servicemen, saying: "When my son was away for several weeks I found it is much worse being left behind than when you're out there having to do these things." Prince Harry, known as Captain Wales on base, is now trained to fly a helicopter and is undergoing conversion to role training at Wattisham before being assigned to a squadron at some point next year.