Andrew treated like everyone else — C.O.

Press, 21 April 1982, Page 8

Andrew treated like everyone else — C.O.

NZPA London Prince Andrew, a helicopter pilot aboard H.M.S. Invincible, would be given no "safe” mission should the carrier go into battle, according to his squadron commanding officer, LieutenantCommander Ralph WykesSneyd. The Prince, aged 22. is a sub-lieutenant and co-pilot in Invincible’s No. 820 Sea King helicopter squadron, whose main role is to seek and destroy submarines. But they could also be deployed in support of a beach-head assault by Royal Marines. Prince Andrew was considered and treated as an ordin-

ary member of the ship, the “Guardian” said yesterday. He enjoys no special privileges in the squadron he joined about nine months ago. Commander Wykes-Sneyd, aged 35. said: “If we go into action I will put him on missions exactly the' same as anyone else in the squadron. I have no special instructions for him as. a pilot. If any decision is made it would obviously come from higher up the line. “As far as operational flying is concerned, he flies sorties the same as anyone else. We have pilots of different levels of experience

and I match the tasks accordingly." Commander Wykes-Sneyd said that he obviously did not put his youngest and most inexperienced pilots on the most difficult jobs. “He is a second pilot and only 22. Obviously, as a very young man. I would not pitch him into one of the most difficult tasks. But there is no normal operational mission that he, as a crew member, could not complete. “He is an extremely capable young man, very competent in the air. I am under no constraints to treat him in any way differently from any of my "other officers.”