WHEN THE PRINCE FLIES

Evening Star, Issue 21724, 19 May 1934, Page 2

WHEN THE PRINCE FLIES

■,J' [By Akt MoLlison,- C.B.E.] .- ’ As the plane" glides to and the roar of the engine ceases, the little ; group on the aerodrome, waits expeot- : antly. A familiap, lithe figure in a lounge suit steps out of the cabin. _ He ■ comes forward with" the quick, decisive steps of a man of action. A hat is in • his hand. Instinctively, somewhere in the background, a cheer is raised. The , Prince of Wales has arrived on one of , his flying visits. “ 1 like flying/ 1 the Prince once confessed frattkly. “But 1 don’t always fly because i» like it. *11)6 aeroplane - helps me to fulfil more engagements ; than any other form of transport. And • that is why 1 own aeroplanes.” . • Does the Prince pilot his own . machine? , ... • - ' There’ are people with extraordinary ■ stories to tell of the Prince flying and 5 “ stunting ” among the clouds with the : zest of someone with a new-fangled toy in his possession. I can only say that these stories are purely imaginary. Although the Prince now holds the- rank of air marshal, he has not yet applied to the Air Ministry for a pilots certi- ■ flcate. But he can fly his own machine, and does on occasions. Yte, because '■ ho is heir to the throne and fully real- • ises his own responsibilities in that ; direction, he never goes up alone and • never permits himself to “stunt” in the air. He is, in fact, a real air tra- : vellcr. He studied the art of flying as an ordinary pilot. Whenever he ; could spare an hour he would go down • to Hendon and, under the tuition of • Squadron-leader Don, take lessons. Although he had at the time flown more

hours than many pilots in the Royal 'Air Force, he .began with the theory. He spent , hours ■ over. text books. He learned all' about the mysteries of camber and incidence. He went up with Squadron-leader Don in a dualcontrolled machine.

•, HIS ( FIRST, “ „ J It is ih the pastes of”the Princess p’H- ; rate log-book that one finds-the-pro- ] gross of his flying lessons. They were ■ in full'Swing in the autumn of 1929, a ; time of gusty weather and heavy . clouds. The Prince was using his latest . purchase, a De Haviland Moth, and . flying with Don between Smith’s Lawn, . Windsor Great Park, to Hendon, where : he has ~always stabled hia- machines. : In the flying log-book the jirst stunting in the air in this machine was recorded •on September 22, ,1929. “Two loops : and stalled turns ” was the entry. The : next day there were turns, gliding : turns, and take-offs with two , loops. Throughout the bad weather of October these tuition flights continued, and then, bn October 17, 1929, Squadronleader Don made an entry in red.ink in the book. It recorded a local flight of fifteen minutes’ duration after Northold. This was the first time that the Prince had flown his own machine unaided.’ Don was the passenger. When I flicked over the pages of that flying log-book 1 realised something of the? extraordinary air mileage that the Prince now has to his credit. And he had flown in every type of machine, from the very fast Wapiti of the Royal Air Force to the biggest flying boat in the world, the, Dormer DOX.

From the first the Prince had all the keen enthusiasm of youth for the study of new types of machines. He wanted to fly in every modern plane and study its advantages. And at his dinner table in St. Jaines’s Palace there began to gather air pilots from all over the world. The Prince was definitely air-minded and interested in the, “ shop ” talk of airmen. He was taken for a trial trip in the R.A.F.’s latest, machine on November 29,' 1929, the giant Fairey monoplane, piloted by Squadron-leader A. G. Jbnes-Williams. It was with this machine that the R.A.F. hoped, to achieve the world’s long distance non-stop record. The Prince moved about the machine, handled the controls, and examined the enormous petrol capacity of the tanks. A few days later that machine, the illfated Silver Torpedo,- set out on the record flight. Squadron-leader JonesWilliams, accompanied by Flight-lieu-tenant N. H. Jenkins, hurtled in the night into one of those towering peaks that form the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. And the machine that the Prince had admired ( so much and seen controlled by a great pilot crumpled into a worthless heap of scrap metal.

When the great flying .boat, the Dornier DOX, came to Southampton prior to crossing the Atlantic, the Prince flew down in an amphibian plane to inspect it. Captain Mertz was in command, and offered to take the Prince for a flight. In a few minutes the giant’flying boat was fofiMhg down the Solent and took the air.' It was then that the Prince took his place in the pilot’s seat and became the first Englishman to fly this German machine. He revealed remarkable skill in his handling of it, banked slowly, and beaded the machine back again. Then, handing over the controls to the regular pilot, he crawled inside the wings and inspected the engines as they were in full flight. When the machine landed easily on the water again Captain Mertz was unstinted in his admiration. “ You are a born pilot, your Highness,” he said. But the Prince shook his head and smiled. ADVENTURES AND MISADVENTURES. Of course, there are risks when flying. The Prince recognises these, but is naturally impatient when the authorities insist upon providing him with % flying-boat escort jyhsn crossing the

Channel. When flying to Biarritz, the-Prince’s-favourite holiday spot, a flying boat is waiting in the Channel to glimpse the familiar machine as it swings over the sea from Lympne. Immediately the flying boat takes the air and trails the De Haviland as far as Cape Gris Nez. But once, among the clouds, the Prince managed to lose his escort. There have been a few exciting landings, as the ‘ Plying Logbook ’ laconically announces. But most of them are caused by bad weather conditions, which, nevertheless, do not prevent the Prince from flying to his engagements. There was tne occasion recently when his present pilot, Flight-lieutenant Fielden, was forced by heavy mist to bring the plane down in a sodden held near Swanage. The Prince was due at Weymouth. As soon as the plane landed he stepped out, begged a passing motorist for a lift, and rushed on to Weymouth. He arrived there, soaked with rain and shoes and trousers muddy. He was apologetic to the waiting officials, but insisted upon going on with his ceremonial duties without further delay. Occasionally the story is whispered among Royal Air Force officers of the time when the Prince’s machine flew into the midst of air manoeuvres over Britain. The Prince looked up and found some thirty aircraft fighters about him. He was in a battle between the Blue and Heel Armies. One of the Red fighters spotted this interloper and decided it was a Blue enemy. It dived, and began to rattle with an unloaded machine gun on the tail of the Prince’s machine. The Prince entered into the spirit of the affair. His machine began to twist and turn in an endeavour to escape the attacking plane. But again and again the Red plane swooped down and, riddled the Prince’s machine with an imaginary stream of bullets. Only when the Prince had Jed the other at top speed from one county into another did the Red fighter realise that there was something queer about this machine that refused to be brought down.

It was a former R.A.F. officer who was responsible for an amusing incident which the Prince humorously but ruefully tells against himself. This officer had the unique experience of kicking the Prince of Wales when they were in midair. It happened in South Ame‘ricay’whehl tlie Prince of Wales, accompanied by his brother, Prince George, was in a flying boat droning over Montevideo. “ I noticed from my seat at the controls that the machine was wobbling,’’ said the pilot officer. “ Somebody was moving about. Out of the corner of my eye 1 could see someone coming forward. Supposing it to he ,a sailor 1 made signs with my hands'for him,to remain in his place. The fellow paid -no attention. So the moment he. came within, reach .1 gave hini a gentle kick. This made the fellow look up. It was then I saw that it was the .Prince of Wales I had kicked. And he returned to his seat in the plane.” Needless to say, the officer apologised, but the Prince realised that the pilot was merely doing his duty. Later he sat by the pilot and gazed down upon the wonderful panorama provided by Montevideo from the air. THE PRINCE’S “ STABLE.” There was a time not very long ago when the Prince of Wales was one of the largest owners of private aircraft in the country. His “ stable ” consisted of a De Havilland Dragon, a De Havilland Fox Moth, and also a Vickers Viastra air liner 1 . In addition there were two Gipsy’Moths. But this was a transient period. The Prince was seeking the aircraft most suitable for his job—the visiting of cities and functions throughout Britain. _ It was also essentiaLthat he should h’ave a fast machine combined with the. highest possible safety. So the “ stable ” was reduced, some of the machines sold, and on two types of aeroplanes the Prince eventually decided. His favourite machine today is the De Havilland "Dragon. This is the aeroplane used for the numerous comparatively short journeys he has to make in England, and is capable of landing and taking off on aerodromes I not suitable for his larger and more powerful Vickers Viastra machine, which is the other aeroplane the Prince decided upon. The Prince’s Dragon is a beautifullyconstructed and handy little biplane, painted in the red and blue colours of the Household Brigade Flying Club. It is also wonderfully compact and quiet. At the rear of the cabin there are writing materials, a typewriter, and a gramophone, with the Prince’s favourite batch of records. There is also an electric heater and a kettle with which the traveller can make himself a cup of tea. Both the Dragon and the other machine, the Viastra, can carry five or six persons, and so important'members of the Prince’s suite can accompany him if necessary in either machine. For public functions a private detective accompanies the Prince. The Viastra monoplane, however, is 1 more for use on extended travel at home or abroad. The Prince likes to use this when going on holiday to Biarritz or elsewhere. The Viastra is an all-metal monoplane fitted with two Bristol Pegasus engines. The machine is a standard product, similar to. others which have been used on Australian air routes for. some years, but modified in detail for the special purpose of private travel. Parachutes are carried »for all passengers. I emphasise all these details because it is obvious that the Prince of Wales takes no unnecessary risks when flying to and fro on duty. As heir to the throne he realises that he has a special duty in that respect. He does not attempt to interfere with the judgment of the pilot or the air officials. And In Flight-lieutenant Fielden he has one of the best pilots in Britain. Slim, darkhaired, and with a Guard’s moustache which is apt to twirl when lie is asked awkward questions, I have found Fielden a very reserved young man. To him piloting the Prince of Wales is a job. For the most part Fielden is just calm, collected, and uncommunicative When I have talked to him about the

Prince’s many flights in Britain and elsewhere a far-away look comes into his eyes, and he is apt to change the conversation. He did let me have the flying log book, which was as sparse ot romantic or sensational details as this young man himself. Like most of the flying men of to-day he confessed that he never smoked. I think the time is coming when wo .shall have a hew and great adventure for the Flying Prince. Recently, at St. James’s Palace, there has been much talk with pilots of the Arctic Circle route to Canada. -Maps have been studied and possible flying boats examined. It may well be that the Prince will give a lead to Atlantic? travel by attempting this route, landing in Canada, and proceeding by air to bis ranch in the West. And perhaps another visit to New York, this time by air. There is no doubt of tho enthusiastic welcome that the Flying Prince would receive.