VIDEO: Prince Harry wows crowds with Helicopter Stunts

Captain Wales was co-pilot as the deadly machine twisted virtually onto its back to the awe of crowds at the RAF Cosford Air Show, in Shropshire. Star-struck spectators had no idea the Soldier Prince would be part of the display team - until his presence was casually announced over the tanoy.



It was 28-year-old Harry's first ever stint in an aerial-acrobatic helicopter show team as the pilot appeared to cheat gravity with rolls.

One spectator said: "The helicopter was almost inverted, with its rotorblades down - it was almost on its back.

"If Harry's grandmother had been watching she'd have been a little concerned I would have thought.

"Everyone was so shocked when they realised Harry was taking part - nobody knew.

"The announcer said the name of the pilot. Then he said 'and in the front we've got Captain Wales, more on that later.'

"Nobody could believe it. They did their routine and then at the end the guy said 'right, you've guessed it, that was Harry.

"He was what they call the front seater, which is the co-pilot so he wasn't actually flying but they were doing a very good display.

"They were really putting the Apache through its paces."

Apache Attack Helicopter Display Team (AHDT) among the aircraft at yesterday's (Sun) popular RAF Cosford Air Show, in Shropshire.

Harry, a co-pilot gunner, serves with the RAF's 662 Squadron of the Army Air Corps (AAC) from which the display crew-members have been selected this year.

The Cosford Air Show attracts thousands of people annually with aerial demonstrations including this year the Red Arrows, RAF Chinook transport helicopters, and the RAF Falcons parachute display team.

Harry was among crew selected given his experience in the deadly Apache helicopter, which has seen combat most recently in Libya and Afghanistan.

Lieutenant Colonel Tim de la Rue, commanding officer of 3 Regiment AAC - part of helicopter attack force in 16 Air Assault Brigade - with responsibility for the display team, said Harry had been "delighted" to have been selected as part of the display team for the summer.

"The display team, unlike some other display teams, is not a permanent assignment; rather it is drawn from a pool of suitably qualified and experienced, operationally ready, Apache aircrew and ground crew, and uses aircraft drawn from the operational Apache Squadrons," added Lt Col de la Rue.

Harry returned to the UK in January, following a five-month tour in Afghanistan co-piloting an Apache.

Lt Col de la Rue said: "This year the pool of display aircrew have been drawn from 662 Squadron AAC which has recently returned from a very successful operational tour of Afghanistan.

"Today's aerial display crew was Staff Sergeant Jamie Boakes, as pilot, and Captain Phil Wilson and Captain Wales as the two front seat co-pilot gunners; all of whom are delighted to have been selected for their respective roles this summer."

The Apache team performs manoeuvres in the helicopter, rather than aerobatics like the Red Arrows team.

Also scheduled to appear at today's air show were some more venerable aircraft, including a Spitife, a restored Cold War-era Vulcan bomber and a B-17 Flying Fortress of the type flown by US airmen in the Second World War and made famous in the Hollywood film Memphis Belle.

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