William to the rescue: Falkland Islanders get first glimpse of the Prince in action as he plays major role in rescue mission

  • 29-year-old spotted at controls of helicopter for the first time
  • Stationed in South Atlantic for six weeks as a search-and-rescue pilot

By
Mail On Sunday Reporter

Last updated at 11:26 PM on 18th February 2012

Prince William has played a major role in a rescue mission in the Falklands.

William was pictured in the cockpit of his Sea King helicopter after flying a patient to hospital last Monday.

Mercy mission: William at the controls of the Sea King helicopter on Monday

Mercy mission: William at the controls of the Sea King helicopter on Monday

The 29-year-old is in the South Atlantic for six weeks as a search-and-rescue pilot.

Islander Patrick Watts said: ‘Everyone has been anxious to  see William in action.

This is  the first time he’s been spotted  at the controls of a helicopter.

‘He flew an injured person  from the military base at Mount Pleasant to the hospital in Stanley.

‘The local police came out in some force to keep people away from the chopper once it landed next to the hospital. They have never done that before.’

On duty: Prince William the pilot and his crew prepare for their first sortie of his six week deployment

On duty: Prince William the pilot and his crew prepare for their first sortie of his six week deployment

Ready for action: William's team is on call 24 hours a day

Ready for action: William’s team is on call 24 hours a day

William
– part of a four-man team on call 24 hours a day – is also said to have
taken part in the rescue of seven Vietnamese fishermen who jumped off
their trawler last Sunday to seek asylum.

He has also been sighted with other off-duty pilots at a beauty spot called the Frying Pan River carrying a book on the Falklands by Max Hastings.

He told a local man he was ‘catching up on the history of the islands’.

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment on specific rescue sorties.

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Vietnamese fishermen seeking asylum in the Falklands?
I guess they were seeking cold wet weather and solitude!

A good man doing a good job …. Unlike Sean Penn.

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