Harrys gone to California

[NotWaitieKatie]

Looks like he might have left this weekend.














@amandarubalcavaAmanda Rubalcava


Hey soooo... Prince Harry is staying in my hotel :D Just saw him all I'm uniform and what not




11 minutes agovia Twitter for iPhone

[Harryforlife25]

Cool I suspect he might have gone good luck Prince Harry  :vday2:.

[SophieChloe]

Why has he gone to California?

[fleur]

^^Its the last part of his militarytraining.

[SophieChloe]

Oh I see - could he not do that here?  - What's betting he'll sneak in a polo match whilst he is training. 

[cinrit]

Surely he goes where he is sent.

Cindy

[SophieChloe]

So we have money to waste sending them to California?

[cinrit]

That would be a good question to ask the military.

Cindy

[NotWaitieKatie]

The training is in the desert, conditions and temperatures like Afghanistan. That kind of training is not available in UK. 

[SophieChloe]

Sorry that does not wash with me - Soldiers are prepared in this country to the highest standard for preparation of what they might encounter in the future.  Also, Harry has already been in Afghanistan so he knows the drill.

[Harryforlife25]

Sorry that does not wash with me - Soldiers are prepared in this country to the highest standard for preparation of what they might encounter in the future.  Also, Harry has already been in Afghanistan so he knows the drill.

He wasn't a pilot though ...he is training  to fly a super mega expensive jet in  weather conditions that England doesn't have  :notamused:.

[Harryforlife25]

The training is in the desert, conditions and temperatures like Afghanistan. That kind of training is not available in UK.

Thank you.

[Yale]

So we have money to waste sending them to California?

Harry has his own money. What does that have to do with Great Britain? I guess because it's military the government foots the bill? Since it's military training, how is that a waste exactly?

[SophieChloe]

So we have money to waste sending them to California?

Harry has his own money. What does that have to do with Great Britain? I guess because it's military the government foots the bill? Since it's military training, how is that a waste exactly?

I know Harry has his own money, but he is a Soldier, No?  Treated the same as our soldiers and our Military are being reduced - read the news! - But California awaits ??

[fleur]

Harry isnt the only one going , the entire squardon is going.This wasn't designed especially for him.

[Rebound]

He has been learning to fly an Apache attack helicopter. The final phase of training is firing live ammunition in desert conditions in Arizona and California. California training probably includes flying in mountainous desert. The areas are very isolated military bases, because the ammo is live. Very tricky desert training, and in a very, very expensive piece of equipment.

Be glad this isn't happening in the UK! There's more room for "misses" in the Arizona desert! :)

[memememe]

This is a standard part of the training for British Apache pilots.  This is not something new just for Harry.  Britain can't simulate the conditions so they send them to a friendly power to allow it to happen there, particularly due to the expensive nature of the equipment being used. 

For ordinary soldiers they can simulate the conditions and the equipment isn't as valuable - e.g. a rifle isn't as expensive as an Apache.

I agree it would be wrong if this was just for Harry but it isn't.  What this is doing is highlighting to the British public that their pilots regularly do training in other countries as most people don't know this.

[wannable]

Prince Harry who is within the 2% who passed for this final stage of training for the Apache will be going to the United States Army Aviation branches (California and Arizona) because that is what the "Treaty Between The Government of The United States of America and The Government of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Concerning Defense Trade Cooperation" signed on June 21, 2007. 

The United Kingdom is also member of the NATO, has a similar to the above mentioned treaty with France, Cyprus and a list of other countries. 

The latest Libyan war, the Brits were being deployed by land, air and sea via an Italian military base, some of them went out got drunk and the entire world had to know from tabloids about their shenanigans, I hope Harry pulls his own ears, thinks before taking a drink.  :Lothwen:

[Mike]

As I understand it, Harry will train both at Naval Air Facility El Centro in California and at Air Force Auxiliary Air Field Gila Bend in Arizona.

NAF El Centro brings back memories of 1970-72.  My Navy fighter squadron from Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego periodically went to El Centro for pilot aerial gunnery training.

I was an aviation ordnanceman and my buddies and I were charged with maintaining and loading the guns on our F-8 Crusaders.  To load them, we had to straddle the fuselage just behind the cockpit and lower the ammunition cans into the aircraft.  In the summer, it was so hot we had to put large rags in the back pockets of our dungaree trousers so not to burn our - selves.  One day, according to a radio report, it reached 127F (53C) in the town.  I was at the end of the runway on the arming and dearming crew and there was a thermometer buried in the runway to measure tire wear caused by the heat.  I opened the protective cover and read the temperature:  142F (61C).  No wonder my feet hurt!

http://www.cnic.navy.mil/elcentro/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Facility_El_Centro

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gila_Bend_Air_Force_Auxiliary_Field

[wannable]

 :thumbsup: to your anecdotes. Great read personal experiences.

[OceanSoul]

Thanks for sharing Mike   :thanks:

[Hale]

Sorry that does not wash with me - Soldiers are prepared in this country to the highest standard for preparation of what they might encounter in the future.  Also, Harry has already been in Afghanistan so he knows the drill.

Elite regiments such as special forces, Paras, Royal Marines are trained in desert, jungle and artic conditions.  In order to do this they go abroad on excercise.  eg:  Brunei, Norway, Belize, Malaysia and Namibia.  The purpose is to give them a wide experience in as many climates as possible especially in areas which relate to war theatres.  Also, equipment reacts differently in different climates.  Hence why Harry will be training in the US deserts.  Just because he's been to Afghanistan he didn't go there as a pilot nor did he fly an Apache.

Wannabe is quite right.   Virtually all Nato countries run joint exercises and loan out there facilities for a price.  Harry is not being accorded any special favours here he is doing exactly what other Apache pilots are doing.

What I'm curious to know is....in California and Arizona where he will be stationed are those the areas in which Black Hawk pilots are trained as both these helicopters are somewhat similar in what is required of them? 

[RaspBerries]

I'm surprised they say where he's going.

[echo]

Maybe he's not actually in California. Maybe they already deployed him to the battlefield and the California training is a ruse.

I don't actually think they did that, but it's fun to speculate.

[OceanSoul]

But someone twitted they saw him at their hotel though I'm curious to see how they will cover up his absence IF/When he is deployed