PRINCE George is learning to fly aged just 11.
The future king enjoyed his first flight last week on the final day of his school hols.
An onlooker at the Berkshire airfield said: “He loved it. It’s the right time to start.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales watched their son soar into the air and come back to land safely just under an hour later.
The treat came on the final day of George’s school summer holiday last week.
An onlooker said: “George is only 11 years old but it is the right time to start.
“The Royal Family has a proud tradition of flying and it looks like George is next in line.
“His parents watched George take flight from the safety of the ground but he flew with an instructor and loved it.”
William and Kate, both 42, had turned up in a three-car convoy at White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead, Berks, a ten-mile, 20-minute drive from their Windsor home.
George’s great-grandad Prince Philip trained at the same airfield.
Dad William is a trained helicopter pilot who has flown for RAF Search and Rescue and East Anglia Air Ambulance.
Wills, Kate and George also relaxed at the airfield’s teeming clubhouse, home to the West London Aero Club.
One person at the airfield said: “There were probably 30 or 40 people in the clubhouse.
“Catherine and William watched George take off.
“But they were relaxed about it. All three of them had been pretty chilled in the clubhouse.”
King Charles handed over the role of colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps to William in May.
Proud Charles said at the time: “The great thing is he’s a very good pilot indeed.”
The Royal Family has a long history of piloting aircraft.
George’s great grandad Prince Philip was 31 when he began his flying training at White Waltham in November 1952.
After initial training in the De Havilland Chipmunk he continued in the North American Harvard.
He was awarded his “wings” by Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir William Dickson at a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace in May 1953.
William and Harry were both in the Army Cadet Corps at Eton College and did not get flying lessons until they were in the military.
In 2009 William, then 27, started an intensive training programme with the RAF.
He first learned to fly fixed-wing aircraft before moving on to helicopters.
In 2010, William completed his training as a helicopter pilot in the RAF Search and Rescue Force and began a tour of duty in Wales.
He later served with the East Anglia Air Ambulance.
This week he revealed his wish to get behind the controls of a helicopter again.
On a visit to the headquarters of the Wales Air Ambulance headquarters in Llanelli on Tuesday he said: “I’d love to fly again, I could volunteer for a weekend to make a comeback.”
Younger brother Harry, 39, followed the same flight training route on fixed-wings.
He went on to be a gunner in an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan in 2012.
King Charles spent four months training in the RAF, and Andrew was a helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands War.
The link with aircraft is equally as strong on George’s mother’s side.
Kate’s dad Michael Middleton studied to become a pilot with British European Airways before working as a BA flight dispatcher.
Her grandad Peter Middleton flew BA jets, and her mum Carole Middleton was a BA flight attendant.
West London Aero Club’s website describes White Waltham as “one of the oldest and best known airfields in the country”.
It adds: “Set in 200 acres on the edge of a picturesque estate in the beautiful Berkshire countryside, it is also reputedly the largest grass airfield in Britain.
“With three long runways there is always one into wind. The Club has plenty of parking space and a wonderful, easy-going atmosphere.”
By Mike Ridley
EAGER pilots can start learning to fly at any age — but training hours that count towards a licence start from the age of 14.
Students must be accompanied by an instructor until age 16, after which they can be sent solo.
Under the guidance to obtain a Private Pilot Licence from the Civil Aviation Authority, pupils must be guided through a minimum of 45 flying hours and pass nine theoretical exams.
Pilots can hold a licence and carry passengers from age 17.
More than 40,000 youngsters get the chance to learn from age 12 to 18 in the RAF Air Cadets.
