Kate ‘takes flight’ over Lincolnshire during visit to RAF base
The Princess of Wales performed a loop-the-loop in an RAF Typhoon jet simulator as she met pilots on the front line of the UK’s air defences.
Listen to this article
Kate flew into RAF Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, where she was shown around one of the fighter aircraft on stand-by to respond to any threats to national airspace, before stepping into a state-of-the-art simulator.
She later told waiting children how her son Louis wanted to be a pilot and apologised to some of the youngsters for not wearing a dress for her visit.
The princess arrived in a helicopter at the base for her first visit as its Royal Honorary Air Commodore, and was briefed about recent RAF operations, including supporting Nato in Poland.
She was then shown around a fully armed Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon, which is ready to react to any threat facing UK airspace within minutes of an alert.
Wearing a grey checked suit over a darker grey top, the princess was given a tour of the aircraft by its pilot, Wing Commander Luke Wilkinson, before climbing stairs with him up to the cockpit.
QRA provides a 24/7 interception response based at RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.
Jets from Lincolnshire can reach London in under 10 minutes once they are scrambled.
Kate then moved to the newly opened Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility, where she took the simulated controls of the fast jet, telling instructor Geraint White that she had flown a helicopter simulation before but never a plane.
The princess “flew” around the Lincolnshire countryside with the North Sea ahead and, at one point, appeared to perform a loop-the-loop manoeuvre.