Pilot says Harry’s recollection about military training is ‘complete fantasy’
'I am staggered by this. In shock even.'
Another story in Prince Harry’s 407-page biography has been disputed as the fallout over its publication continues.
Spare covered the Duke of Sussex’s life in the public eye, from the death of Diana to his relationship with his wife, Meghan.
Delving into his military training, he claimed a British Army instructor deliberately stalled their Slingsby T67 Firefly propeller plane with ‘no warning’.
This left the royal questioning whether it was an ‘aborted suicide attempt’.
Former sergeant Major Michael Booley, who was sitting next to Harry, insists every detail of training flights is discussed beforehand.
He told the Mirror this the claims are ‘complete fantasy’, adding: ‘I am staggered by this. In shock even.’
An extract from Spare reads: ‘On one of our first flights together, with no warning, Booley threw the aircraft into a stall.
‘I felt the left wing dip, a sickening feeling of disorder, of entropy, and then, after several seconds that felt like decades, he recovered the aircraft and levelled the wings.
‘I stared at him. What in the absolute—? Was this an aborted suicide attempt? “No”, he said gently. This was the next stage in my training.’
But Mr Booley hit back at his former student, stressing that ‘nothing in the cockpit comes as a surprise’.
He added: ‘Whilst the book compliments me, the recollection of the sorties and lessons is inaccurate, I’m afraid.
‘Every sortie is thoroughly briefed beforehand, every single aspect. The sortie is flown exactly as per that brief.
‘The only time there are surprises is later in the syllabus, not as stated in the book, when emergencies are introduced.
‘Engine failures are practised before the first solo obviously, in case the student suffers one.’
Mr Booley, who served in the military for 33 years, taught Harry how to pilot the Firefly in 2009.
He says the reference to the flying sorties has been ‘dramatised’ as a result of the ghost writing.
Despite the alleged inaccuracies, he described the prince as ‘an exceptional and very talented student’.
Mr Booley said: ‘He is a friend and a man I respect immensely who would always have my ear.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted the prince’s team for a comment.
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