“HE’S not the only one. We’ve had two or three. Better pilots than him have done it.”

With these weasel words, referring to Prince William and his allegedly “overcooking the turbo”, Coun Joe Watt joins that sanctimonious bunch of people who get their “jollies” by having a pop at the Royal Family (Heir trigger, The Press, April 13).

Well, Coun Watt, you say you’ve had “two or three” others who have committed this same mistake, suffering, in your own words, from “finger trouble”. Why not name them as well?

Because you know to name them would have you in very serious trouble, as you would be breaching the Data Protection Act. You also know you can “name and shame”

Prince William without any danger of being prosecuted.

What is it about people who take this twisted delight in pouring scorn on Royalty?

Is it some sort of jealousy, or is it being able to demonstrate how clever you are technically and how untechnical Prince William is? However, not only are you ridiculing Prince William. You are also ridiculing the RAF instructor you say was in the aircraft with him, as you are inferring they were suffering “finger trouble” too.

You well know as an ex-RAF Squadron Leader (E) there is a set procedure to shutting down any aircraft’s engine, and it isn’t left to either one or the other of the two pilots to “wonder” whether the other one has done it/not done it.

Surely, too, the engine instrumentation would indicate the engine was “spooling-up”, which would be rapidly spotted by the instructor who would then correct the “mistake”.

So, because of these engine shutdown procedures, it looks very much as though this incident happened when Prince William was alone.

If Coun Watt was still serving he would have been in deep trouble if he had made theseunchivalrous remarks about a member of the Royal Family or any trainee pilot.

Philip Roe
Roman Avenue South, Stamford Bridge.