Prince Harry was only number two in his own aircraft, ex-commander says as royal mocked over ‘Legend of Aviation’ award

PRINCE Harry is set to be named a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’ despite only being "number two" in his helicopter in Afghanistan.

Harry will be inducted next Friday at an awards ceremony hosted by actor and aviation ambassador John Travolta in Beverly Hills, California.

The event was set up by the non-profit Kiddie Hawk Air Academy to honour those who make significant contributions to aviation and aerospace.

The duke, 39, completed two tours of Afghanistan as a forward air controller and an Apache helicopter pilot, having flown countless training missions in the UK, US and Australia.

He served for 10 years in the military, rising to the rank of Captain.

Harry will take his place alongside other "Legends of Aviation" including Moon landing astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.

A new "Legend" is inducted into the hall of fame whenever a current one dies.

But the award has sparked fury among aviation fans and army experts - who believe Harry does not deserve it.

Retired military officer Colonel Richard Kemp says the award is just "celebrities massaging each other’s egos".

He told The Sun: "He was a gunner in an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan but so were many, many other people.

“I can think of many people who did pretty extraordinary things while serving in the British and American armed forces which would be much more deserving of an award like this.

“It is obviously because of who he is - not what he did. An Apache is crewed by two people - a pilot and a gunner. Harry was a gunner. He was number two in the aircraft.

“There have been some incredible aeronautical exports from helicopter pilots in Afghanistan, Iraq and other war zones.

“There are some extraordinary stories - many covered by The Sun - involving enormous flying skill and bravery.

“As far as I’m aware Harry - though I commend him for going out there and doing it - did not accomplish feats like these.”

Other aerospace icons set to be inducted alongside Harry this year include US navy pilot Fred George and former world speed record holder Steve Hinton.

Col Kemp added: "He didn’t do anything extraordinary that every other helicopter gunner didn’t do.

"Its obviously just motivated by his celebrity. That’s the way these awards are - they’re not to recognise true greatness. They’re more about publicity.

"Comparing Neil Armstrong to Harry is just hilarious - they couldn’t be further apart really."

The event's website also praised the duke for his work with charities and organisations including Travalyst, Sentebale, African Parks, WellChild and the Invictus Games.

A statement on the event's website said: “A British Army veteran and pilot with ten years military service, flying training missions in the US, UK and Austarlia, as well as combat missions ion Afghanistan saving the lives of allied forces and countless civillians, and creator of the Invictus Games for wounded service members and veterans around the world.”

After training at Sandhurst, Harry was commissioned as an officer in the Household Cavalry Blues and Royals in April 2006.

In Afghanistan, he acted as a Forward Air Controller from 2007 to 2008 and as an Apache Pilot from 2012 to 2013, and was stationed on occasion at Camp Bastion. 

He witnessed horrific injuries suffered by fellow servicemen and later set up the Invictus Games for wounded personnel.

During his time in the combat, he qualified as an Apache Aircraft ­Commander and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 2011.

Harry sparked outrage after boasting that he killed 25 Taliban fighters while serving as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

His brother, William, Prince of Wales, trained with the RAF as a search and rescue pilot in 2009, before becoming an air ambulance pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance for two years from March 2015.

Harry was stripped of his honorary military titles including The Royal Marines, RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving when he left the royal family in 2020.

Last week Harry was dealt a humiliating blow after being left out of Sandhurst’s guide to its most notable graduates.

The Duke of Sussex failed to make the cut for the military ­academy’s definitive book of 200 people to serve there — despite William penning the foreword.

Last year, King Charles observed military cadets completing their training at Sandhurst and spoke of how much the military school meant to Harry.