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Britain's Prince William looks on at Soldier Ghaut during a disaster relief rehearsal with the crew of HMS Iron Duke, on the island of Monserrat July 7, 2008
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Britons stranded at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue.
Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force (SARF).
William, who is currently a Lieutenant in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment, will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009.
If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain.
"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement.
"Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services."
It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war.
The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year.
The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills.
William, who has spent the last year on secondment to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings following a four-month stint with the service earlier this year.
However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off criticism for allowing the prince to fly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton.
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(Agencies)
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以后英國人如果被困海上或洪水中，就會有一個真正的王子來救他們了。
威廉王子于本周一宣布，他將受訓成為“皇家空軍搜救隊”的一名全職飛行員。
現為皇家騎兵團中尉的威廉王子將轉往皇家空軍，并將從明年1月開始接受為期18個月的訓練課程。
如果一切順利，威廉王子將于2010年正式成為一名全職搜救飛行員，屆時他將供職于皇家空軍搜救支隊，并將駕駛海王直升機執行搜救任務。皇家空軍搜救隊共有六個支隊。
威廉王子在一份聲明中說：“今年早些時候，我在皇家空軍受訓過一段時間，這段經歷讓我意識到自己多么熱愛飛行。”2005年，他曾在皇家搜救隊實習過兩周。
他說：“加入搜救隊對于我來說是一個很好的機會，我可以更切實地為軍隊服務，同時也能為國家的應急服務做點貢獻。”
這就意味著，威廉王子將繼承叔叔安德魯王子的“事業”。安德魯王子在1982年的馬島戰爭中就是一名救援飛行員，當時他駕駛的也是海王直升機。
皇家搜救隊的主要職責是救助皇家空軍的士兵，但在和平時期，他們主要負責民眾的緊急救援。皇家搜救隊每年要處理1000多起緊急救援任務。
從解救被突襲洪水圍困的群眾到救助登山時迷路的人，都是救援隊的工作范圍。
去年，威廉王子一直在軍隊的各個部門間調動，為他日后擔任三軍統帥做準備。今年早些時候，他在完成四個月的飛行訓練后，獲得了英國皇家空軍的一枚飛行勛章。
不過，威廉王子在皇家空軍受訓期間并不太平。比如他竟然獲準駕駛軍用直升機參加他堂兄的單身派對，以及他駕駛的飛機降落在女友凱特?米德爾頓的家中，英國國防部不得不為此承擔很大壓力。 .
（實習生瞿漫 英語點津姍姍編輯）
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