Prince Harry wants to 'ride the dragon' to get back to the frontline

London, October 27 : Prince Harry, who is attempting to qualify for training as a pilot in the British Army, wants to 'ride the dragon' - the Army's meanest and toughest attack helicopter.

The 24-year-old, who was pulled out from the Afghan War after the media revealed his presence, is ambitious about making a comeback on the frontline by hoping to train for the Apache death machine.

Lieutenant Wales, who served 77 days during the war torn Afghanistan, seeks to fly the 46 million pound British Apache AH Mk1, the most technically advanced attack helicopter in history while being the toughest to control as well.

Aspiring Apache pilots, who have penned the merciless helicopter gunships as 'riding the dragon', claimed that they were giants to handle since they required very high levels of skill, concentration, and co-ordination.

"If you get something wrong and irritate the machine, it turns around and bites you. That's why it's called 'riding the dragon'," the Sun quoted an ex-Apache pilot, author Ed Macy, as saying.

"To master the Apache, you have to eat, sleep and breathe it. Prince Harry will have to work 14 hours a day, every day, and even then he could fail the course at any time.

"Hats off to him for giving it a go. He's clearly a very brave and ambitious young man," he added.

Harry is said to have taken the decision to take to the skies after realising that his royal blood made him the perfect bomb magnet that could add to the risk of attacks to his comrades.

According to the official statement issued by the young royal's rep, Harry had already passed the preliminary Pilot Aptitude Tests at RAF Cranwell earlier in October, and once completely qualified will 'start his flying training in January 2009'.

ANI