Kate to take on Royal Navy helicopter simulator during air base visit

The Princess of Wales will test her skills in a Royal Navy flight simulator during a visit to an air station where the King had helicopter training.

On Monday, Kate, who is Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm, is set to be shown around Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset, one of the busiest military airfields in the UK.

She will spend time in the air traffic control tower to meet staff and speak to an airborne Wildcat helicopter crew.

After this, Kate will conduct training exercises in a hangar with survival equipment technicians, who allow aircrew to operate safely.

She will then be shown a Merlin Mk4 helicopter, deployed by the Royal Marines globally to provide disaster relief, as well as a Merlin MK2, which is used to hunt for submarines.

Kate is also expected to try her hand at flying a Wildcat MK2 in a simulator, which allows aircrew to practice flying over land or on to ships.

The maritime attack helicopter is designed to operate from the frigates and destroyers of the Royal Navy.

Charles went to the air station for helicopter flying training in 1974.

More than 4,000 personnel are employed on the site, which is home to a number of frontline squadrons and training units.