RAF-mad boy enjoys aircraft carrier tour
But fundraiser Jacob has no plans to join Navy as ‘rooms aren't as nice’
A YOUNG armed forces fundraiser has been given a tour of the Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier to celebrate his birthday.
Eight-year-old Jacob Newson – known as Jacob the Pilot – was the guest of honour on HMS Prince of Wales over the weekend.
The pint-sized pilot, wearing his RAF flight suit, had the chance to sit at the helm of the £3.2bn warship, as well as check out the 65,000tonne vessel’s huge flight deck.
It was the latest chapter in an adorable love affair between the RAF-mad youngster and the navy carrier, which has seen the pair ‘clash’ in a series of cheeky posts on social media.
Speaking to The News, Jacob said: ‘It was a brilliant trip. I loved running along the flight deck and up the ramp pretending to be a F-35.’
Last month, the schoolboy from Leeds scooped the Above and Beyond title at the RAF Benevolent Fund charity’s annual awards for raising £43,000 for the organisation.
Despite his VIP treatment by the ship’s company of HMS Prince of Wales, the schoolboy admitted he had not been convinced to change his plans to join the RAF.
In one cheeky picture, the youngster was seen giving a ‘thumbs down’ while testing out a bed in one of the crew’s cabins.
He added: ‘I loved it, but I’m still not sure I want to join the navy because the rooms aren’t as nice as the RAF’s.’
Jacob was joined on the tour by Caden Wright, another one of Prince of Wales’s young Twitter fans, and navy-mad Portsmouth lad, Connor Norish. Connor, 15, said: ‘Being invited on board the ship was a dream come true. The day was amazing and it was great to meet some of the ship’s company and other visitors.’
Speaking of the visit, the ship’s media officer, Lieutenant Paul Beardall Jacklin said: ‘It was nice to give something back to some of our youngest Twitter fans. They certainly enjoyed themselves and @Jacob_The_Pilot may now be considering a career as a Royal Navy pilot. The RAF will not be pleased.’
In March, young Jacob locked horns with HMS Prince of Wales on Twitter over what is the ‘finest flying organisation in the world’.
The light-hearted spat on social media was ignited when the lad launched a tongue-incheek attack following a post by the carrier’s sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth.