Top man: The prince, the pilot

It's the sort of courting ritual befitting of a future king - land a $10m Chinook helicopter in your girlfriend's garden. But are women really impressed by such a stunt, and if so, how can those of more modest means seek to recreate it?

It beats the normal show-off manoeuvre, a handbrake turn in an Ford Escort.

Prince William practised a series of landings and take-offs in his RAF Chinook, outside the family home in Buckinghamshire of his girlfriend Kate Middleton.

"There's nothing more macho than landing a helicopter in your girlfriend's backyard," a royal source told the News of the World.

But not everyone has access to a $10m RAF helicopter that carries 55 troops, plus a girlfriend with a garden that looks like it should be owned by the National Trust.

So what would it take for anyone else to pull off this kind of display?

ROBINSON R22 Training: $16,000 To hire: $190/ flying hour Capacity: Pilot plus one Engine: Single piston Length: 8.8m Rotor diameter: 7.7m Speed: 80 knots cruise

First you need to get airborne. A personal pilot licence for a small, two-seater, single-engine helicopter - something of a Smart car compared with the Range Rover that was Wills' Chinook - will cost about $16,000. Training takes six to eight months if you can spare one or two days a week, says Kate Axell of Fast Helicopters. (Prince William completed his special course, full-time, in four months.)

"The minimum number of (flying) hours legally is 45 but you need to budget for about 55 to 60 hours and you only pay for the hours spent in the air. There are seven multiple-choice exams and a medical."

Basic maths is a requirement, because you need to calculate how much fuel is required, based on the weight of passengers and the vehicle.

One of the cheapest helicopters to hire is the Robinson R22, at $190 per (flying). An upgrade to the four-seater R44 would be $340 per hour, but pilots would need another five hours of training to adapt to the more powerful helicopter.

'No big deal'

If the prospective in-laws' homestead is rather more humble than chez Middleton, further challenges await. Altitude must be kept to 1,500ft in built-up areas when piloting single-engine helicopters and landing in a city garden is out of the question, says Ms Axell. A farm (with the owner's permission) or a large garden on the outskirts of a city is a better bet.

Most trainees are male but from varying backgrounds, she says, and although a helicopter is a status symbol there's very little arrogance.

"Most people who fly here are very humble about the whole thing. It's a very practical way of doing things. If you have a business that needs you around the country, then instead of sitting in a car you can take a helicopter and land anywhere, so it's an easy and practical thing to do."

Impress a girl the Old Fashion Way

While she is comfortably seated on the couch, act nonchalant and say "I am looking for something, I think it's underneath the couch" and lift it with her sitting on it. This will either score you big points, or you will injure your back. Second thing, we would recommend is arm wrestle your girl. If you loose, time to look for a new girl. 

Obviously, we are joking, just bring her some flowers, with a helicopter.