Ananova:

An RAF flier has had a sex change operation and will return to the skies as a woman.

Flight Lieutenant Eric Cookson, 39, became Caroline Paige, the RAF's only transsexual, and is now known to colleagues as Caz, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.

The helicopter navigator is on sick leave recovering from the £18,000 operation, which she paid for herself, and will shortly undergo medical tests to see if she is fit to fly again, the spokesman added.

The 5ft 10in blonde told The Sun newspaper: "I had always been Caroline in my own mind.

"When I joined the RAF in 1980 I didn't encounter any problems because nobody suspected my inner feelings.

"But about two years ago things got worse as I realised I was not living my true life - so I decided to do something about it.

"Now I can't wait to get back to flying."

Flt LT Paige trained as a navigator when she joined the RAF and flew regular sorties in Phantom F4 and Hawk fighter planes, the MOD spokesman said.

She switched to helicopters in 1992 and served as a navigator on Puma and Wessex helicopters before qualifying to fly. She also served in Bosnia and the Gulf, he added.

Two years ago Flt Lt Paige told RAF doctors she wanted the operation to become a woman and was given permission to dress as a woman while she waited for surgery.