FOR Flight Lieutenant Michelle Goodman there was no question about what she had to do after hearing a British soldier was critically injured in Basra.

Despite being aware her Merlin helicopter was a prize target for Iraqi insurgents the Benson-based pilot flew her three-strong crew into the middle of war-torn Basra city to rescue a seriously-injured soldier who was only minutes away from death.

Yesterday, Flt Lt Goodman made history as the first woman to receive the Royal Air Force's highest award, the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). The 32-year-old recounted the tale of landing the helicopter under the cover of darkness in June last year for.

She said: "We have so much training and it takes over and you just get on with it. There was never a moment I doubted we were not going to get back alive.

"We knew it was going to be risky, but we are always positive because there is no other option."

Flt Lt Goodman admitted it was the proudest moment of her career and the 14-minute mission was the best flying experience of her life. She said: "The whole crew were very tense during the flight and it was very busy on the way there with trying to plan everything and checking the area was clear.

"The hardest part was landing. We had never been there before and it was extremely dark and very dusty. On the final approach, it was very difficult to see the ground and I could only see the top of the pylons, because there was so much dust.

"It was a very confined site and there were also lots of unidentified explosions going on around the helicopter which were just metres away."

The helicopter was on the ground for five minutes while the casualty, rifleman Stephen Vause, 20, who had been wounded in a mortar attack was lifted into the aircraft.

She said: "The crew did a fantastic job stabilising him and we took him off to the hospital and he is alive today, which is just amazing. It's nice for soldiers on the ground to know we will do anything to risk helping them."

With 850 Merlin flying hours under her belt, the former Manchester University student from Bristol is looking forward to celebrating with her family next week.

She said: "My father took me to an air show when I was nine and since then all I have ever wanted to do is fly. I am truly honoured to be awarded the DFC, but without both my crew and all the engineering support personnel the rescue of the casualty would not have been possible."

Station Commander Group Captain Paul Lyall said: "She was lucky - and lucky not to even get some minor damage. All of us at Royal Air Force Benson salute her actions, and those of the other three crew members that supported her.

"Her actions were in the finest traditions of the Royal Air Force and we are very proud of her."

Yesterday, reports emerged that a ban was in place on troops at RAF Wittering, in Peterborough, wearing uniform off base, following seven months of verbal attacks from people who opposed the armed forces being in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cpt Lyall said he would not be imposing a ban on servicemen and women at the Benson base wearing uniform in public. He added: "We are extremely proud of wearing our service uniform and from a local perspective we get excellent support from the local community."