A YORK man is one of the ten servicemen who died when an RAF Hercules aircraft crashed in Iraq.

The RAF said Flight Sergeant Mark Gibson, 34, was born in the city.

The RAF C-130 in which he was travelling crashed in the desert, 25 miles of north of Baghdad, on Sunday.

An Air Load Master, he served with 47 Squadron at RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire, after joining the RAF at 17 in 1987.

Married to Sheila and with a seven-year-old daughter Poppy, Flt Sgt Gibson, a keen golfer, started his career on the Hercules with 24 Squadron in July 1989.

He joined 47 Squadron in January 1996. He flew more than 7,300 hours, mostly on Hercules aircraft.

He was awarded Operational Service Medals after serving in Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said: "Throughout his career, Mark managed to combine his intelligent, hard-working approach to professional matters with an ebullient enthusiasm that made him a pleasure to work with.

"As an instructor, his depth of knowledge and ability to relate to all made him a natural. After becoming qualified in the tactical C-130 roles, he was rapidly assessed as being the best all-round operator in his section. Later, not one to rest on his laurels, he produced an ad-hoc new loading scheme which directly led to the success of a major operation during the Afghanistan conflict.

"Gibbo was known and loved by all who worked with him and he was known to be a bandit on the golf course, regularly playing ten below his handicap. He was requested by name by those he worked with and was renowned for his entertainments, such as the music he played to parachutists as they jumped out. In short, he was one of life's entertainers, a true character a real giver - never a taker."

Although born in York, Flt Sgt Gibson was brought up in Cardiff and Pembrokeshire. He followed his father, Sam, into the RAF.

Meanwhile, tributes were paid to the pilot of the Hercules, by a colleague who trained with him at an air station near York.

Flight Lieutenant David Kevin Stead, a 35-year-old father of two, trained at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in 1991 before being based at RAF Lyneham. Flt Lt Tony Hambleton, an instructor at Linton, trained with Flt Lt Stead on Tucano aircraft at the base, and later served with him on C-130 Hercules aircraft at Lyneham.

He said: "David lived for his family. His enjoyment of life and passion for flying shone through. He had a keen sense of humour and was a great wit. He was always the first to see the funny side of any situation and his smile lit up any room he entered. He was very proud of his Yorkshire roots and he was a totally reliable and trustworthy friend. It was an honour to serve with him."

Flt Lt Stead, known as "Steady", was recognised as being one of the most capable captains within the Hercules fleet.

He had been involved in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He was married to Michelle, with two daughters, Holly and Amelia.

Updated: 13:51 Wednesday, February 02, 2005