GAZETTE & HERALD: TWO hand drawn pictures of her daddy by little Amelia Stead were a poignant reminder of the RAF Lyneham pilot who died in January's Hercules crash tragedy.

Amelia and her sister Holly did not attend Flight Lieutenant David Stead's funeral on Friday, instead their pictures adorned the order of service booklet.

More than 300 comrades, family and friends packed the church in Flt Lt Stead's home town of Ilkley, Yorkshire. The coffin, draped in the Union flag and carried by members of the RAF, was followed into the church by his family, including widow Michelle and members of the local Air Training Corps where the 35-year-old got his first taste for adventure.

Leading the tributes, colleague and close friend Squadron Leader Simon Edwards, who is Godfather to Amelia, said: "I don't have any bad memories of Steady when you remember him, you end up smiling and there are people here who enjoyed every minute with him."

Sq Ldr Edwards spoke about his friend's unparalleled ability as a pilot and his bravery. Flt Lt Stead had been praised for a mission in Afghanistan where he rescued injured youngsters in atrocious flying conditions that had grounded every other aircraft.

The Squadron Leader said: "He had courage in the face of extreme danger and he was personally and directly responsible for saving the lives of others.

"But he was never one to talk of his own achievements and sing his own praises he did not need to. He gave his all to everything: to his family, to his friends, to the Air Force and to his country.

"Of all the people I know, within and out of the service, Steady was by a mile the one I respected the most."