MAY 15: IRAQ AFTER THE WAR: Hercules pilot Flt Lt Dan Richardson had a very special welcome awaiting him when he flew into Basra International Airport.

Standing on the Tarmac as he parked the aircraft at the side of the runway was his new wife Jennifer.

She is also a flight lieutenant serving in the RAF and the conflict resulted in both of them being posted to the Gulf where they were able to meet up again.

Shortly after Dan had parked the first RAF aircraft to be based in Iraq the couple were reunited and obviously very pleased to see each other.

Jennifer, 28, said: "It really is great to see him again.

"We only got married at Malmesbury Abbey in October and obviously we don't like being apart for too long."

But it's unlikely that the couple will be able to spend too much time together.

Everyone deployed to Basra International Airport works long hours and Dan, who is 30, will be constantly flying around the Gulf area on re-supply missions.

Shortly after he had landed, the order came through that the aircraft had to be prepared as soon as possible to fly onto Baghdad to pick up the engine of a Tornado jet that needed to be changed.

Although a reserve crew would be taking it on, Dan does not expect to get much time off from flying while he is in Basra.

His co-pilot for the flight into Basra was Flt Lt Keith Buxton who is also from Lyneham's 30 Squadron.

After many hours of flying he said that the Hercules were now "tired aircraft".

Because of the demands on them they had had to fly all the way to Basra below 8,000 feet because a window had been broken.

"I don't know how it happened but at the moment they are

very tired aircraft," said Flt Lt Buxton.