A TEESSIDE man has become a high-flier in the RAF after being appointed station commander at a major air base.

Group Captain John Harrison took charge of RAF Halton, near Aylesbury, at a recruits' graduation parade this month. Halton is the gateway to the RAF where recruits undergo initial training.

Gp Capt Harrison, from Billingham, has also been appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Queen.

He joined the RAF in 1981 and his service has taken him all over the world.

He has been deployed to Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as working for the US Defence Department in the Pentagon.

Gp Capt Harrison, whose wife and family live in Sockburn, near Darlington, said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my 24 years' service, but being appointed Station Commander at RAF Halton is definitely the icing on the cake."