Sex Change Pilot To Keep Flying

LONDON (AP) - A Royal Air Force flier who had a sex change operation will be allowed to continue flying as a woman, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Monday.

Flight Lt. Eric Cookson, 39, now Caroline Paige, is the only transsexual in the Royal Air Force, the ministry said.

The helicopter navigator is on sick leave recovering from the surgery, which cost $27,000, and will shortly take medical tests to ascertain whether she is fit to fly again, the ministry said.

In an interview with the mass-selling tabloid The Sun, the tall blonde now known to her friends as Caz said she had always felt like a woman.

``When I joined the RAF in 1980, I didn't encounter any problems because nobody suspected my inner feelings,'' she said. ``But about two years ago, things got worse as I realized I was not living my true life - so I decided to do something about it. Now I can't wait to get back to flying.''

After signing up, the former Cookson trained as a navigator and flew regular missions in Phantom F4 and Hawk fighter planes before switching to helicopters in 1992, the Ministry of Defense said. Cookson served in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf.

Two years ago, Cookson told RAF doctors he wanted to change sex and was given permission to dress as a woman while he waited for surgery, which was performed May 10.

``This was all new ground to them because I am the first transsexual to declare myself,'' Paige told The Sun, adding that colleagues ``have been very supportive and loyal.''

Copyright © 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved