THE family of Flight Sergeant Adrian Davies said he was known as "Mr Nimrod."

Adrian, 49, known as Ady, had become a specialist on the surveillance aircraft and had flown in Nimrods on many missions in his 30-year RAF career.

His family flew up to Scotland to see his body returned from Afghanistan on Tuesday.

His sister Michelle said: "Ady was the most special man in every way. In his working life he showed endless commitment, dedication and enthusiasm for his life within the RAF. I have been reading the streams of condolences on a serviceman's website, one comment in particular sticks in my mind where a colleague said he was and always will be Mr Nimrod."

Ady's aunt Janet Chappell, from Straight Bit, Flackwell Heath, added: "He loved his job and he loved flying. Nimrods were a big part of his life. He knew everything about them. He had been teaching but he was called back to do missions because there was a shortage of flight engineers."

He was a dedicated husband to wife Christine and father to his four children.

Michelle said: "Such a loving, caring and thoughtful man who would never say no to anybody, always helping out wherever he could, even though he led an incredibly busy life with his children's hobbies that he was so involved in. He was so proud of his four children and all their achievements."

Ady had been working on renovating a house the family had bought in Scotland.

Michelle said: "His dream was to complete the renovations and eventually sit back and enjoy all his hard work, a dream he sadly will not fulfil.

"Words cannot express the sheer devastation and loss felt by us all.

"We have been so blessed having our Ady in our lives, now sadly our lives will never be the same without him."

Ady will receive a full military funeral at his RAF base in Scotland within the next four to six weeks.