A ROYAL Air Force serviceman has received a top accolade for his voluntary work with cadets.

Flight Lieutenant Andrew Lees, aged 59, from Bury, has been recognised in the the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

As the son of motor mechanic Roy Lees and grandson of Harry ‘Ginger’ Lees ­- former England speedway captain ­- he was raised with a passion for motorbikes and cars.

But as he grew up, his eyes turned to the skies and his love of planes and aviation led to him joining the Air Training Corps 1036 Bury Squadron in 1972.

As a cadet he jumped at every opportunity to attend RAF stations on annual camps and take to the clouds. He rose to the rank of cadet warrant officer.And in 1977, he embarked on a career in gliding. Rapidly progressing, he became a civilian gliding instructor three years later.

He also married long-term partner Lillian in 1984, before returning to uniform as a volunteer reserve training officer in 1989, later becoming a senior gliding instructor.

He was also made a Squadron Adjutant ­- a role he “took to with gusto and which he perfected over many years with unstinting dedication”.

Later he had to stand down from flying due to a medical condition, but by then had amassed 2,000-plus flying hours' time and taught hundreds of cadets to fly solo.

He was named among the Queen’s Birthday Honours recipients after Air Vice-Marshal Warren James singled out “his hard diligent work as volunteer within the Royal Air Force Air Cadets”.

He travelled to RAF Cranwell to be awarded his certificate by Air Commodore Suraya Marshall.