The captain of the Hercules plane which crashed in the Iraqi desert, killing ten men, was a former air cadet from the Wharfe valley.

Flight Lieutenant David Stead, right, was confirmed yesterday by Ministry of Defence officials as one of the ten missing presumed dead following Sunday's crash, which resulted in the biggest single loss of life to hit UK forces since military action in Iraq began.

The 35-year-old dad-of-two was a model cadet at the 1224 Wharfedale squadron based in Ashlands Road, Ilkley, for five years before leaving to study at university and join the RAF.

His parents still live in Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Commanding Officer of the squadron, Flight Lieutenant John Hitchen, said: "David was one of my cadets when I started in 1986.

"He always wanted to be a pilot and he became one. It's just exactly what he would have wanted to do. He was obviously a better pilot than most because he was tasked to do special duties.

"We kept in touch for a while after he left but when he started flying special forces it meant he could not keep in contact or tell people what he was doing because of the nature of his job. We knew he was in the equivalent of the SAS so he could not come down and talk to the squadron about what he was doing."

Fl Lt Stead gained a Duke of Edinburgh award and won the Best Cadet award and Best Senior Cadet award during his time with the Wharfedale squadron.

David joined the cadets when he was 13 and is believed to have been a pupil at Ilkley Grammar School.

"He was a really outstanding cadet," said Mr Hitchen, 51. "He was one of the great cadets. He was good at everything and he would do anything that was going. He was an excellent sportsman and he would participate in collections for the cadets and Poppy Appeal. He was very athletic and good at the high jump and long jump.

"He was a mature teenager and could relate to anybody. He was an excellent leader and very well respected by everybody. He was popular and not someone you would forget. He will definitely be remembered by the cadets who knew him."

The squadron plans to hold prayers at its meeting on Thursday and a minute's silence in memory of Mr Stead at its annual dinner and presentation night in two weeks' time.

Wharefdale cadets warrant officer David Wood said: "David was really keen on the RAF. That was always going to be his career. When he left here he was a flight sergeant which is the top of the tree.

"He was going to university and he joined the air corps there. But throughout he was always going into the RAF. From an early age he wanted to be a pilot."

He said his parents, from Burley-in-Wharfedale, kept in close contact with the Wharefdale Air cadets and often popped in to keep them updated on their son's career.

WO Wood, said: "They are very proud of their son. They called in before Christmas and brought in some photographs for us which David had taken. He had been to the Gulf several times flying supply planes."

Flt Lt Stead's parents were too distressed to comment last night.

Flt Lt Stead had recently moved to the village of Lyneham with his wife and young daughter. A neighbour on the family's street said that his wife had given birth to their second child only a couple of months ago.

"He was a nice guy," said the neighbour, who asked not to be named.

The other men killed in the crash named yesterday were Squadron Leader Patrick Marshall, 39, Flight Lieutenant Andrew Smith, 25, Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel, 35, Master Engineer Gary Nicholson, 42, Chief Technician Richard Brown, 40, Flight Sergeant Mark Gibson, 34, Sergeant Robert O'Connor, 38, and Corporal David Williams, 37.

The tenth man, a soldier, was Acting Lance Corporal Steven Jones, 25, who served with the Royal Signals.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said it was with "very deep regret" that it was confirming the names of those missing, feared dead.

The Mod has indicated that the difficult terrain and hostile local forces could mean the investigation into the incident will take weeks.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has expressed "sympathy and condolences" to the families of those who had died and said he hoped to give further details of the cause "in due course".

Station commander of RAF Lyneham Group Captain Paul Oborn said: "The whole of RAF Lyneham feel this loss intensely and our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies are with the families, friends and colleagues of those involved."

He added that this was "one of our best" crews, full of "spirit, self-discipline and professionalism".

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said the Queen has sent a message to the families via Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon.

The message reads: "I was saddened to learn of the loss of the RAF Hercules in Iraq on Sunday. I should be grateful if you would convey my deepest sympathy to the families of those who have lost their lives."