Michelle Goodman

Flight Lieutenant Michelle Jayne Goodman, DFC

Flight Lieutenant Michelle Jayne Goodman was born in Bristol, England, on 22 November 1976. Her interest in aviation began when she was nine years old, after seeing an Avro Vulcan fly at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. From that moment, she was determined to become a pilot. (RAF Museum)

Goodman attended Gracefield Junior School and Bristol Grammar School, where she completed ten GCSEs followed by A-levels in mathematics, physics and chemistry. She subsequently studied aerospace engineering at the University of Manchester, graduating with a master’s degree and second-class honours, upper division. (RAF Museum)

She began officer training at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in May 2000 and completed the course that November. Her first flying appointment was with the Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron at RAF Church Fenton, where she flew the Grob Tutor. She was initially selected for fast-jet training and completed approximately 100 hours on the Short Tucano at RAF Linton-on-Ouse before being transferred to the helicopter stream. (RAF Museum)

Goodman undertook helicopter training at RAF Shawbury, flying the Squirrel and Griffin. She performed strongly during both the basic and advanced phases and received her preferred operational posting to the Merlin helicopter force with No. 28 (Army Cooperation) Squadron at RAF Benson. After almost five years of training, she became a limited combat-ready Merlin pilot in May 2005. (RAF Museum)

Her first operational deployment to Iraq under Operation TELIC began in January 2006. She subsequently completed several detachments in Iraq, flying the large, three-engined Merlin HC3 support helicopter on demanding transport, casualty-evacuation and operational missions. (RAF Museum)

The Basra rescue

On the night of 1 June 2007, during her third operational detachment, Goodman and her crew were awakened by an urgent call. A British serviceman had suffered a severe shrapnel wound to the head during an attack in central Basra and required immediate evacuation to hospital.

The landing site remained under fire, had not been used for several years and was unfamiliar to the crew. Goodman took off in near-total darkness, flying at low level with night-vision goggles through poor visibility while avoiding buildings, masts, electrical wires and hostile fire. Her crew included Sergeant Steve Thomas, Flight Lieutenant George Williams and Sergeant Chris Parker, together with the medical team. (RAF Museum)

As the Merlin approached the landing zone, the crew observed flashes and explosions around the aircraft. At approximately twenty feet above the ground, the helicopter generated such a dense cloud of dust that Goodman lost all visual contact with the landing surface. Rather than abandon the approach and consume time the casualty might not have had, she continued, relying upon Sergeant Thomas to guide the aircraft safely to the ground. (RAF Museum)

Rockets continued to fall increasingly close to the landing area while the medical team loaded the wounded soldier. Within approximately five minutes, the casualty was aboard and the Merlin lifted away. As the helicopter climbed above the surrounding rooftops, four rocket-propelled grenades were fired in its direction. Goodman continued the flight and delivered the soldier to hospital only 15 minutes after the original callout, allowing him to receive the urgent medical care essential to his survival. (RAF Museum)

For her courage, composure and exceptional flying skill under fire, Goodman was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The award was announced in The London Gazette on 7 March 2008, in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Iraq between 1 April and 30 September 2007. The official record identifies her as Flight Lieutenant Michelle Jayne Goodman, service number 306451Q, Royal Air Force. (The Gazette)

Goodman became the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross while serving in the Royal Air Force. The Gazette’s historical review of RAF flying honours specifically records that her award recognized her gallantry in bringing medical assistance to a casualty following a mortar attack in Iraq. (The Gazette)

Following her service with No. 28 Squadron, Goodman served with No. 78 Squadron and intended to qualify as a flying instructor before deploying to Afghanistan under Operation HERRICK. (RAF Museum)

Flight Lieutenant Michelle Goodman’s actions over Basra demonstrated the qualities for which the Distinguished Flying Cross is reserved: courage, determination and exceptional devotion to duty while flying on active operations against the enemy. Faced with darkness, hostile fire, an unfamiliar landing site and almost nonexistent visibility, she chose to continue because the life of a critically wounded soldier depended upon her crew reaching him in time.