DIETING has really taken off for an Army helicopter pilot as he bids to raise a £1,000 for sick children in Ipswich.Lynx commander JC – whose name cannot be given for operational reasons – has shed an amazing 16lbs in four weeks, collecting more than £700 so far for Ipswich Hospital's children ward.

By James Fraser

DIETING has really taken off for an Army helicopter pilot as he bids to raise a £1,000 for sick children in Ipswich.

Lynx commander JC – whose name cannot be given for operational reasons – has shed an amazing 16lbs in four weeks, collecting more than £700 so far for Ipswich Hospital's children ward.

The 47-year-old Woodbridge man, who flies Lynx Mark 9 choppers with 653 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, weighed 213lbs when he started his diet before hostilities began at the aviation unit's base in Kuwait.

"It feels great," said the father of three grown up children. "I wanted to lose weight and decided to give myself the challenge of doing something for charity and there's no better charities than for children."

The war zone diet obviously works – and although the drudgery of army rations has played a pivotal part in his weight loss, he has been doing extra physical exercise by filling in bomb craters at his squadron's camp.

The spade work has the added advantage of denying insects – the biggest bane of the current location – a place to breed.

"It's been quite stressful for the past few weeks but I've been flying for 17 years so it's an everyday occurrence for me really," said JC, whose family back home have also been collecting sponsors.

But he hasn't stopping now and plans to continue the charity diet until the end of the tour – and hopes to top the £1,000 mark.

"If I lose 30lbs then some people round here are going to get stung for about £60," he added with a cheeky smile..

"I hope what I'm doing can make life a little more comfortable for the kids in hospital."