High-flying Iraq war veteran Stewart Hefti was toasting success with a cup of tea after proving to be “one of the brew” when he set a bizarre world record in the skies above Shropshire.

Corporal Hefti can now boast of having completed more loop-the-loops in a plane while drinking a cup of tea than anyone else in the world.

Stewart’s life was turned upside down when he was tumbled through a dizzying 14 loops yesterday over RAF Cosford, near Telford.

Fortunately, the 27-year-old only had to keep his mind on his tea as he was a passenger in the plane, which was flown by former Red Arrows team leader Andy Offer.

Stewart said: “When we first took off I was more worried about the tea staying in the cup but after the first loop I realised it would and I started to enjoy it more.

“It was only after we landed that I started to feel a bit queasy. I just wanted to give something back to the RAF Association which did so much for me and my family after my injury.”

The world record attempt might have been light-hearted in nature but it was staged to highlight the courage of the UK’s injured military personnel, as well as the vital support work of the RAF Association.

During September, a series of fundraising tea parties are being held throughout the UK to raise money for the RAF Association’s work supporting current and former RAF personnel and their families.

The Brew for the Few initiative is named after Churchill’s famous “never in the field of human conflict was much owed by so many to so few” speech, commemorating the bravery of RAF personnel in WWII.