Sir Peter Masefield (19 March 1914 - 14 February 2006) was a leading figure in Britain's post war aviation industry, as Chief Executive of
British European Airways
British European Airways (BEA), formally British European Airways Corporation, was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974.
BEA operated to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from airports around the United Kingdom. The a ...
in the 1950s, and chairman of the
British Airports Authority
Heathrow Airport Holdings is the United Kingdom-based operator of Heathrow Airport. The company also operated Gatwick Airport, Stansted Airport, Edinburgh Airport and several other UK airports, but was forced by the Competition Commission to se ...
in the 1960s.
History
Peter Gordon Masefield was born in 1914 in
Trentham, Staffordshire
Trentham () is a suburb of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in North Staffordshire, England, south-west of the city centre and south of the neighbouring town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is separated from the main urban area by open space and by the Tre ...
. Initially educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
and Chillon College in
Montreux, Switzerland
Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...
, Masefield studied engineering at
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...
. Following a childhood fascination with aircraft, Masefield gained his pilot's licence while in Cambridge which he maintained for the rest of his career.
Masefield initially worked as a junior draughtsman at
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire. Notable for the design of a number of important military a ...
from 1935 to 1937,
before moving into journalism on the staff of ''
The Aeroplane
''Aeroplane'' (formerly ''Aeroplane Monthly'') is a British magazine devoted to aviation, with a focus on aviation history and preservation.
__TOC__
''The Aeroplane''
The weekly ''The Aeroplane'' launched in June 1911 under founding edito ...
'' 1937–1943.
He became aviation correspondent for ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
'', and at the start of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
was sent to France to cover the
RAF Advanced Air Striking Force
The RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) comprised the light bombers of 1 Group RAF Bomber Command, which took part in the Battle of France during the Second World War. Before hostilities began, it had been agreed between the United Kingdom a ...
.
Turned down by the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
as a pilot due to poor vision, Masefield flew with the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
(USAAF) as an occasional co-pilot and air gunner while maintaining his journalism career. A daylight raid on
Le Bourget
Le Bourget () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
The commune features Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hosts the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (Air and Space Museum). A very ...
in 1943 led to the nose of his
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress being blown off, with a consequential crash landing in
East Anglia, luckily without injury.
Following a 1943 article by Masefield criticising the
Ministry of Aircraft Production,
Lord Beaverbrook removed him from active service, appointing him as his personal advisor and Secretary of the
Brabazon Committee, which planned for post-war British civil aviation.
Masefield also accompanied Beaverbrook to Washington DC for talks that led to the creation of the
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
. Masefield also played a major part in the 1946 negotiations of the
Bermuda Agreement
The Bermuda Agreement (formally Agreement between the government of the United Kingdom and the government of the United States relating to Air Services between their respective Territories), reached in 1946 by American and British negotiators i ...
- which governed air services and routes between the United States and the UK.
British European Airways
In 1949
Lord Douglas (
Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank in the Royal Air Force (RAF). In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and to retired Chiefs of the Air Staff (CAS), who were ...
), then-chairman of
British European Airways
British European Airways (BEA), formally British European Airways Corporation, was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974.
BEA operated to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from airports around the United Kingdom. The a ...
(BEA) made Masefield chief executive, despite Masefield being just 35.
Controlling a large number of staff on a small budget, tight
cost control
Cost accounting is defined as "a systematic set of procedures for recording and reporting measurements of the cost of manufacturing goods and performing services in the aggregate and in detail. It includes methods for recognizing, classifying, al ...
measures were combined with innovative methods to boost revenue and passenger loads - such as off-peak fares on late evening flights and high frequency services on popular routes.
["Gone but not forgotten ... BEA means business" ''Classic Aircraft'', Vol. 45, No. 6, p. 47, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, June 2012] This commercially aggressive approach including resulted in monthly earnings of
£1 million, and BEA was profitable by 1955.
Other successes included ordering the
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.
The Vi ...
turboprop airliner - which became the leading short-haul aircraft in Europe by the mid-1950s
- and resisting the potential merger of
British Overseas Airways Corporation
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the pass ...
(BOAC) with BEA.
Aircraft production
After seven years Masefield went to work for
Bristol Aircraft, with the aim of Britain continuing as a major player in civil aviation. However, the introduction of the turboprop
Bristol Britannia was late, and it could not compete with the
Boeing 707 jetliner and the start of the
Jet Age
The Jet Age is a period in the history of aviation defined by the advent of aircraft powered by jet turbine engines, and by the social change this brought about.
Jet airliners were able to fly much higher, faster, and farther than older pisto ...
.
In 1960 Masefield formed
Beagle Aircraft Limited with the financial support of the Pressed Steel Company, which incorporated
Auster Aircraft Company and
F.G Miles Limited by 1962.
British Airports Authority
In 1965 Masefield was made chairman of the
British Airports Authority
Heathrow Airport Holdings is the United Kingdom-based operator of Heathrow Airport. The company also operated Gatwick Airport, Stansted Airport, Edinburgh Airport and several other UK airports, but was forced by the Competition Commission to se ...
(BAA), which took over management of the major airports in the UK. Owing to the Jet Age, passenger numbers increased by 62% to 20 million a year, with profits of £38m.
However, Masefield disagreed with the government regarding plans for a proposed airport at
Maplin Sands
The Maplin Sands are mudflats on the northern bank of the Thames estuary, off Foulness Island, near Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, though they actually lie within the neighbouring borough of Rochford. They form a part of the Essex Estuarie ...
, and some politicians called for him to be dismissed. Following this, a second five-year term running BAA was not forthcoming.
Following this, Masefield had a variety of roles including deputy chairman at
British Caledonian
British Caledonian (BCal) was a British private independent airline which operated out of Gatwick Airport in south-east England during the 1970s and 1980s. It was created as an alternative to the British government-controlled corporation airlin ...
and president of the
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows, ...
.
London Transport
Masefield joined the board of
London Transport in 1973. In 1980,
Sir Horace Cutler, leader of the
Greater London Council asked Masefield to become chairman of London Transport,
a job he did for two years. During the period, investment on the
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The ...
was not substantial, which has been subsequently criticised.
Masefield retired from the role in 1982, aged 67.
In the following years Masefield remained active as a chairperson, director and committee member for a wide variety of trusts, committees and museums - including
Brooklands Museum, British Association of Aviation Consultants and the
Croydon Airport society.
He also became an author, writing a history of the
R101 airship, as well as an autobiography.
Masefield was knighted in 1972.
He died on 14 February 2006, aged 91.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masefield, Peter
British European Airways
Heathrow Airport Holdings
People associated with transport in London
British public transport executives
1914 births
2006 deaths
20th-century English businesspeople
Knights Bachelor
Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge
Bristol Aeroplane Company
Royal Aeronautical Society
People from Trentham, Staffordshire