John Peters (pilot)
Encyclopedia
Squadron Leader John Peters (born 1961) is a former pilot
of the British
Royal Air Force
.
in east Hampshire
, leaving in 1980.
By the age of 17, he had his pilot's licence
. He attended the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (commonly known as UMIST, now part of the University of Manchester since 2004), gaining a BSc
in Building Technology in 1983. He was an RAF university cadet, joining the RAF in 1980, training at RAF Woodvale
with the Manchester and Salford University Air Squadron
. He later graduated with an MBA
from the University of Leicester
.
.
He became a staff pilot in 1987 at the Air Navigation School (ANS) of No. 6 Flying Training School at RAF Finningley
. In 1988, he moved to XV Squadron at RAF Laarbruch
after converting to the Tornado GR1 when a Flight Lieutenant
.
Paul "Pablo" Mason
, his Panavia Tornado
ZD 791 of XV Squadron was hit at fifty feet by a shoulder-launched SAM
SA-14
, and he was captured by the military of Iraq
. After capture he was shown, bruised and apparently beaten, on television. He received no medal of bravery for the incident, totalling 47 days.
He received around 15,000 letters from well-wishers.
, he moved to RAF Cottesmore
(then in Leicestershire
) in 1993, becoming an instructor on the TTTE
. He graduated with an MBA
from the University of Leicester
Management Centre, with his dissertation being The Challenge of Change in the Royal Air Force.
He became a Squadron Leader
in 1997, moving to Turkey, and left the RAF after 18 years.
his navigator. As of 2009 he works as a motivational speaker, often at many university management schools. He is a practitioner of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI). He has also worked as a representative of the Association of MBAs
.
Since 1999 he has been a partner of UPH Ltd.
near Bromsgrove
. When at Cottesmore, and studying at the University of Leicester, he lived in Rutland.
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
Early life
He attended the independent Churcher's CollegeChurcher's College
Churcher's College is an English co-educational independent, fee-paying school which is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference . The senior school is located in the market town of Petersfield, Hampshire with the junior school in nearby Liphook...
in east Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, leaving in 1980.
By the age of 17, he had his pilot's licence
Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom
Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority under the auspices of the Joint Aviation Authorities and European Aviation Safety Agency. Each member nation in the EU has responsibility for regulating their own pilot licensing...
. He attended the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (commonly known as UMIST, now part of the University of Manchester since 2004), gaining a BSc
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Building Technology in 1983. He was an RAF university cadet, joining the RAF in 1980, training at RAF Woodvale
RAF Woodvale
RAF Woodvale is a Royal Air Force Station located south of Southport, Merseyside in a small town called Formby. Although constructed as an all-weather night fighter airfield for the defence of Liverpool, it did not open until 7 December 1941...
with the Manchester and Salford University Air Squadron
University Air Squadron
University Air Squadrons are training units of the Royal Air Force which primarily provide basic flying training, force development and adventurous training to undergraduate students at British universities...
. He later graduated with an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
.
Career
After his RAF training, he was based at RAF Chivenor and RAF LossiemouthRAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth is a Royal Air Force station to the west of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. It is one of the RAF's biggest bases and is currently Britain's main base for Tornado GR4s. From 2013 the Northern QRA force of Typhoon F2 will relocate to Lossiemouth following the closure of...
.
He became a staff pilot in 1987 at the Air Navigation School (ANS) of No. 6 Flying Training School at RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley is a former Royal Air Force station at Finningley, South Yorkshire, partly within the traditional county boundaries of Nottinghamshire and partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now wholly within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster....
. In 1988, he moved to XV Squadron at RAF Laarbruch
RAF Laarbruch
The former Royal Air Force Station Laarbruch, more commonly known as RAF Laarbruch ICAO EDUL was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, located in Germany on its border with the Netherlands...
after converting to the Tornado GR1 when a Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
.
Gulf War
On his first mission during Operation Desert Storm when aged 29, an ultra-low level daylight mission on Ar Rumaylah airfield, while acting as number two to Squadron LeaderSquadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Paul "Pablo" Mason
Pablo Mason
Squadron Leader Paul "Pablo" Mason RAF is a retired Royal Air Force pilot, who was part of the XV Sqn detachment to Bahrain as part of the RAF Tornado squadron during the Gulf War, and subsequently wrote about his experiences...
, his Panavia Tornado
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
ZD 791 of XV Squadron was hit at fifty feet by a shoulder-launched SAM
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Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
SA-14
9K34 Strela-3
The 9K34 Strela-3 man-portable air defence missile system was developed in the Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 Strela 2 system. "9K34" is its GRAU designation and its NATO reporting name is SA-14 Gremlin. The missile was largely based on the earlier Strela...
, and he was captured by the military of Iraq
Iraqi security forces
Iraqi security forces is a U.S. Department of Defense term for all security forces of the Federal government of Iraq. They consist of the following organizations:*Ministry of Defence **Iraqi Armed Forces:*** Iraqi Army*** Iraqi Air Force...
. After capture he was shown, bruised and apparently beaten, on television. He received no medal of bravery for the incident, totalling 47 days.
He received around 15,000 letters from well-wishers.
Instructor
Having been at RAF BrüggenRAF Bruggen
The former Royal Air Force Station Brüggen, more commonly known as RAF Brüggen, in Germany was a major station of the Royal Air Force until 15 June 2001. It was situated next to the village of Elmpt, approximately west of Düsseldorf near the German-Netherlands border. The base was named after...
, he moved to RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. The station housed all the operational Harrier GR9 squadrons in the Royal Air Force, and No 122 Expeditionary Air Wing...
(then in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
) in 1993, becoming an instructor on the TTTE
Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment
The Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment was a multinational air unit based at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland, England from 1981 to 1999.-Function:It performed training on the Panavia Tornado for the Royal Air Force, Luftwaffe and Italian Air Force...
. He graduated with an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
Management Centre, with his dissertation being The Challenge of Change in the Royal Air Force.
He became a Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
in 1997, moving to Turkey, and left the RAF after 18 years.
Publications
On repatriation by the Red Cross, Peters co-authored a book, Tornado Down, with John NicolJohn Nichol (RAF officer)
Flight Lieutenant Adrian John Nichol is a retired Royal Air Force navigator who was shot down and captured during the first Gulf War.-Early life:...
his navigator. As of 2009 he works as a motivational speaker, often at many university management schools. He is a practitioner of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions...
(MBTI). He has also worked as a representative of the Association of MBAs
Association of MBAs
The Association of MBAs is a London-based international organization that accredits postgraduate business programs at business schools worldwide. The Association is one of the three main global accreditation bodies in business education and styles itself "the world's impartial authority on...
.
Since 1999 he has been a partner of UPH Ltd.
Personal life
He married Helen and has two children. They live in WorcestershireWorcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
near Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
. When at Cottesmore, and studying at the University of Leicester, he lived in Rutland.
External links
- UPH Ltd
- PBS documentary
- Motivational speaker
- Page at Penguin Books
- University of Leicester
- Biographical video