[4] Mason was among the 24 RAF Tornado crews detached to Muharraq Airfield, Bahrain during the build-up to Operation Granby, the British military's contribution to Desert Storm, with the specific brief of knocking out Iraqi Air Force bases by bombing the runways.
[citation needed] Following his return from the Gulf, Mason's life was saved on 10 May 1991 when his navigator ejected the crew from his Tornado GR1, which crashed near Lubberstedt, Germany, on a training mission.
[6][7] After retirement from the RAF in 1991, Mason returned to his home in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire where he wrote his book Pablo's War.
"[2] Mason's attitude transferred well to the public speaking circuit, while his knowledge of his craft resulted in him starting a fear of flying course.
[8] In August 2007, Mason was piloting a MyTravel Airbus A320 on a private charter from Finland to Manchester, with the football team and directors of Blackburn Rovers who were returning from their 1-0 UEFA Cup victory over MyPa-47.