All BSAA needed now was an airport from which to operate. Bennett knew exactly which one he wanted: out to the west of London was a new airfield still in the throes of development. There were no buildings to speak of or hangars for that matter but in time it would prove itself, Bennett was sure of that. The only immediate problem was the condition of the runway, which was covered with builders' materials. One morning in December 1945 he turned up to survey it. He was immediately stopped by the building foreman who wanted to know what he was doing there. Bennett asked if, in exchange for a few quid, he could get the runway cleared.
I know it's in the book but this all sounds a bit far fetched, doesn't it ? If nothing else BSAA built up their substantial maintenance base with hangars (and Bennett's office) at Langley, a couple of miles west. They would ferry across to Heathrow for operations. As is well known Bennett launched the first Heathrow flight on 1 January 1946, at the formal opening ceremony with government officials and ministers present; that would be unlikely if just a couple of weeks before Bennett was having to resort to these oddball tactics to convince Whitehall.