Ronald Thomas Shepherd OBE (1896 – 1 March 1955) was a British aviator and test pilot for Rolls-Royce.[1] He was the first person to fly an aircraft powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin aero-engine.[1]
Ronald Thomas Shepherd | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1896 |
| Died | 1 March 1955 Nuthall, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Aviator and Test Pilot |
| Employer | Rolls-Royce Limited |
| Awards | OBE |
Early life
editShepherd was born in Kensington, London in 1896[1] the son of Thomas and Agnes Shepherd, his father was a lithographic printer.[2]
Career
editAt first he was employed by Vickers-Armstrongs in the manufacture of guns but on the outbreak of the First World War he joined the Honourable Artillery Company.[3] Shepherd joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1916 where he flew with 102 Squadron and 37 Squadron.[3] He left the RFC (now the Royal Air Force) in 1918 but re-joined in 1921 and served in England and Egypt until 1929.[3]
After a few years as a civilian flying instructor he joined Rolls-Royce in 1931. In 1935 he was appointed chief test pilot.[1] Shepherd was responsible for the first flight of many of the company's aero engines, including the Merlin, Kestrel and Griffon piston engines and the Nene and Avon jet engines.[3]
After a serious illness in 1951 he relinquished his chief test pilot role and became an aviation consultant.[1] Although no longer flying full-time, on 3 July 1953, aged 58, he made the first free flight of the unusual Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig, a pioneering vertical take-off and landing experimental aircraft at Hucknall Aerodrome.[1]
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1946 for his work as a test pilot, particularly in the development of the Merlin.[1] He died on 1 March 1955 at his home at Nuthall and was buried in the village's New Farm Lane cemetery.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "Capt. R. T. Shepherd Pilot of The "Flying Bedstead"". Obituaries. The Times. No. 53179. London. 2 March 1955. col E, p. 10.
- ^ 1901 Census of Wandsworth, RG13/464, Folio 12, Page 16, Ronald T Shepherd, 84, Ganden Road, Clapham, London.
- ^ a b c d Test & Research Pilots, Flight Test Engineers: Ronald T. Shepherd 1900-1955