Ronald Thomas Shepherd
OBE (1896 – 1 March 1955) was a British aviator and
test pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...
for
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
.
He was the first person to fly an aircraft powered by the
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled V-12 piston aero engine of 27-litres (1,650 cu in) capacity. Rolls-Royce designed the engine and first ran it in 1933 as a private venture. Initially known as the PV-12, it was later ...
aero-engine.
Early life
Shepherd was born in
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
, London in 1896
the son of Thomas and Agnes Shepherd, his father was a lithographic printer.
Aviator
At first he was employed by Vickers-Armstrongs in the manufacturer of guns but on the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he joined the
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...
.
Shepherd joined the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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in 1916 where he flew with
102 Squadron and
37 Squadron.
He left the RFC in 1918 but re-joined in 1921 where he served in England and Egypt until 1929.
Test pilot
After a few years as a civil flying instructor he joined
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
in 1931. In 1935 he was appointed chief test pilot.
Shepherd was responsible for the first flight of many of the companies engines, including the Merlin, Kestrel and Griffon piston engines and the Nene and Avon jet engines.
After a serious illness in 1951 he relinquished his chief test pilot role and became a flying consultant.
Although no longer flying full-time and aged 58 he made the first free flight of the unusual
Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig
The Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig (TMR), was a pioneering vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft developed by Rolls-Royce in the 1950s. It has the distinction of being "the first jet-lift aircraft to fly anywhere in the world".
The ...
a pioneering vertical take-off and landing aircraft on 3 July 1953.
He was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1946 for his work as a test pilot and in particularly the development of the Merlin.
He died on 1 March 1955 at his home at
Nuthall
Nuthall is a village and civil parish located in Nottinghamshire, England, neighbouring Kimberley, Watnall, Cinderhill and Basford. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 6,311.
It is part of the borough of Broxtowe.
Nu ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Ronald Thomas
1896 births
1955 deaths
English test pilots
English aviators
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People from Kensington
Royal Air Force officers
Royal Flying Corps officers