FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1946
1946 - 1212.PDF
FLIGHT JUNE 2OTH, 1946 Britain's Test Pilots No. 11. CAPT. R. T. SHEPHERD, O.B.E. CHIEF TEST PILOT OF ROLLS-ROYCE LTD. . A CONTRAST IN TYPES : Capt. Shepherd in the cockpit of his Sopwith Camel when he was with No. 37 Squadron in 1918,and getting into the cockpit of a Gloster Meteor, which has five times its speed and probably about sixty times its power THE life of an engine test pilot is totally differentfrom that of one responsible for airframes. Hemust be prepared to fly anybody's aircraft, but, generally speaking, all the control bugs have been ironed-out first. Nevertheless, there is plenty of flying to be done before a new type of engine goes into general use. When it is remembered that the famous Merlin has more than doubled its power, it is easily realized how much development flying has to be done. Capt. Shepherd is another of the test pilots whose roots go back to the rotary engine and " blip "-switch days. He learnt to fly on Avro 504s at Rochford in 1916. An apprentice in the gun department of Vickers, he joined the Honourable Artillery Company in an effort to see service in the 1914-18 war. Vickers reclaimed him, but the local vicar acted as an accomplice by giving him a letter of introduction to a Major in the Air Ministry, which was then at the Hotel Cecil. Evidently this Major had pull. Shepherd was told to give notice to Vickers, and to pay no heed until he received instruc- tions to report to Farnborough. After learning to fly, he was posted to No. 102 (F.E.2b) Squadron at Marham in Norfolk, and from there went to France. About four months at the front iri those days represented what became to be known as a tour in the recent war, and in March, 1918, Shepherd was posted to home service. He went to No. 37 Squad- ron, which was equipped with Camels, and engaged in the night defence of London against Zeppelin airships. Service in Middle-East When peace came he went to Biggin Hill for a while and then left the Service for eighteen months. In 1921 he took up a short-service commission and went to Egypt to join the famous No. 56 Squadron, which was then fly- ing Sopwith Snipes. (It now has Rolls-Royce jet- engined Meteors.) The squadron was then disbanded and reformed in England, at Biggin Hill, with the ex- ception of a special flight, which went to Turkey for a political demonstration. Shepherd was with this flight, and after returning to England his last flight with the squadron was a return to Biggin Hill in a formation of Grebes from the R.A.F. Display (I think it was called the Pageant then) at Hendon in 1926. He remained on the reserve, and in January, 1929, he took his B licence. He is one of the few test pilots to keep it current up to date. The qualifications of a Service pilot applying for a B licence in 1929 were a few oral tests and a glance at his log books! At this time he heard a whisper about a flying school, being opened near Reading, and after an interview wiH Mr. Powis. of Phillips andPowis, was appointed Chief Flying Instructor of the P. and P. School of Flying. The total aircraft on strength was one second-hand Moth, bought from Winifred Spooner, a pioneer private owner. Strong-minded where fly- ing is concerned, he did not see eye to eye with his em- ployers in matters of flying THE FIRST OF VERYMANY : Flying this proto- type Merlin engine for thefirst time. It was installed in a Hawker Horsley.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
