Ronald Eric Bishop
Encyclopedia
Ronald Eric Bishop CBE FRAeS (1903-1989) was the chief designer of the de Havilland Mosquito
, one of the most famous aircraft
of the Second World War.
Bishop also designed the de Havilland Comet
.
as an apprentice aged 18 in 1921, and would work there for the next forty three years. He joined the company's design office in 1923, .
He became the Chief Designer in 1936, taking over from Arthur Hagg. The first plane he was responsible for was the DH95 Flamingo- the company's first all-metal monoplane. It had a stressed-skin and carried 17 passengers, first flying on 22 December 1938. Winston Churchill
used one to journey to France in the early months of the war before Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo).
Also in his design team were:
. It was initially expected to reach 376 mph, but managed 388 mph when first tested - Britain's fastest aircraft at the time. It was known as the Wooden Wonder. It had been conceived in 1938. The Air Ministry
were not amenable to the whole idea, and did not fund the design. Air Chief Marshal
Sir Wilfrid Freeman
, of the Air Staff, was interested in the concept the plane was known as Freeman's Folly. The plane would later be the fastest war-time aircraft for two and a half years; it was difficult to shoot down as a result. The plane was officially announced on 26 October 1942, and been de Havilland's first military plane since the Airco DH.10
of the First World War. On 5 May 1943 its high speed prowess was announced.
in 1936. They had two sons. He received the CBE in 1946. He lived at Fieldgate on Redbourn
Lane (B487) in Hatching Green, Harpenden
, then South Holme.
He died in June 1989 at the age of 86.
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
, one of the most famous aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
of the Second World War.
Bishop also designed the de Havilland Comet
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
.
Career
He joined de HavillandDe Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
as an apprentice aged 18 in 1921, and would work there for the next forty three years. He joined the company's design office in 1923, .
He became the Chief Designer in 1936, taking over from Arthur Hagg. The first plane he was responsible for was the DH95 Flamingo- the company's first all-metal monoplane. It had a stressed-skin and carried 17 passengers, first flying on 22 December 1938. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
used one to journey to France in the early months of the war before Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo).
Also in his design team were:
- Charles Walker
- Richard Clarkson (responsible for aerodynamics)
- A.P. Wilkins
- William Tamblin (later OBE, who designed the wings of the Mosquito and Comet)
Wartime
The outstanding achievement of his design office was the DH.98 MosquitoDe Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
. It was initially expected to reach 376 mph, but managed 388 mph when first tested - Britain's fastest aircraft at the time. It was known as the Wooden Wonder. It had been conceived in 1938. The Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
were not amenable to the whole idea, and did not fund the design. Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Wilfrid Freeman
Wilfrid Freeman
Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Rhodes Freeman, 1st Baronet, GCB, DSO, MC, RAF was one of the most important influences on the rearmament of the Royal Air Force in the years up to and including the Second World War....
, of the Air Staff, was interested in the concept the plane was known as Freeman's Folly. The plane would later be the fastest war-time aircraft for two and a half years; it was difficult to shoot down as a result. The plane was officially announced on 26 October 1942, and been de Havilland's first military plane since the Airco DH.10
Airco DH.10
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography*Jackson, A. J. British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Volume 2. London: Putnam, Second Edition, 1973. ISBN 0-370-10010-7.*Jackson A. J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London:Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-802-X....
of the First World War. On 5 May 1943 its high speed prowess was announced.
The jet age
After the war he became Design Director on the company's Board of Directors on 27 December 1946 until February 1964, when he retired. Later that year in October he received the Gold Medal of the RAeS.Designs
Aircraft he was responsible for were:- FlamingoDe Havilland Flamingo|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bain, Gordon. De Havilland: A Pictorial Tribute. London: AirLife, 1992. ISBN 1-85648-243-X.* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "De Havilland's War Orphan." Air Enthusiast. Number 30, March-June 1996, pp. 1—10. Bromley, Kent, UK: Pilot Press.*...
- Mosquito
- HornetDe Havilland HornetThe de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was...
- VampireDe Havilland VampireThe de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
- the first ever fighter aircraft to exceed 500 mph - DoveDe Havilland DoveThe de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British monoplane short-haul airliner from de Havilland, the successor to the biplane de Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britain's most successful post-war civil designs...
- twin-engined propellor airliner in 1945 - VenomDe Havilland VenomThe de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter....
- developed from the Vampire - HeronDe Havilland HeronThe de Havilland DH.114 Heron was a small, propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on 10 May 1950. It was a development of the twin-engine de Havilland Dove, with a stretched fuselage and two more engines. It was designed as a rugged, conventional low-wing monoplane with tricycle...
- four-engined propellor airliner in 1950 - DH.108 - the first British swept wing jet, mainly designed by John Carver Meadows FrostJohn Carver Meadows FrostJohn Carver Meadows Frost known as "Jack" was a British aircraft designer. His primary contributions centred on pioneering supersonic British experimental aircraft and as the chief designer who shepherded Canada's first jet fighter project, the Avro Canada CF-100, to completion...
, and the first British aircraft to exceed the speed of sound - Sea VixenDe Havilland Sea VixenThe de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen was a twin boom 1950s–1960s British two-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm designed by de Havilland. Developed from an earlier first generation jet fighter, the Sea Vixen was a capable carrier-based fleet defence fighter that served into the 1970s...
- Comet - the world's first jet airliner in July 1949 and the first trans-atlantic jet service in October 1958, later used for the design of the Nimrod, and seeing service until 1973
Personal life
He married Nora in RochfordRochford
Rochford is a small town in the Rochford district of Essex in the East of England. It is sited about 43 miles from Central London and approximately 21 miles from the Essex county town, Chelmsford...
in 1936. They had two sons. He received the CBE in 1946. He lived at Fieldgate on Redbourn
Redbourn
Redbourn is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, lying on Watling Street, 3 miles from Harpenden, 4 miles from St Albans and 5 miles from Hemel Hempstead. It has a population of around 6,000.-History:...
Lane (B487) in Hatching Green, Harpenden
Harpenden
Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.The town's total population is just under 30,000.-Geography and administration:There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural....
, then South Holme.
He died in June 1989 at the age of 86.