Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Thomas 'Tom' P. Frost 1923-2010





Tom Frost was Chief Test Pilot and Chief of Flight Operations for Rolls-Royce (1971) Ltd.
The final flight of the Olympus 593 engine tested in the Vulcan was testing a reheat system. On coming in to land, the braking parachute failed to deploy when streamed and Tom Frost had to take the aircraft around the Filton airfield again. The parachute then failed to jettison. Circling around several more times with the parachute trailing in shreds behind it before it finally fell away. Tom Frost had to land the Vulcan with no brake fire,this was the 219th and the last flight which occurred on the 21 July 1971. All in all 417 flying hours were accumulated with the Olympus 593 in the Vulcan which included 248 engine test hours in flight.