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Lippisch for the Me 163B Komet and his pro- C3 posals for the more advanced jet-powered Messerschmitt P.1111 (which never reached construction). It was hoped to gather data on swept-wing design during trials of the DH.108 that could be used for programmes like the DH.106 Comet jet airliner and the DH.110 all- weather jet fighter (which eventually became = the Sea Vixen). Cc | ————) Bishop’s team had commenced work on the Swallow during October 1945 using the Vampire’s fuselage as a starting point and they completed the first of three elegant-look- NY ing prototypes (to fulfil Air Ministry Specifica- tion E.18/45) by spring 1946. This shows just how quickly a new design could be built in those days. Frost personally tested the ejec- Focke-Wulf Triebfliigel VIOL fighter design. This tion seat for the Swallow and he was extraordinary concept proved highly influential in launched up a 60ft (18.3m) tower, which was the post-war word: feading to manymew ideas for quite an achievement for a man who was blighted with airsickness. Unfortunately, the Swallow programme received a major set- German wartime designers who had worked back when Geoffrey de Havilland was killed on secret projects like the Focke-Wulf in the second prototype, which suffered a_ Triebfliigel. Whatever took place during structural failure during a test flight above these meetings would seem to have gener- Egypt Bay in Kent on 27th September 1946. ated a major interest in VTOL aircraft and However, on 6th September 1948 the third Frost is known to have completed a number DH.108 would become the first jet-powered _ of private studies for helicopters powered by aircraft to exceed Mach 1. rotor tip jets. Shortly after the accident that killed de Hav- After his first son Christopher was born in illand, Frost married Joan and during this 1947, Frost accepted an offer from Avro period he reportedly came into contact with Canada to become their Design Manager for The second de Havilland DH.108 Swallow Experimental jet aircraft (TG306), which John Frost worked on before joining Avro Canada. The aircraft was destroyed in an accident over the Thames Estuary on 27th September 1946 when the airframe became structurally overloaded at a speed of about Mach 0.9, killing the test pilot Geoffrey de Havilland. de Havilland Aircraft Company, via Bill Rose Miles Aircraft at Reading and moved to West- land Aircraft in 1936 where he worked on the twin-engined Whirlwind _ fighter-bomber, which entered RAF service in 1940. After spending two years with Blackburn Aircraft at Brough in Yorkshire, where he was primarily involved with their new wind tunnel, Frost joined Slingsby Sailplanes where he designed the Hengist troop-carrying glider. The Hengist was a sophisticated design, but the Airspeed Horsa was finally selected by the military on the grounds of lower cost and easy assembly. After meeting his future wife Joan (who worked in Slingsby’s Tracing Office) Frost moved to de Havilland at Hatfield in 1942. During the next five years he worked for R E Bishop on the highly successful multi-role wooden Mosquito, the Hornet, the DH.100 Vampire jet fighter and the experimental DH.108 Swallow. This advanced _tailless swept-wing research aircraft was based on the Vampire, although it drew heavily on wartime research conducted by Dr Alexander Focke-Wulf Triebfliigel VTOL fighter design. This extraordinary concept proved highly influential in the post-war world, leading to many new ideas for combat aircraft. Bill Rose German wartime designers who had worked on secret projects like the Focke-Wulf Triebfliigel. Whatever took place during these meetings would seem to have gener- ated a major interest in VTOL aircraft and Frost is known to have completed a number of private studies for helicopters powered by rotor tip jets. After his first son Christopher was born in 1947, Frost accepted an offer from Avro Canada to become their Design Manager for 57 Canada’s Cold War Saucers