Lombard was appointed chief engineer at Rolls-Royce in 1954, and around this time he was involved in the production of the world's first 'bypass turbojet' or turbofan engine, the Conway, which was used in the Vickers VC10 and installed in the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 aircraft [REF].
In November 1962, Lombard visited Japan to meet with several companies that had expressed an interest in Rolls-Royce's vertical take-off (VTOL) aircraft engines.