Miles Aircraft
Industry | Aviation |
---|---|
Founded | 1930s (as Phillips & Powis Aircraft) |
Defunct | 1947 |
Fate | aviation interests taken on by Handley Page |
Successor | F.G.Miles Ltd / Handley Page Reading Ltd / Western Manufacturing Ltd |
Headquarters | Woodley, Berkshire, UK |
Key people | Fred, Blossom[1] & George Miles[2] Test pilots included Thomas Rose and Ken Waller. |
Products | Aircraft, photocopiers, book binding equipment, fasteners (self locking nuts), actuators |
Miles was the name used between 1943 and 1947 to market the aircraft of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who, with his wife – aviator and draughtswoman Maxine "Blossom" Miles (née Forbes-Robertson) – and his brother George Herbert Miles, designed numerous light civil and military aircraft and a range of curious prototypes.
History
Phillips and Powis
A company was founded in 1928 by Charles Powis and Jack Phillips as Phillips & Powis Aircraft (Reading) Ltd. In 1929 they opened
In 1936, Rolls-Royce bought into the company. Although aircraft were produced under the Miles name, it was not until 1943 that the firm became Miles Aircraft Limited when Rolls-Royce's interests were bought out.
The company needed to increase production of the Miles Messenger and to do so it took over[when?] a former linen mill in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland for the production of components of the aircraft. A hangar at RAF Long Kesh was used for assembly of the aircraft and flight testing was carried out at the airfield. The company moved to Newtownards following the end of the war in 1946.
The company opened the Miles Aeronautical Technical School in 1943 under the directorship of Maxine (Blossom) Miles[4] The school had a "Headmaster", Walter Evans.[5]
Bankruptcy and receivership
In 1947, the company entered receivership following bankruptcy proceedings instigated by
In 1948 an application by the Board of Trade for the appointment of an inspector to investigate the affairs of Miles Aircraft Ltd. was granted by Mr. Justice Roxburgh. The B.O.T. case was that when a prospectus was issued in March, 1947 (before the accounts for 1946 were published), the directors should reasonably have been expected to know that all was not well with the company, and when, in August, 1947, a dividend of 7% per cent and a bonus of 24% were recommended, they should reasonably have been expected to know that a big loss was being suffered by the company.[7][8][9]
Charges were brought against
The aviation assets were purchased by
F. G. Miles Limited
In 1948, F.G. Miles founded F. G. Miles Limited, which continued to produce aircraft under the Miles brand. The company was based on two sites,
The company adopted a group structure with subsidiary companies as follows:
Miles Electronics was involved in the manufacture of flight simulators; this division merged with the UK arm of the Link Trainer flight simulator company and was later acquired by the Singer Corporation. In 1975 Hunting Associated Industries acquired a controlling interest in F. G. Miles Engineering and all its subsidiaries. The company was renamed Hunting Hivolt and Jeremy Miles, the son of Fred Miles (who founded the firm), became a non-executive director on the board.[18] Other companies included Miles HiVolt Ltd and Miles-Dufon Ltd (this company went into administration on 15 April 1980).
Design work between F. G. Miles Ltd and the French company,
Aircraft designs
The company's earlier aircraft include the
The aircraft designed by Miles were often technologically and aerodynamically advanced for their time; the M.20 emergency production fighter prototype outperformed contemporary Hawker Hurricanes, despite having fixed landing gear. The X Minor was a flying testbed for blended wing-fuselage designs, although the large commercial transport intended to be produced from this research never entered production. The gigantic Miles X Airliner was to seat 55 and have eight engines buried in the wings, driving four sets of contra-rotating props and achieve a range of 3,450 miles.[19]
The Miles Libellula (named after
The Miles M.52 was a turbojet-powered supersonic research aircraft project that was cancelled before completion.
Aircraft
The following table lists the company number, name, year of first flight and number produced of all Miles aircraft.
Company number | Name | Year | Produced | Type of aircraft |
---|---|---|---|---|
Southern Martlet
|
1929 | 6 | ||
Metal Martlet
|
1930 | 1 | ||
Falcon Four | 1931 | Light cabin twin. Two Cirrus Hermes engines in overwing pusher configuration.[20]
| ||
M.1 | Satyr | 1932 | 1 | |
M.2 | Hawk | 1933 | 55 | two-seat light monoplane |
M.2F-T | Hawk Major | 1934 | 64 | Hawk successor with de Havilland Gipsy Major engine |
M.2E,L,U | Hawk Speed Six | 1934 | 3 | racing version of Hawk Major with de Havilland Gipsy Six engine |
M.2W,X,Y | Hawk Trainer |
25 | two-seat touring and racing monoplane | |
M.3A | Falcon Major | 1934 | 19 | |
M.3B | Falcon Six | 1935 | 17 | |
M.3E | Gillette Falcon | 1944 | 1 modified M.3B | research for the supersonic M.52 |
M.4 | Merlin | 1935 | 4 | |
M.5 | Sparrowhawk | 1935 | 5 | |
M.6 | Hawcon | 1935 | 1 | |
M.7 | Nighthawk | 1935 | 6 | |
M.8 | Peregrine | 1936 | 2 | |
M.9 | Kestrel | 1937 | 1 | |
M.9A | Master I | 1939 | 900 | advanced trainer |
M.11 | Whitney Straight | 1936 | 50 | |
M.11C | M.11C | 1 | ||
M.12 | Mohawk | 1937 | 1 | |
M.13 | Hobby | 1937 | 1 | |
M.14 | Magister | 1937 | 1,293 | basic military trainer |
M.14 | Hawk Trainer III | 1937 | 52 | Magister for civil and export sales |
M.15 | M.15 | 1939 | 2 | Air Ministry Specification T.1/37
|
M.16 | Mentor | 1938 | 45 | three-seat training and communications monoplane |
M.17 | Monarch | 1938 | 11 | |
M.18 | M.18 | 1938 | 3 | |
M.19 | Master II | 1939 | 1,699 | advanced trainer |
M.20 | M20/2 | 1940 | 2 | prototype low-cost fighter |
M.22A | design only | designed to F.18/40 specification for a turret-equipped night-fighter | ||
M.24 | Master Fighter | 1940 | 26 | emergency conversion of trainer design to fighter, retrospectively numbered M.24[21] |
M.25 | Martinet | 1943 | 1,724 | target tug |
M.26 | "X" | 0 | planned 55-seat trans-Atlantic airliner | |
M.27 | Master III | 1940 | 602 | |
M.28 | Mercury | 1941 | 6 | training or communications |
M.30 | X Minor |
1942 | 1 | small-scale prototype for Miles X airline design |
M.33 | Monitor | 1944 | 22 | twin-engined target tug |
M.35 | M.35 Libellula | 1942 | 1 | tandem-wing design fighter
|
M.37 | Martinet Trainer | 1946 | 2 | two-seat trainer |
M.38 | Messenger | 1942 | 80 | liaison and private owner aircraft |
M.39B | M.39B Libellula | 1943 | 1 | scale aircraft of tandem-wing M.39 fast bomber design |
M.42 and M.43 | not built | designs tendered for an "Army Direct Support Aircraft" (i.e. a ground attack aircraft). Both tandem wing, one with twin Merlin, other with single Griffon engine.[22] | ||
M.44 | not built | another design for the ground attack specification, conventional design with twin Merlins[23] | ||
M.48 | Messenger 3 | 1945 | 1 | Messenger development |
M.52 | M.52 | 0 | supersonic research aircraft design | |
M.50 | Queen Martinet | 1944 | 65 | unmanned target drone version of Martinet |
M.57 | Aerovan | 1945 | 48 | STOL transport |
M.60 | Marathon I | 1945 | 42 | civil airliner design – would become Handley Page Marathon |
M.63B | not built | Tandem wing jet mailplane[24] | ||
M.64 | L.R.5 | 1945 | 1 | Single engined two seat light aircraft |
M.65 | Gemini | 1945 | 170 | private small aircraft |
M.68 | Boxcar |
1947 | 1 | transport with detachable cargo container |
M.69 | Marathon II | 1949 | 1 | Mamba turboprop powered project |
M.71 | Merchantman | 1947 | 1 | 4-engined development of Aerovan layout |
M.75 | Aries
|
1951 | 2 | development of Gemini with more powerful engines |
M.76 | M.76 | 1953 | 1 | development of 2-seat glider for the British Gliding Association |
M.77 | Sparrowjet | 1953 | 1 | conversion of M.5 Sparrowhawk |
M.100 | Student | 1957 | 1 | single engined two seat jet trainer |
M.105 | H.D.M.105
|
1957 | 1 | Aerovan conversion with Hurel Dubois wing |
- R.A.E. – Vickers Transonic Research Rocket. The test vehicle was a 3/10-scale model of the Miles E.24/43 design (except for the omission of the distinctive annular air intake of the full-scale aircraft). To maintain the centre of gravity it was necessary to include a large balance weight (almost 1/10 of total all-up weight) in the foremost section of the ogival nose. On 9 October 1948, model A3 (one of three craft built) was successfully launched.[25]
Missiles
- Miles Hoopla – a surface-to-surface missile project, the Miles Hoopla dates from 1941 to 1943. It was a remotely piloted, high wing light aircraft carrying a 1,000 lb bomb. It was powered by a DH Gypsy Queen engine with a wingspan of 14 feet, and an estimated speed of over 300 mph. It was not a "flying bomb" like the V-1, but was intended to drop its load and return for re-use. Accuracy was not a major consideration as its intended target was to be German cities. Only a mock-upwas constructed before the project was cancelled.
Legacy
The Miles Aircraft Collection was established in 1993 for anyone interested in Miles aircraft and related subjects and aims to encourage the preservation of all surviving examples worldwide (ideally in flying condition or otherwise in museums and collections open to the public).
See also
References
Notes
- ^ https://museumofberkshireaviation.co.uk/html/history/blossom.htm. Archived 13 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ https://museumofberkshireaviation.co.uk/html/history/george.htm. Archived 13 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 9781905191024.
- ^ "Miles Aeronautical Technical School." Flight, 18 April 1946, p. 398. Retrieved: 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Miles Aircraft School Issue Title Is Pathe ... 1947." britishpathe.com.Retrieved: 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Gemini." Flight, 1947. Retrieved: 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Miles Aircraft." Flight, 13 May 1948.
- ^ "Miles Aircraft Ltd: alleged issue of false and misleading prospectus: 1947–1950 Reference: MEPO 3/2875." The National Archives (United Kingdom) records.
- ^ "Miles Aircraft, Limited: HC Deb, vol. 447, cc298-9W." Hansard, 23 February 1948.
- ^ "Gemini." Flight, 1947. Retrieved: 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Miles Case Acquittals." Flight, 8 June 1950 p654 Retrieved: 29 April 2012.
- ^ "Philidas." Archived 23 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine philidasfasteners.co.uk. Retrieved: 2 August 2012.
- ^ "Actuator." Flight, 2 August 1945. Retrieved: 24 April 2012.
- ^ Masefield, Peter. "The Beagles are Coming." flightglobal.com, 23 March 1961. Retrieved: 1 January 2010.
- ^ "Aerial photographs." english-heritage.org. Retrieved: 24 April 2012.
- ^ "New Miles Directors ." flightglobal.com, 8 May 1953. Retrieved: 1 January 2010.
- ^ "Royal Visitor to Shoreham." flightglobal.com, 30 May 1958. Retrieved: 1 January 2010.
- ^ [1] Flight International, 27 November 1975.
- ^ "Eight-engine, 55-seat plane to have a 3,450-mile range." Popular Science, August 1944, p. 38.
- ^ Flight, 20 February 1931, p. 156.
- ^ "British Aircraft of World War II – Miles Master." jaapteeuwen.com. Retrieved: 1 July 2017.
- ^ Buttler 2004, pp. 67,71.
- ^ Buttler 2004, p. 71.
- ^ "Jet Mail Project." Flight, 16 May 1946, p. 492.
Bibliography
- Amos, Peter. Miles Aircraft – The Early Years: The Story of F G Miles and his Aeroplanes, 1925–1939. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 2009. ISBN 978-0-85130-410-6.
- Amos, Peter. Miles Aircraft – The Wartime Years, 1939 to 1945. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 2012. ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4.
- Amos, Peter. Miles Aircraft – The Post-War Years 1945-1948. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 2012. ISBN 978-0-85130-480-9.
- Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-370-00127-3.
- Brown, Capt. Eric. "Miles M.52 – Gateway to Supersonic Flight". Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press, 2013. ISBN 978-0-7524-7014-6
- Buttler, Tony. Secret Projects: British Fighters and Bombers 1935 -1950 (British Secret Projects 3). Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-85780-179-2.
- Temple, Julian C. Wings Over Woodley – The Story of Miles Aircraft and the Adwest Group. Bourne End, Bucks, UK: Aston Publications, 1987. ISBN 0-946627-12-6.