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'Miles' was the name used to market the aircraft of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who designed numerous light civil and military aircraft and a range of curious prototypes. The name "Miles" is associated with two distinct companies that Miles was involved in and is also attached to several designs produced before there was a company trading under Miles' name.

Contents

History

Miles Aircraft Limited

F. G. Miles Limited

Aircraft designs

Aircraft

References

External links

History

Miles Aircraft Limited

The original company was founded by Charles Powis and Jack Phillips as 'Philips and Powis Aircraft' at Woodley airfield in Reading, Berkshire, after meeting Fred Miles. In 1936 Rolls-Royce bought into the company and 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. In 1947 the company went bankrupt and the assets were purchased by Handley Page as Handley Page Reading. Handley Page produced the Miles designed M.60 Marathon as the H.P.R.1 Marathon.

F. G. Miles Limited

In 1948, Frederick Miles founded 'F. G. Miles Limited' who continued to produce aircraft under the Miles name. The latter Miles company was later merged with Auster Aircraft Limited into Beagle Aircraft .

Aircraft designs

Their aircraft include the Hawk Trainer and its military variant, the Magister, as well as the Messenger and the Gemini. During the Second World War they produced the Master advanced trainer, as well as the Martinet and Monitor target tugs.
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 and Spitfires, despite having fixed landing gear. The X Minor was a flying testbed for blended wing-fuselage designs, though the large commercial transport intended to be produced from this research never entered production.
The Miles Libellula designs were tandem-winged; a small wing at the nose of the aircraft and the main one at the rear.
Despite producing a revolutionary transport – the Aerovan – and nearly completing the world's first supersonic jet aircraft (the Miles M.52, which influenced the design of the Bell X-1), the company went into receivership in 1947. Its aircraft interests were bought up by Handley Page Aircraft, though the Aerovan concept was further developed by Short Brothers into the Skyvan, the Shorts 330 and later the Shorts 360.

Aircraft

The following table lists the Mark number, name, year of first flight and number produced of all Miles aircraft.

Mk #	Name	Year	Produced	Type of aircraft
	Southern Martlet	1929	6
	Metal Martlet	1930	1
M.1	Satyr	1932	1
M.2	Hawk	1933	55
M.2F-T	Hawk Major	1934	64
M.2E,L,U	Hawk Speed Six	1934	3
M.2W,X,Y	Hawk Trainer		25
M.3A	Falcon Major	1934	19
M.3B	Falcon Six	1935	17
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
M.14	Hawk Trainer III		52
M.15	T.1/37	1939	2
M.16	Mentor	1938	45	three-seat training and communications monoplane
M.17	Monarch	1938	11
M.18	M.18	1938	4
M.19	Master II	1939	1,699
M.20	M20	1940	2
M.24	Master Fighter	1940	26	emergency conversion of trainer to fighter
M.25	Martinet	1943	1,724	target tug
M.26	"X"		0	planned large airliner
M.27	Master III	1940	602
M.28	Mercury	1941	6
M.30	X Minor	1942	1	small scale prototype
M.33	Monitor	1944	22	twin engined target tug
M.35	Libellula	1942	1
M.37	Martinet Trainer	1946	2
M.28	Messenger	1942	80
M.33	Monitor	1944	80
M.39B	Libellula	1943	1	scale bomber design
M.48	Messenger Development	1945	1
M.52	M.52		0	supersonic research aircraft design
M.50	Queen Martinet		65	target tug
M.57	Aerovan	1945	48	STOL transport
M.60	Marathon I	1945	42	civil airliner design - would become Handley Page Marathon
M.64	L.R.5	1945	1
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 powered project
M.71	Merchantman	1947	1
M.75	Aries	1951	2
M.77	Sparrowjet	1953	1
M.100	Student	1957	1
M.105	H.D.M.105	1957	1	aerovan conversion with Hurel Dubois wing

References

★ 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.

External links

★ Miles Aircraft

★ British Aircraft Directory