Miles Aircraft

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The M.30 'X Minor' flying aerodynamics testbed

Miles Master trainer in flight during World War II.

M38 Miles Messenger G-AKBN photographed in around 1951

Belgium-registered Miles M65 Gemini 1A, built in 1947

Miles Aircraft was a British manufacturer of light civil and military aircraft. The company was founded by Charles Powis and Jack Phillips as Philips and Powis Aircraft.

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.

[edit] Aircraft

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

Mk #	Name	Year	Produced
	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
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
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
M.25	Martinet	1943	1,724
M.26	"X"		0
M.27	Master III	1940	602
M.28	Mercury	1941	6
M.30	X Minor	1942	1
M.33	Monitor	1944	22
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
M.48	Messenger Development	1945	1
M.52	M.52		0
M.50	Queen Martinet		65
M.57	Aerovan	1945	48
M.60	Marathon I	1945	42
M.64	L.R.5	1945	1
M.65	Gemini	1945	170
M.68	Boxcar	1947	1
M.69	Marathon II	1949	1
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