Miles Master
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| Type | advanced trainer |
| Manufacturer | Phillips and Powis Aircraft Ltd |
| Designed by | F. G. Miles |
| Maiden flight | 31 March 1939 |
| Introduced | 1939 |
| Status | retired |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Egypt, South African Air Force, Turkey |
| Number built | 3,250 |
The Miles M.9 Master was a British 2-seat monoplane advanced trainer built by Miles Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. It went through a number of variants according to engine availability and was even modified as an emergency fighter during the Battle of Britain. It was a fast, strong and fully aerobatic aircraft and served as an excellent introduction to the high performance British fighter aircraft of the day; the Spitfire and Hurricane.
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[edit] Design and development
The M.9A Master I was based on the M.9 Kestrel trainer that was first demonstrated at the Hendon Airshow in July 1937, although it never entered production. The M.9 Kestrel, powered by the 745 hp (555 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel XVI V-12 engine, could reach 295 mph (475 km/h). The production Master I, which first flew on 31 March, 1939, used the lower powered 715 hp (535 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel XXX engine, reducing the maximum speed. Nonetheless it remained one of the fastest and most maneuverable trainers of its day. The Master entered service just before the start of the war, and eventually 900 Mk. I and Mk. IA Masters were built. This total included 26 built as the M.24 Master Fighter which were modified to a single-seat configuration, and armed with six .303 in machine guns.
When production of the Kestrel engine ceased, a new variant of the Master was designed to use the 870 hp (650 kW) air-cooled radial Bristol Mercury XX engine. The first M.19 Master II prototype flew on 30 October, 1939 and 1,748 were eventually built. When the Lend-Lease programme began to supply engines from the United States, a third variant of the Master, the M.27 Master III was designed, powered by the American 825 hp (615 kW) Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Junior two-row radial engine. A total of 602 Master IIIs were built before production of the Miles Martinet took over in 1942.
In trainer form, the Master was equipped to carry eight practice bombs, plus one .303 in Vickers machine gun mounted in the front fuselage. In 1942, all variants had their wings clipped by three feet (one metre) to reduce stress on the wings and increase maneuverability.
[edit] Production
All the 3,227 Masters produced were built by Phillips and Powis Aircraft Limited at Woodley, Berkshire, the largest number produced of any Miles aircraft type.
[edit] Operational history
Service use primarily revolved around (Pilot) Advanced Flying Units, while several hundred Miles Master IIs were converted, or delivered new, for the glider-towing role, with the bottom of the rudder cut away to allow fitting of a towing hook. Miles Masters were extensively used from 1942 as tugs for Hotspur gliders at Glider Training Schools. Used at FTS, few aircraft thus entered squadron service. Known deployments were to 287 Squadron between February and August 1942 and to 286 Squadron from November 1944 to February 1945. [1]
Diversions from RAF stocks included 426 to the South African Air Force, 52 to the Fleet Air Arm, nine to the USAAF in rgw UK, 23 to the Royal Egyptian Air Force and, early in 1945, 23 to Turkey. Eleven also went to the Irish Air Corps and two to Portugal.
[edit] Military operators
- Royal Air Force
- No. 4 Squadron RAF
- No. 16 Squadron RAF
- No. 26 Squadron RAF
- No. 85 Squadron RAF
- No. 105 Squadron RAF
- No. 152 Squadron RAF
- No. 168 Squadron RAF
- No. 219 Squadron RAF
- No. 222 Squadron RAF
- No. 225 Squadron RAF
- No. 238 Squadron RAF
- No. 239 Squadron RAF
- No. 242 Squadron RAF
- No. 245 Squadron RAF
- No. 249 Squadron RAF
- No. 253 Squadron RAF
- No. 257 Squadron RAF
- No. 264 Squadron RAF
- No. 266 Squadron RAF
- No. 286 Squadron RAF
- No. 287 Squadron RAF
- No. 414 Squadron RCAF
- No. 460 Squadron RAAF
- No. 505 Squadron RAF
- No. 521 Squadron RAF
- No. 607 Squadron RAF
- No. 610 Squadron RAF
- No. 615 Squadron RAF
- No. 616 squadron RAF
[edit] Specifications (Mk II)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two (instructor and student)
- Length: 29 ft 6 in (8.99 m)
- Wingspan: 39 ft 0 in (11.89 m)
- Height: 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
- Wing area: 217 ft² (20.16 m²)
- Airfoil: NACA 230
- Empty weight: 4,293 lb (1,947 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 5,573 lb (2,528 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Bristol Mercury XX 9-cylinder supercharged air-cooled radial engine, 870 hp (623 kW)
- * Clipped wingspan: 35 ft 9 in (10.9 m)
- Wing area: 224 ft² (20.8 m²)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 260 mph at 5,000 ft (416 km/h at 1,500 m)
- Cruise speed: 230 mph at 5,000 ft (368 km/h at 1,500 m)
- Range: 341 nm (393 mi, 632 km)
- Service ceiling 28,000 ft (8,500 m)
- Wing loading: 23.7 lb/ft² (116 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.156 hp/lb (0.255 kW/kg)
Armament
- 1 × .303 in Vickers K machine-gun
[edit] See also
Related development
- Miles Kestrel
- Miles Martinet
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ JEFFORD, 'RAF Squadrons' 2nd edition 2001
[edit] Bibliography
- Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0.
- Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-37000-127-3.
- Jane, Fred T. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1945/6. London: Sampson Low Marston, 1946. ISBN 0-7153-5109-6.
- Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. London: Chancellor Press, 1994. ISBN 1-85152-668-4.
- 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.
[edit] External links
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