Miles Hawk Major

Hawk Major
Type:	Small plane
Design country:	United Kingdom
Manufacturer:	Miles Aircraft
First flight:	1934
Number of pieces:	64

The Miles Hawk Major is a small aircraft used as a travel and racing aircraft by the British manufacturer Miles Aircraft .

development and construction

The Hawk Major was developed by Frederick George Miles as the successor to the Miles Hawk . In contrast to the Hawk, the Hawk Major is powered by a de Havilland Gipsy III. The engine mount is made of metal instead of wood and the chassis is clad. The prototype , called the M.2F Hawk Major, made its maiden flight in 1934 and took second place in the King's Cup Race that same year with an average speed of 147.78 mph (237.83 km / h ) . As a result, a single-seat racing version called the M.2E Gipsy Six Hawk was developed, which was powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Six with a rated power of 200 hp (147 kW). The production version, however, was equipped with a de Havilland Gipsy Major with 130 PS (96 kW). The machine sold well to private owners. Among them were also two specimens equipped with a smoke generator that were used as sky scribes . The M.2F was eventually replaced by the M.2H. Some racing machines were also made from it. In October 1935, Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Malcolm C. McGregor flew in a Hawk Major in seven days and fifteen hours from RAF Mildenhall to Melbourne , Australia, in the course of the MacRobertson air race .

In 1936 Arthur Edmond Clouston took part in the Miles Hawk IV with the registration G-ADOD in the Schlesinger Race from Portsmouth to Johannesburg . Clouston did not finish the race, however, as he had to make an emergency landing 150 mi (241 km) south of Salisbury due to engine problems .

In 1935, the Miles Hawk Trainer was developed as a training aircraft based on the Hawk Major .

Versions

M.2E Gipsy Six Hawk (later called Hawk Speed Six): Single-seat racing version, powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Six with 200 PS (147 kW), one copy built
M.2F Hawk Major: Production version powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major
M.2G Hawk Major: Three-seater version with closed cabin, one copy built

Miles M.2L Hawk Speed Six in May 1955

M.2H Hawk Major: Was probably the first British airplane with splay flaps . 39 units built from November 1934, drive like M.2F
M.2K Hawk Major: Driven by a Cirrus Hermes II with 105 PS (77 kW), one copy built
M.2L Hawk Speed Six: Powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Six 1F with 200 HP (147 kW), one copy built
M.2M Hawk Major: Three-seat version, powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major, two copies built
M.2P Hawk Major: Version with double steering and wider cockpit, powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major, three copies built
M.2R Hawk Major de Luxe: Racing version, powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major, two copies built
M.2S: Long-haul version powered by a Blackburn Cirrus Major with 150 hp (110 kW)
M.2T: Single-seat long-haul version powered by a Blackburn Cirrus Major, two copies built
M.2U Hawk Speed Six: Racing version, powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major Six R, one copy built

operator

United Kingdom United Kingdom

Royal Air Force

Technical data (M.2F)

Parameter	Data
crew	1
Passengers	1
length	24 ft (7.3 m )
span	33 ft (10.1 m)
height	6.67 ft (2 m)
Wing area	169 ft² (15.7 m² )
Empty mass	1,150 lb (522 kg )
Max. Takeoff mass	1,850 lb (839 kg)
Top speed	150 mph (241 km / h )
Service ceiling	20,000 ft (6,096 m)
Range	560 mi (901 km )
Engines	1 × de Havilland Gipsy Major with 200 PS (147 kW )

Preserved copies

M.2L Speed Six, license plate G-ADGP, at White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead , Berkshire
M.2H Hawk Major, registration DG590, at the Montrose Air Station Heritage Center in Montrose , Scotland
M.2H Hawk Major, license plate G-ADAS, in the TAM Museum in São Paulo , Brazil

literature

Peter Amos, Don Lambert Brown: Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1 . Putnam Aeronautical, London 2000, ISBN 0-85177-787-2 (English).
Don Lambert Brown: Miles Aircraft Since 1925 . Putnam & Company Ltd., London 1970, ISBN 0-370-00127-3 (English).
AJ Jackson: British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 3 . Putnam & Company Ltd., London 1974, ISBN 0-370-10014-X (English).

Web links

Commons : Miles Hawk Major - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b One out of nine . In: Flight International . Reed Business Information , October 8, 1936, p. 352 ff . ( archive.org ).
↑ Making Ready at Mildenhall . In: Flight International . Reed Business Information , October 18, 1934, p. 1074-1077 ( archive.org ).
↑ Brown, 1970, pp. 66f.

[flightglobal1936-1] One out of nine . In: Flight International . Reed Business Information , October 8, 1936, p. 352 ff . ( archive.org ).

[2] Making Ready at Mildenhall . In: Flight International . Reed Business Information , October 18, 1934, p. 1074-1077 ( archive.org ).

[3] Brown, 1970, pp. 66f.