Miles M.15

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M.15
M15II.jpg
Type: Trainer aircraft
Design country:

United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom

Manufacturer:

Miles Aircraft

First flight:

September 22, 1938

Number of pieces:

2

The Miles M.15 was a trainer aircraft made by the British manufacturer Miles Aircraft .

development

The Miles M.15 was built according to the Air Ministry Specification T.1 / 37, which described a two-seat training aircraft . In addition to Miles, two other manufacturers were developing applicants for the specification. Parnall Aircraft applied with the Heck 3 and Heston Aircraft with the Heston T.1 / 37 . The AS.36 from Airspeed , the General Aircraft GAL.32 and the Percival P.20 were also developed according to specification T.1 / 37, but not built. At first glance, the M.15 resembled the Miles Magister . It was also a cantilever low- wing aircraft with two open cockpits in tandem , a rigid tail wheel landing gear and a de Havilland Gipsy engine . However, the patterns differed significantly in terms of drive, shape and construction.

The M.15 was powered by a six - cylinder piston engine of the type de Havilland Gipsy Six with a nominal output of 200  HP (147  kW ) and was therefore much more powerful than the Magister, which was powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major with an output of 130 HP (96 kW) was equipped. For this reason, among other things, the M.15 was around 4.8  ft (1.5  m ) longer than the Magister. The vertical tail had straight edges. The elevators of both types had a horn compensation. The wingspan of the M.15 was slightly smaller, but had a larger wing area due to the rounded trailing edge of the wing. The wing tips of both designs were slightly bent . The streamlining behind the rear cockpit was also new on the M.15.

Both the Magister and the M.15 were made of spruce wood that was planked with plywood . The hull of the M.15, however, was a monocoque whose cross-section was much more rounded than that of the Magister with straight sides and a straight bottom. The wings consisted of two spars made of spruce wood with a structure made of plywood and frames made of spruce wood and were planked with plywood. The fuselage and wings were also covered with fabric. An unloaded M.15 was over forty percent heavier than a Magister.

Like the other applicants for the specification T.1 / 37, the M.15 could not meet the requirements of the Air Ministry . Miles tried to improve performance with the Mk. II - a slightly modified version with rectangular wings and tailplane - but had little success. It was assumed that it would be impossible to achieve the required performance due to the general conditions of Specification T.1 / 37. Ultimately, none of the applicants received a production order for his design.

use

Both copies were built by Phillips and Powis in Woodley . The first flight was probably carried out by H. Bill Skinner on September 22, 1938. On February 4, 1939, he flew the machine for test flights to Martlesham Heath Air Force Base in Woodbridge . The second machine was initially flown under the provisional registration number U-0234 and later received the registration number P6326. She was transferred to Farnborough Air Force Base on May 23, 1939 .

Versions

Trainer Mk I.
Prototype with the serial number L7714, built according to the Air Ministry Specification T.1 / 37; the construction of a second copy was abandoned
Trainer Mk II
Improved version, built in 1939; Wing tips and tailplane were made at right angles and the two windshields changed

Technical data (Mk I)

Parameter Data
crew 1
Passengers 1
length 29.5  ft (8.99  m )
span 33.42 ft (10.19 m)
height 10.42 ft (3.18 m)
Wing area 200  ft² (18.6  m² )
Wing extension 5.6
Empty mass 1,830  lb (830  kg )
Max. Takeoff mass 2,530 lb (1,148 kg)
Engines 1 × de Havilland Gipsy Six 200  PS (147  kW )

See also

literature

  • Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Early Years . Air-Britain, Tonbridge 2009, ISBN 978-0-85130-410-6 (English).
  • Don Lambert Brown: Miles Aircraft Since 1925 . Putnam & Company, London 1970, ISBN 0-370-00127-3 (English).
  • AH Lukins, DA Russell: The Book of Miles aircraft . Harborough, Leicester 1945 (English).

Web links

Commons : Miles M.15  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b A. H. Lukins, DA Russell: The Book of Miles aircraft . Harborough, Leicester 1945, p. 52, 53 (English).
  2. ^ Don Lambert Brown: Miles Aircraft Since 1925 . Putnam & Company, London 1970, ISBN 0-370-00127-3 , pp. 147 (English).
  3. ^ A b c Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Early Years . Air-Britain, Tonbridge 2009, ISBN 978-0-85130-410-6 , pp. 280 (English).