Miles Master

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master
Miles M.27 Master III
Type: military trainer aircraft
Design country:

United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom

Manufacturer:

Miles Aircraft

First flight:

March 31, 1939

Commissioning:

1939

Number of pieces:

3249

The Miles M.9 Master was a two-seat, military training aircraft produced by the British manufacturer Miles Aircraft . It was used in large numbers by the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm during World War II .

The origins of the Masters go back to the M.9 Kestrel . After the De Havilland DH.93 Don failed as a serviceable trainer aircraft, the Royal Air Force ordered five hundred M9A Masters. This fast and fully aerobatic aircraft was ideally suited for the training of pilots for the British high-performance fighter aircraft of the time such as the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane . Thousands of copies of the Masters in various designs were built during their production period. The design of many of the later developed versions were heavily influenced by the engines available . Many of the specimens were also modified for use as a tow plane and the design also served as the basis for the Miles Martinet target tow plane .

The most profoundly modified version was the M.24 Master Fighter . Armed with six machine guns of caliber .303 British , it should in the Battle of Britain are used as Notjäger, but never had enemy contact. The school-only versions could also be armed. This armament included a .303 caliber Vickers machine gun and eight bombs , although this armament was originally intended only for training purposes. In addition to the British Air Force, the air forces of other nations such as the South African Air Force , the United States Army Air Forces , the Irish Air Corps as well as the Egyptian , Turkish and Portuguese Air Forces use the different versions of the Miles Master. Although thousands of units of the Master were built, there are no longer any completely preserved copies.

history

Miles M.9A Master I.

The M.9A Master I was based on the M.9 Kestrel trainer aircraft , which was presented for the first time in July 1937 at the aviation exhibition in the London borough of Hendon , but which went into series production . Powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel XVI V12 engine rated at 745  hp (548  kW ), the M.9 Kestrel reached a top speed of 296  mph (476  km / h ). In order to meet the demand for an advanced training aircraft according to the Air Ministry Specification T.6 / 36, the British Air Ministry initially selected the competitor product De Havilland DH.93 Don , which, however, could not meet the requirements. To replace it, the Royal Air Force ordered five hundred copies of a revised version of the Kestrel called the M.9A Master, valued at £ 2 million .

After receiving the order, Miles changed the prototype of the M.9 to a prototype for the Masters. Among other things, the engine was swapped for the weaker Kestrel XXX with 715 PS (526 kW), as this engine was available in more than sufficient numbers. In addition to replacing the engine, the airframe was fundamentally revised. The canopy was replaced and the tail and tail unit changed. The radiator was moved from the underside of the nose to the center under the wings . These changes led to a significant reduction in top speed compared to the M.9. Nevertheless, the Master was a relatively fast and maneuverable training aircraft. According to the magazine Flight International Miles had realized with the Master his version of a trainer aircraft that could keep up with the performance of the Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane fighter planes and had similar flight characteristics.

On March 31, 1939, the first Master I from series production completed its maiden flight . According to Flight International magazine , the first series copies were delivered at the end of July of the same year. The Master was thus put into service with the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of World War II . Ultimately, 900 units of the Mk. I and Mk. IA models were built. This included 26 M.24 Master Fighter, which are converted to single-seaters and six machine guns of caliber .303 British acted armed versions that should be used as Notjäger. However, the M.24 Master Fighters never had contact with the enemy.

When production of the Kestrel engine was discontinued, a new version of the Master was developed, powered by an air-cooled Bristol Mercury XX rated at 870 hp (640 kW). The first flight of the prototype of this new configuration with the designation M.19 Master II took place on October 30, 1939. By the end of the production period, 1748 copies of this model had been built.

After engines could be delivered from the United States to the United Kingdom by enactment of the Lending and Lease Act , a third version of the Master with the designation M.27 Master III was developed, which with a US Pratt & Whitney R-1535 with a rated power of 825 hp (607 kW). A total of 602 units were built from this last version.

In a typical configuration, the school master was eight Exercise bombs and a Vickers machine gun with the caliber .303 British armed, which was mounted in the bow. In the course of 1942, the wings of all versions were shortened by three feet (about one meter). This change reduced the wing loading and also resulted in further improved maneuverability.

A total of 3,249 copies of the Miles Master were built by Phillips and Powis Aircraft Limited at Woodley in Berkshire , South Marston and Swindon in Wiltshire and Doncaster in South Yorkshire . This made the Master the most frequently built model of Miles Aircraft until the Miles Martinet replaced it in 1942.

In order to be able to manufacture the aircraft in large numbers in Woodley, a massive expansion of the original factory was necessary, which was officially put into operation on January 20, 1939 by the British Aviation Minister Sir Kingsley Wood . This factory was equipped with a groundbreaking assembly line system. Presumably this system was the first in a British aircraft factory. Similar equipment was installed at the South Marston factory in late 1940.

construction

The Miles Master was a single-engine, cantilevered low- wing aircraft in tandem configuration with a piston engine. The first examples were equipped with a Kestrel XXX rated at 745 hp (548 kW), with which they reached a top speed of 296 mph (476 km / h). The Master was just as fast as the double-deckers of that time. A special feature of the Master was the gull wing , which was used despite higher production costs due to the performance advantages and offered space for the retractable landing gear and fuel tanks. Apart from this particularity, the design of the wings was largely based on conventional designs. The landing flaps were hydraulically controlled and their position was displayed electronically in the cockpit. Furthermore, a machine gun was installed in the middle of the wing.

While the Master possessed relatively advanced aerodynamic properties for a training aircraft of the time , the fuselage had a conventional structure consisting of oval frames lined with plywood . In front of the tandem cockpit, the nose was provided with a metal rib, which was supposed to protect the crew in the event of a rollover, which sometimes happened with student pilots in an aircraft with tail wheel landing gear . The stern consisted of a conventional, cantilevered structure with the tail unit mounted directly on top of the fuselage. According to Flight International, the tail unit was designed in such a way that a spin could be avoided as easily as possible. To make maintenance easier, the tubular steel engine mount of the Kestrel engine was designed so that only four bolts had to be loosened to remove the engine. Further simplification of maintenance was achieved by throttling the engine, which made it possible to increase the maintenance intervals.

The Master had a controllable pitch propeller optionally from Rotol or De Havilland . The Kestrel engine of the early models had various auxiliary units to drive vacuum and hydraulic pumps as well as an air compressor and a five hundred watt generator . The water and oil were cooled through a pipe under the hull. The fuel was housed in two 36 gallon tanks in the wings. The oil tank was installed behind a firewall and the water tank was in front of the engine. The retractable undercarriage was moved via two separate hydraulic systems with a hand pump as a reserve. The brakes were also operated hydraulically.

The masters cockpit was designed for efficient training. For example, the rear seat for the flight instructor was mounted around 30 centimeters higher than the seat of the student in order to offer the flight instructor a better field of vision. In flight, the teacher was able to deactivate various controls on the student. The windshield was made of molded perspex and was fitted with a visor that gave an optimal view of the target. Two small windows could be opened to improve visibility in bad weather conditions. There were also sun visors in the cockpit. Latches were attached to both sides of the sliding hood with which the canopy could be quickly released in the event of an emergency. Further emergency equipment consisted of a Graviner fire extinguisher mounted behind the rear seat and a hydraulic emergency control in the floor of the cockpit.

Calls

A typical mission profile of the Masters was the training of aircraft crews in preparation for deployment at the front. For example, aerial combat tactics were part of the curriculum. In 1942 every candidate fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force reportedly flew on a Master.

Several hundred Master II were delivered as a tow plane for gliders or converted to it. On these aircraft, the lower part of the rudder was removed in order to be able to attach a tow hook. From 1942 the master was used in various training units as a tow plane for the General Aircraft Hotspur . In addition, the pattern was used by several air defense units of the Royal Air Force as a liaison aircraft to units of the British Army .

Although the pattern was mainly used for training, some copies were still used in squadrons . Masters were from February to August 1942 with the 287th Squadron and from November 1944 to February 1945 with the 286th Squadron of the Royal Air Force.

The Master II was also used as a target tug plane by the Central Gunnery School at RAF Sutton Bridge from April 1942 to March 1944 . After all, the Miles Martinet, based on the Master, was specially developed for towing exercise targets and used extensively.

The Royal Air Force's stocks were also frequently delivered to Allies . The South African Air Force 426, the Fleet Air Arm 52, the United States Army Air Forces 9, the Egyptian Air Force 23, the Turkish Air Force also received 23, the Portuguese Air Force 2 and the Irish Air Corps 14 units.

Although thousands of copies were built, there is no longer a complete machine. However, some wings and other parts are still owned by various aviation museums in the UK .

Versions

Miles M.9A Master
Prototype based on the M.9 Kestrel prototype
Miles M.9B Master I.
First production version of the Master, powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel XXX; 900 units built
Miles M.9C Master IA
Revised version with sliding canopy and wider elevator ; 400 units built
Miles M.19 Master II
powered by a Bristol Mercury ; Units built in 1748
Miles M.19 Master GT.II
Version of the Master II converted to a tow plane ; 133 converted and 290 newly built units
Miles M.24 Master Fighter
Temporary version of the Master I with no rear seat and six Browning machine guns in the wings; 25 units of the Master I were modified
Miles M.27 Master III
Improved version of the Master II; 602 units built
Miles M.31 Master IV
Planned version with improved field of vision for the flight instructor ; a built hull , after which the project was abandoned

operator

BelgiumBelgium Belgium
EgyptEgypt Egypt
FranceFrance France
IrelandIreland Ireland
  • Irish Air Corps - a total of twelve Master IIs purchased from the Royal Air Force (six in 1943 and six in 1945)
PortugalPortugal Portugal
South AfricaSouth Africa South Africa
TurkeyTurkey Turkey
United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
United StatesUnited States United States

Technical data (Mk II)

Parameter Data
crew 2
length 29.5  ft (8.99  m )
span 39 ft (11.89 m)
height 9.25 ft (2.82 m)
Wing area 235  ft² (21.83  m² )
Empty mass 4,293  lb (1,947  kg )
Max. Takeoff mass 5,573 lb (2,528 kg)
Top speed 242  mph (389  km / h )
Service ceiling 25,100 ft (7,650 m)
Range 342  NM (633  km )
Engines 1 × nine-cylinder star engine Bristol Mercury XX with 870  PS (640  kW )
Armament 1 × Vickers K machine gun , caliber .303 British

See also

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Peter Amos: RAF Piston Trainer No. 10: Miles M.19 and M.27 Master II and III . In: Airplane Monthly . tape 8 , no. 9 . Key Publishing, September 1980, ISSN  0143-7240 , p. 432,464 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trainer De Luxe . In: Flight International . Reed Business Information , July 27, 1939, ISSN  0015-3710 , p. 77-80 (English).
  3. ↑ a b Peter Amos: RAF Piston Trainer No. 10: Miles M.9A Master I . In: Airplane monthly . tape 8 , no. 8 . Key Publishing, August 1980, ISSN  0143-7240 , p. 413, 414 (English).
  4. ↑ a b c d Milestones 1939 . In: Flight International . Reed Business Information , February 5, 1942, ISSN  0015-3710 , p. 6 (English).
  5. ^ Peter Amos: RAF Piston Trainer No. 10: Miles M.9A Master I . In: Airplane Monthly . tape 8 , no. 8 . Key Publishing, August 1980, ISSN  0143-7240 , p. 414-416 (English).
  6. ^ A b Daniel M. March: British Warplanes of World War II . Aerospace Publishing, London 1998, ISBN 1-874023-92-1 , pp. 177 (English).
  7. ^ The Mercurial Master . In: Flight International . Reed Business Information , June 26, 1941, ISSN 0015-3710 , p.   434 (English).
  8. ^ Peter Amos: RAF Piston Trainer No. 10: Miles M.19 and M.27 Master II and III . In: Airplane Monthly . tape 8 , no. 9 . Key Publishing, September 1980, ISSN  0143-7240 , p. 462 (English).
  9. ^ Aircraft Types and their Characteristics: Miles Master III . In: Flight International . Reed Business Information , October 22, 1942, ISSN  0015-3710 (English).
  10. ↑ a b c d e f Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. 95-112 (English).
  11. ^ Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. A182 (English).
  12. ^ Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. 135, 136 (English).
  13. ^ Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. A226, A227 (English).
  14. ^ A b Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. A149-A181 (English).
  15. ^ Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. A228 (English).
  16. ^ Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. A224-A226 (English).
  17. ^ Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. A212-A223 (English).
  18. ^ Peter Amos: Miles Aircraft - The Wartime Years . Air-Britain Historians Ltd, Tonbridge, UK 2012, ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4 , pp. A231-A233 (English).