Miles Aircraft

Miles Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer for civil and military aircraft. The company was initially founded by Charles Powis and Jack Phillips under the name Philips and Powis Aircraft and renamed in 1943 in Miles Aircraft.

Among its aircraft were the Hawk trainer and their military counterparts, the Magister, and the Messenger and the Gemini. During the Second World War they built the master for the advanced course, the Martinet and the target tug Monitor

The device built by Miles Aircraft were characterized often by advanced technologies and sophisticated for their time aerodynamics. Developed in a very short time M.20 was faster than the Hawker Hurricane, despite their rigid chassis and had a greater range than the Spitfire. The X Minor was a flying test bed for " blended wing " designs, but the resulting planned large transport aircraft came not to implement. The M.35 Libellula and M. 39 were built in " tandem wing" configuration, similar to the ducks aircraft, but relatively large front wings.

Miles was after the Second World War about to build with the Aerovan a revolutionary transport aircraft and with the Miles M.52, the Bell X-1 influenced, first supersonic aircraft. Because of financial problems, the company was placed in receivership in 1947. Much of the company ownership passed to Handley Page Aircraft. The Aerovan concept was further developed at Short Brothers Skyvan for, and later to the Shorts 330 and Shorts 360.

In 1948, Frederick Miles in Shoreham- by-Sea, the successor company FG Miles Limited, which merged in the early 1960s with Auster Aircraft and the new company formed Beagle Aircraft.

Aircraft

The following list shows the number, name, the year of the first flight and the number of aircraft manufactured.

Swell

Wings Over Woodley, The Story of Miles Aircraft and the Adwest Group ISBN 0-946627-12-6