Miles Master
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| Master | |
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| Type | advanced trainer |
| Manufacturer | Phillips and Powis Aircraft Ltd |
| Designed by | F. G. Miles |
| Maiden flight | 31 March 1939 |
| Status | retired |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Egypt, South African Air Force, Turkey |
| Number built | 3250 |
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 World War II. 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 fighter aircraft of the day; the Spitfire and Hurricane.
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[edit] History
The M.9A Master I was based on the M.9 Kestrel trainer that was first demonstrated at the Hendon Airshow in July 1937 but 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), however 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, yet it remained one of the fastest and most maneuverable trainers of its day. Entering service just before the start of the war, 900 Mk.I and Mk.IA Masters were built. This 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 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 Master ceased in 1942 and production of the Miles Martinet took over.
The Master was equipped to carry eight practice bombs and one .303 in Vickers machine gun mounted in the front fuselage. In 1942, all variants had their wings clipped by 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] Military operators
- Egypt
- Eire
- Portugal
- South Africa
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States
[edit] Specifications (Mk II)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2, 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: 4293 lb (1947 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 5573 lb (2528 kg)
- Powerplant: × Bristol Mercury XX air-cooled radial three-blade, 870 hp (623 kW) each
- Clipped wingspan: 35 ft 9 in (10.9 m)
- Wing area: 224 ft² (20.8 m²)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 260 mph at 5000 ft (416 km/h at 1500 m)
- Cruise speed: 230 mph at 5000 ft (368 km/h at 1500 m)
- Range: 393 m (632 km)
- Service ceiling: 28 000 ft (8500 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] External links
- Miles aircraft website - (Link non-functional 2 January 2006)
[edit] Related content
Related development:
Miles Kestrel - Miles Martinet
Comparable aircraft:
Designation series:
M.9 - M.9A - M.11 - M.12 - M.13 - M.14 - M.15 - M.16 - M.17 - M.18 - M.19 - M.20 - M.24 - M.25 - M.27
[edit] Sources
(1946) Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1945/6. Sampson Low Marston.
[edit] See also
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
