Miles Monarch
| M.17 Monarch | |
|---|---|
| |
| Miles M.17 Monarch operational at Wroughton, Wiltshire, in July 1992 | |
| Role | Light civil touring aeroplane |
| Manufacturer | Miles Aircraft Limited |
| Designer | Frederick George Miles |
| First flight | 21 February 1938 |
| Introduction | 1938 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Produced | 1938-1939 |
| Number built | 11 |
The Miles M.17 Monarch was a British, light, touring aeroplane of the 1930s. It was a single-engine, three-seat, cabin monoplane with a fixed, tailwheel undercarriage.
Development
The last civil type produced by Phillips and Powis before the war, the Monarch was a development of their earlier Whitney Straight. Compared to its sibling. the Monarch had an enlarged fuselage, allowing provision of a third seat in part of what had been the luggage space.
Operational history
Eleven aircraft were built between 1938 and 1939, six of these to British customers, the rest going to export.
On the outbreak of war five of the British-registered machines were impressed by the Air Ministry; one machine belonging to Rolls-Royce acquired camouflage paint but remained in its owner's service. All but one of these survived the war, though a Dutch-registered aeroplane (PH-ATP) was destroyed in the Luftwaffe raid on Schiphol on 10 May 1940. One aircraft, OY-DIO, was on the Danish register until 9 Sept. 1939 and owned by a Dane named Hagedorn.
In the 1950s, one Monarch (G-AIDE) enjoyed some success as a racer in the hands of W.P. Bowles
For the most part, the remaining Monarchs led uneventful but useful careers; a number survived into the Sixties. G-AFJU is displayed at the National Museum of Flight at RAF East Fortune near East Linton, Scotland.
Sporting successes (G-AIDE)
- 1st - Goodyear Trophy (1957)[1]
- 3rd - King's Cup Race (1957)
- 1st - Norton Griffiths Trophy (1958)
- 2nd - Osram Cup Race (1958)
Operators
- Belgian Air Force - One aircraft only.
Specifications (M.17)
Data from Miles Aircraft since 1925,[2] British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972: Volume III[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 2 passengers
- Length: 25 ft 11.75 in (7.9185 m)
- Wingspan: 35 ft 7 in (10.85 m)
- Height: 8 ft 9.25 in (2.6734 m)
- Wing area: 180 sq ft (17 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,390 lb (630 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,150 lb (975 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 30 imp gal (36 US gal; 140 L) fuel (44 imp gal (53 US gal; 200 L) tank optional) ; 2.5 imp gal (3.0 US gal; 11 L) oil
- Powerplant: 1 × De Havilland Gipsy Major I 4-cylinder air-cooled inverted in-line piston engine, 130 hp (97 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 140 mph (230 km/h, 120 kn)
- Cruise speed: 125 mph (201 km/h, 109 kn)
- Range: 620 mi (1,000 km, 540 nmi) with 30 imp gal (36 US gal; 140 L) tank
- 910 mi (791 nmi; 1,465 km) with 44 imp gal (53 US gal; 200 L)
- Service ceiling: 17,400 ft (5,300 m)
- Rate of climb: 850 ft/min (4.3 m/s)
- Wing loading: 11.9 lb/sq ft (58 kg/m2)
- Take-off run: 435 ft (133 m) 5 mph (4.3 kn; 8.0 km/h) wing
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
Notes
- ^ Jackson 1988, p. 73.
- ^ Brown, Don L. (1970). Miles Aircraft since 1925 (1st ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd. pp. 151-155. ISBN 0-370-00127-3.
- ^ Jackson 1988, p. 74.
Bibliography
- Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-2.
- Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-370-00127-3.
- Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 3. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1974. ISBN
- Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972: Volume III. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-818-6.