Miles Monarch
| M.17 Monarch | |
|---|---|
 Miles M.17 Monarch operational at Wroughton, Wiltshire, in July 1992 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Light civil touring aeroplane |
| Manufacturer | Miles Aircraft Limited |
| Designer | |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 11 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1938-1939 |
| Introduction date | 1938 |
| First flight | 21 February 1938 |
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
[edit]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
[edit]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)
[edit]- 1st - Goodyear Trophy (1957)[1]
- 3rd - King's Cup Race (1957)
- 1st - Norton Griffiths Trophy (1958)
- 2nd - Osram Cup Race (1958)
Operators
[edit]
- Belgian Air Force - One aircraft only.
Specifications (M.17)
[edit]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
[edit]Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
[edit]
Notes
[edit]- ^ 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
[edit]- 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.