Miles & Atwood Special

Miles & Atwood Special
Miles and Atwood Special replica at the Planes of Fame Air Museum
Role	Air racing
National origin	United States
Designer	Lawrence W Brown
Number built	1

The Miles & Atwood Special is a racing aircraft developed during the interwar period

Development

The Miles & Atwood Special is a single seat, low-wing, open cockpit, racing aircraft with conventional landing gear. It was built by Leon Atwood and Lee Miles. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

The aircraft uses solid wood spars. Fabric was attached using a relatively new process using screws with fabric tape covering, rather than conventional rib-stitching. The aircraft raced with a green livery waxed to a high gloss. Lee Miles died when a flying wire broke in a 1937 qualifying race. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Operational history

• National Air Races - Set a world speed record for an aircraft under 770 lb (349 kg) over 62 mi (100 km) course at 206 mph (332 km/h).
• Won 1933 Greve Trophy
• Chicago Air Race - Straight Line speed record for aircraft with less than 375 cubic inch displacement of 225 mph (362 km/h).
• In February 1934, the Miles & Atwood Special won the Shell Trophy
• Sixth place in 1935 Greve race

Specifications (Miles & Atwood Special)

Data from History's Most Important Racing Aircraft

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 16 ft 9 in (5.11 m)
• Wingspan: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)
• Powerplant: 1 × Menasco C-4-S , 185 hp (138 kW)

References

1. "Menasco Powered Flying Machines". Flying Magazine: 231. October 1934. 
2. Don Berliner. History's Most Important Racing Aircraft. p. 49. 
3. Thomas G. Matowitz. Cleveland's National Air Races. p. 43. 

Further reading

• Brown B-2 Racer, a follow-on aircraft by the same designer.

External links

• Media related to Miles & Atwood Special at Wikimedia Commons