| Hawk Speed Six | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hawk Speed Six G-ADGP wearing race No. 96 at Leeds (Yeadon) Airport in May 1955 | |
| Role | Single-seat racing monoplane |
| Manufacturer | Miles Aircraft Limited |
| Designer | Frederick George Miles |
| First flight | 1934 |
| Number built | 3 |
| Developed from | Miles Hawk Major |
The Miles Hawk Speed Six was a 1930s British two-seat light monoplane, developed by Miles Aircraft from the Miles Hawk Major by fitting the longer and more powerful Gipsy Six engine and removing the forward crew member.
The Hawk Major was a variant of the two-seat Miles M.2 Hawk low-wing cantilever monoplane, developed by F.G. Miles to take advantage of the new inverted de Havilland Gipsy Major engine. The Hawk Speed Six was developed in parallel as a more powerful single-seat racer, as the one-off M.2E, with the 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. To make room for the longer, six-cylinder engine the front cockpit was removed, making it a single-seater, and the rear cockpit was repositioned to retain balance.
Only three examples of the Speed Six were built, each tailored to its specific requirements, but they had a significant impact on the Golden Age of British air racing: [1]
G-ACTE was the prototype Speed Six, powered by a 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. It was first flown in 1934, the same year as the Hawk Major. [2]
G-ACTE was initially sold to Sir Charles Rose. It was subsequently bought by Bill Humble, and sold abroad in 1937. [3]
G-ADGP was built to the order of Luis Fontés for the 1935 King's Cup air race. Compared to the prototype it had greater dihedral and split trailing-edge flaps. Again powered by the 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine, it was completed in 1935. Unfortunately, it failed to complete the race that year. [4] Fontes went on to race it for several years, with some success. During this period it underwent progressive modification. It was further modified for the 1939 King's Cup, but the race was cancelled. By now the canopy had been modified and the wing span reduced from 38 ft to 28 ft. [5]
The aircraft has changed hands several times since and had a significant postwar racing career. [1] [5]
G-ADGP is now flying with the Shuttleworth Collection, still with its original engine. [4]
G-ADOD was built to the order of Ruth Fontés, who already owned M2F Hawk Major G-ACXT, with the intent of beating her brother Luis (see above) in the 1935 King's Cup. It was fitted with an even more powerful 220 hp Gipsy Six R racing engine, originally developed for the de Havilland DH.88 Comet racer. Fontés entered the race under the pseudonym "Miss R. Slow" but, like her brother, failed to complete the race. [4]
In 1936 A. E. Clouston and his backer F. E. Tasker bought G-ADOD. Clouston had it modified with a cockpit canopy, reclining seat and greater fuel capacity, and entered it in the Schlesinger Race from Portsmouth to Johannesburg. Engine trouble forced him down 150 miles south of Salisbury, just short of the finish. The plane was destroyed in the crash-landing. [6] [7]
Clouston salvaged the engine and brought it back to England. [1] It remained in store with Essex Aero until after WWII. When the company went bankrupt, the engine was auctioned off to a private collector. [4] It is one of only two Gipsy Six R engines to have survived.
Data from British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972: Volume 3 [8]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
The de Havilland Gipsy Major or Gipsy IIIA is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline engine used in a variety of light aircraft produced in the 1930s, including the famous Tiger Moth biplane. Many Gipsy Major engines still power vintage aircraft types.
The de Havilland DH.88 Comet is a British two-seat, twin-engined aircraft built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was developed specifically to participate in the 1934 England-Australia MacRobertson Air Race from the United Kingdom to Australia.
The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.
The Parnall Heck was a 1930s British four-seat cabin monoplane built by Parnall Aircraft Limited at Yate, Gloucestershire. Originally a Hendy design, few were built. It combined the strength and comfort of a cabin aircraft with the speed of a racer.
The Percival Mew Gull is a British racing aircraft of the 1930s. It is a small single-engined single-seat low-wing monoplane of wooden construction, normally powered by a six-cylinder de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine. During the second half of the 1930s Mew Gulls dominated air-racing in the UK, consistently recorded the fastest times until the outbreak of war stopped all civilian flying in late 1939. In addition examples set many long-distance records. Its top speed was 265 mph (425 km/h) on a modest 205 hp (153 kW) in its final 1939 form.
The de Havilland Gipsy is a British air-cooled four-cylinder in-line aircraft engine designed by Frank Halford in 1927 to replace the ADC Cirrus in the de Havilland DH.60 Moth light biplane. Initially developed as an upright 5 litre capacity engine, later versions were designed to run inverted with increased capacity and power.
The de Havilland DH.75 Hawk Moth was a 1920s British four-seat cabin monoplane built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware.
The Miles M.2 Hawk was a twin-seat light monoplane designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Miles Aircraft Limited during the 1930s. It is the first of the company's aircraft to attain quantity production.
The Miles Hawk Major was a 1930s British two-seat light monoplane, developed by Miles Aircraft from the Miles Hawk in order to take advantage of the new inverted de Havilland Gipsy Major engine. When fitted with the longer Gipsy Six in place of the forward crew member, it was known as the Miles Hawk Speed Six.
The de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth was a British single-seat monoplane, designed to research high-speed flight and to test replacement engines for the Cirrus. Only two were built.
The Miles M.3 Falcon is a 1930s British three/four-seat cabin monoplane aircraft designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.
The Miles M.5 Sparrowhawk was a 1930s British single-seat racing and touring monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.
The Miles M.7 Nighthawk was a 1930s British training and communications monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.
The Southern Martlet was a single-engined, single-seat biplane sports aircraft. Six were built, including the rather different and unsuccessful Metal Martlet.
The Miles M.15 was a 1930s British single-engined monoplane trainer aircraft with two open cockpits, designed and developed by Miles Aircraft. Like other aircraft constructed to the official specification, it failed to meet the performance requirements, and only two were built.
The de Havilland T.K.2 was a British 1930s single-engined monoplane, designed by students of the de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School. It won two races before World War II, and afterwards set a class closed circuit speed record.
The Miles M.13 Hobby was a small low-winged monoplane built for racing and research in the United Kingdom just before World War II. A single engined single seater, it ended its days in the wind tunnel at the R.A.E.
The British Aircraft Cupid was a two-seat, single-engined monoplane, a smaller version of the B.A. Eagle designed for touring and training. Only one was built.
The Breda Ba.33 was an Italian light sport aircraft designed and built by the Breda company.
Essex Aero Ltd. was an aircraft maintenance and component manufacturer, primarily based at Gravesend Airport in Kent, from 1936 to 1953.
