Miles Nighthawk

Last updated

M.7 Nighthawk
Miles M.7 Nighthawk Wolves 05.53.jpg
Miles M.7A Nighthawk wearing racing colours at Wolverhampton (Pendeford) Airport in May 1953
RoleFour-seat training monoplane
Manufacturer Miles Aircraft Limited
First flight18 December 1935
Primary users Royal Romanian Air Force
Royal Air Force
Number built5
Developed from Miles M.3B Falcon Six
Variants Miles M.16 Mentor

The Miles M.7 Nighthawk was a 1930s British training and communications monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.

Contents

Design and development

The M.7 Nighthawk was developed from the Miles Falcon Six intended as a training and communications aircraft. The prototype, registered G-ADXA, was first flown in 1935, it was a low-wing monoplane powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine. The prototype crashed during spinning trials at Woodley Aerodrome in January 1937. Four production aircraft followed. [1]

The design was modified to meet an Air Ministry specification and produced as the M.16 Mentor. [2] In 1944 a Nighthawk fuselage was fitted with the wings from a Mohawk and fitted with a 205 hp (153 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six Series II engine with a variable pitch airscrew. It was designated the M.7A Nighthawk. [1] The last Nighthawk to remain airworthy was G-AGWT in the early 1960s. This aircraft was raced in many postwar UK air competitions, but is no longer extant.

Operational history

Two aircraft were delivered to the Royal Romanian Air Force in 1936 and one was delivered to the Royal Air Force in May 1937 with serial number L6846. [1] It was used as a VIP transport by No. 24 Squadron RAF. [3]

Variants

M.7
Production version with a 200 hp (149 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine, two built.
M.7A
Four-seat variant built for the Romanian Government, two built.
M.7A (Hybrid)
Hybrid version with Nighthawk fuselage and wings from a Mohawk and powered by a 205 hp (153 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six Series II engine, one built. [1]

Operators

Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
Royal Romanian Air Force
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Specifications (M.7)

Data from British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972:Volume III [1]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related lists

Related Research Articles

de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk Family of Canadian training aircraft

The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft designed and developed by Canadian aircraft manufacturer de Havilland Canada. It was developed shortly after the Second World War and sold in large numbers during the immediate post-war years, being typically employed as a replacement for the de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane.

Scottish Aviation Pioneer Utility aircraft family

The Scottish Aviation Pioneer was an STOL aircraft manufactured by Scottish Aviation in Scotland. It was used for casualty evacuation and communications and could accommodate a pilot and up to four passengers.

de Havilland Moth Minor Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor was a 1930s British two-seat tourer/trainer aircraft built by de Havilland at Hatfield Aerodrome, England. With the start of the second world war production of the Moth Minor was moved to de Havilland Australia at Bankstown Aerodrome, Australia.

de Havilland Don Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.93 Don was a 1930s British multi-role three-seat training aircraft built by de Havilland at Hatfield Aerodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Mentor</span> Type of aircraft

The Miles M.16 Mentor was a 1930s British single-engined three-seat monoplane training and communications aircraft built by Miles Aircraft Limited.

Foster Wikner Wicko Type of aircraft

The Foster Wikner Wicko was a 1930s British two-seat cabin monoplane built by the Foster Wikner Aircraft Company Limited at Southampton Airport, Hampshire.

Parnall Heck Type of aircraft

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.

Auster Autocar 1940s British light aircraft

The Auster J/5 Autocar was a late 1940s British single-engined four-seat high-wing touring monoplane built by Auster Aircraft Limited at Rearsby, Leicestershire.

Auster AOP.6 1945 reconnaissance aircraft by Auster Aircraft

The Auster AOP.6 was a British military air observation aircraft produced by Auster Aircraft Limited to replace the numerous wartime Taylorcraft Auster aircraft then in-service.

de Havilland Hawk Moth Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.75 Hawk Moth was a 1920s British four-seat cabin monoplane built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Hawk</span> Type of aircraft

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Hawk Major</span> 1930s British monoplane

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Falcon</span> Type of aircraft

The Miles M.3 Falcon is a 1930s British three/four-seat cabin monoplane aircraft designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Merlin</span> Type of aircraft

The Miles M.4A Merlin was a 1930s British five-seat cabin monoplane built by Miles Aircraft Limited.

Miles Sparrowhawk Type of aircraft

The Miles M.5 Sparrowhawk was a 1930s British single-seat racing and touring monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.

The Miles M.6 Hawcon was a 1930s British experimental monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited. The Hawcon name comes from a combination of Hawk and Falcon.

Miles Peregrine Type of aircraft

The Miles M.8 Peregrine was a 1930s British twin-engined light transport monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.

Heston Phoenix Type of aircraft

The Heston Type 1 Phoenix was a 1930s British single-engined five-seat light transport monoplane built by the Heston Aircraft Company Limited.

British Aircraft Double Eagle Type of aircraft

The British Aircraft B.A.IV Double Eagle was a British twin-engined six-seater monoplane designed and built by the British Aircraft Manufacturing Company of London Air Park, Hanworth, England.

De Bruyne Snark Type of aircraft

The de Bruyne DB-2 Snark was a British experimental four-seat cabin monoplane designed by N. A de Bruyne and built by Aero Research Limited (ARL) of Cambridgeshire. It was built to test low weight, bakelite-bonded plywood, stressed skin wing and fuselage structures.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jackson 1988, p.265.
  2. Jackson 1988, p.341.
  3. Halley 1980, p. 53.
  4. 1 2 Flight 20 February 1936, p. d.

Bibliography

  • Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN   0-370-00127-3.
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians), 1980. ISBN   0-85130-083-9.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
  • Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919. London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN   0-370-10014-X.
  • Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 3. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN   0-85177-818-6.
  • "Learning in Luxury: The Miles Nighthawk: A Cabin Monoplane Built Primarily for Instrument- and Night-flying Training". Flight , 20 February 1936, Supplement, pp. c–d.