Miles Magister

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Magister

The Miles M.14 Magister is a British two-seat monoplane basic trainer aircraft
built by the Miles Aircraft for the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm.
Affectionately known as the Maggie, the Magister was based on Miles' civilian
Hawk Major and Hawk Trainer and was the first monoplane designed specifically as
a trainer for the RAF. As a low-wing monoplane, it was an ideal introduction to
the Spitfire and Hurricane for new pilots. Its sister design, the Miles Master
was an advanced trainer also built by Phillips & Powis at Woodley.

The Miles M.14 was designed to meet Air Ministry Specification T.40/36 and was
first flown on 20 March 1937 by F.G. Miles and then christened 'Magister'. Based
on Miles' Hawk Trainer, the Magister is an open-cockpit, low wing cantilever
monoplane of spruce structure covered in plywood. The wing centre section has no
dihedral and is of constant section with outer sections having dihedral and
tapering towards the tip. It has a fixed tailwheel undercarriage with spats on
the main wheels. Split flaps are fitted as standard. Early Magisters (including
the first prototype) suffered a number of accidents when the aircraft could not
be recovered from a spin. To solve this problem, the tailplane was raised by 6
inches (15 cm), anti-spin strakes fitted to the rear fuselage, and eventually, a
new taller rudder. Thus modified, the aircraft became the definitive M.14A.

Notwithstanding the relatively large number built, contemporary glues used to
assemble the wooden aircraft have not stood the test of time and few survive
today.


Role
Trainer

Manufacturer
Miles Aircraft

Designer
G.H. Miles

First flight
20 March 1937

Primary users
Royal Air Force
Fleet Air Arm

Number built
1,303

Production began in October 1937 and by the start of the Second World War over
700 Magisters had entered service with RAF Elementary Flying Training Schools,
eventually equipping 16 such schools as well as the Central Flying School. Large
numbers of civilian Hawk Majors were also pressed into service as trainers.
Production of the Magister continued until 1941 by which time 1,203 had been
built by Miles and an additional 100 were built under licence in Turkey. In June
1940, as part of British anti-invasion preparations, about 15 Magisters were
fitted with bomb racks for eight 25 pound bombs, with the intention of using
them as light bombers in the event of an invasion; a scheme called Operation
Banquet which was never put into effect.

After the war many Magisters were converted for civilian uses and redesignated
as the Hawk Trainer III. The 1950 Kings Cup Air Race, in which eight Hawk
Trainer IIIs competed, was won by E. Day in a modified cabin version G-AKRV at
138.5 mph. At least two other aircraft were thus modified.

Many Magisters were exported postwar to overseas private pilot owners and flying
clubs. Countries purchasing the type included Argentina, Australia, Belgium,
Denmark, Egypt, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, New
Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand and Tunisia.

In 2009, ten Hawk Trainer IIIs were registered in the United Kingdom, of which
several were airworthy.

Several ex-service Magisters are preserved and on display – including an ex-RAF
example at the Imperial War Museum in the UK, and an ex-Irish Air Corps example
at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

Specifications (Miles M.14A)

General characteristics
Crew: 2 (instructor and student)
Length: 24 ft 7?1/2 in (7.51 m)
Wingspan: 33 ft 10 in (10.31 m)
Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Wing area: 176 ft² (16.3 m²)
Empty weight: 1,260 lb (570 kg)
Loaded weight: 1,845 lb (839 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy Major I inverted air-cooled four-cylinder
inline piston, 130 hp (97 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 142 mph (123 knots, 229 km/h) at 1,000 ft (305 m)
Cruise speed: 124 mph (108 knots, 200 km/h)
Stall speed: 43 mph (37 knots, 69 km/h) (flaps down)
Range: 380 miles (330 nmi, 612 km)
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,490 m)
Rate of climb: 850 ft/min (4.3 m/s)




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