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Miles Monarch

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M.17 Monarch
Miles M.17 Monarch operational at Wroughton, Wiltshire, in July 1992
General information
TypeLight civil touring aeroplane
ManufacturerMiles Aircraft Limited
Designer
Primary userRoyal Air Force
Number built11
History
Manufactured1938-1939
Introduction date1938
First flight21 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

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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

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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)

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  • 1st - Goodyear Trophy (1957)[1]
  • 3rd - King's Cup Race (1957)
  • 1st - Norton Griffiths Trophy (1958)
  • 2nd - Osram Cup Race (1958)

Operators

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 Belgium
 United Kingdom

Specifications (M.17)

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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

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Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Jackson 1988, p. 73.
  2. ^ Brown, Don L. (1970). Miles Aircraft since 1925 (1st ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd. pp. 151-155. ISBN 0-370-00127-3.
  3. ^ Jackson 1988, p. 74.

Bibliography

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  • 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.