Miles Falcon

M.3 Falcon
	Miles M.3A Falcon MajorG-AEEGatOld Warden
Role	Cabin monoplane
Manufacturer	Miles Aircraft Limited
Designer	Frederick George Miles
First flight	12 October 1934
Number built	36
Developed into	Miles M.4 Merlin

TheMiles M.3 Falconis a 1930sBritishthree/four-seat cabinmonoplane aircraftdesigned byMiles Aircraft Limited.^[1]

Design and development

TheM.3 Falconwas a clean, single engined low-wing monoplane with trousered main undercarriage and fixed tail-wheel, designed in1934.It was structurally similar to the earlierMiles M.2F Hawk Majorfamily, but had side-by-side seating for two behind the pilot in a glazed cockpit. It was powered by a 130 hp (97 kW)de Havilland Gipsy Majorpiston engine. The prototype,G-ACTM,built byPhilips and Powisfirst flew atWoodley Aerodromeon 12 October 1934.

The first production aircraft (designatedM.3A Falcon Major) was flown in January 1935. It had a wider fuselage than the prototype to improve passenger comfort and revised glazing with a forward sloping windscreen. The M.3A was somewhat underpowered, so the (M.3B Falcon Six) and later versions were fitted with a 200 hp (150 kW)de Havilland Gipsy Sixengine.

TheM.3C Falcon Sixwas a four seater with dual controls. TheM.3Dwas strengthened to allow an 11% increase in all up weight compared with the M.3B. The final versions were theM.3EandM.3F.

An enlarged five-seat version was developed as theM.4 Merlin.

Operational history

Miles M.3D Falcon SixG-ADTDwearing racing colours at Leeds (Yeadon) Airport in May 1955

The prototype was fitted with extra fuel tanks and entered into theMacRobertson RacefromEnglandtoAustraliain October 1934. It took 27 days to reachDarwin,but returned in a record time of 7 days 19 hours 15 minutes, including one stage of 1,800 miles (2,900 km) non-stop fromJodhpurtoBasra.

Twenty-nine M.3As and M.3Bs were delivered during 1935 and 1936 to private owners, clubs, and commercial operators in Britain and abroad.

The M.3B was entered into the 1935King's Cup Race,and piloted byTommy Rosewon with a speed of 176.28 mph (283.70 km/h). In 1936 Rose, with the same aircraft, reduced the U.K to Cape passage record to 3 days 17 hours and 38 minutes.^[2]

Pre war, three Falcon Sixes appeared in RAF garb at theRoyal Aircraft Establishment(RAE) for trials of a variety of wings and aerodynamic innovations. At the outbreak of thewarthree aircraft remained civilian as communications aircraft with various companies but, like so many civil aircraft ten others were impressed into service by theRoyal Air Force,Royal Navy,theRoyal Australian Air Forceand the Swedish air force. Six Falcons survived the war, one of which was used by the RAE to test the wing of theMiles M.52.^[3]

Variants

Production numbers from^[4]

M.3: Prototype three-seat version with a 130 hpde Havilland Gipsy Majorengine. 1 built.
M.3A Falcon Major: Production four-seat version with a 130 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major engine. 18 built
M.3B Falcon Six: Three-seat version with a 200hpde Havilland Gipsy Sixengine. 11 built, including 1 Falcon Six designated M.3, but not including 2 M.3Bs later converted to M.3E and F.
M.3C Falcon Six: Four-seater with dual controls with a 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. 1 built.
M.3D: Strengthened variant with a 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. 3 built. One was a converted M.3B.
M.3E: Variant with a 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. 1 built but uncertified.
M.3F: A former M.3B modified for Fairey wing, spoiler and retractable aileron trials with the RAE,R4071.^[5]
Miles Gilette Falcon: A single aircraft modified for the M.52 program.

Civil operators

References 1 and 2 give detailed histories of the typically complicated lives of these small aeroplanes.

Military operators

Australia

Royal Australian Air Force3 aircraft.

South Africa

South African Air Force

Sweden

Royal Swedish Air Force1 aircraft.

United Kingdom

Royal Aircraft Establishment3 aircraft.
Royal Air Force5 aircraft.
Royal Navy1 aircraft.

Spain

Spanish Republican Air Force

Surviving aircraft

In Great Britain,G-AEEG,a privately owned M.3A based atThe Shuttleworth Collection,Old Wardenis on display at the Collection and flies regularly. It spent much of its life in Sweden asSE-AFW.^[6]
In Australia, M.3AVH-AATis still airworthy with a private owner, based at Lilydale, Victoria.
In Spain, an M.3C registeredEC-ACBis also active. This aircraft participated in theSpanish Civil War.^[7]

Specifications (M.3A)

Data fromBritish Civil Aircraft 1919–1972: Volume III^[8]

General characteristics

Capacity:Three
Length:25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
Wingspan:35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Wing area:174.3 sq ft (16.19 m²)
Empty weight:1,300 lb (590 kg)
Gross weight:2,200 lb (998 kg)
Powerplant:1 ×de Havilland Gipsy Majorpiston engine, 130 hp (97 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed:145 mph (233 km/h, 126 kn)
Cruise speed:125 mph (201 km/h, 109 kn)
Range:615 mi (990 km, 534 nmi)
Service ceiling:15,000 ft (4,600 m)^[9]
Rate of climb:750 ft/min (3.8 m/s)

References

Notes

^Jackson 1988, pp. 147–50
^Jones, D. The Time Shrinkers: the Development of Civil Aviation between Britain and Africa Rendel 1971 pp175-8
^Mondey.2002.p. 167.
^http:// members.aol /warwicaeo/milesaircraft)/aircraftm0afhis.htm^{[dead link‍]}
^Cooper 2006, p. 204.
^The Shuttleworth Collection – Miles FalconRetrieved: 2 March 2017
^"Aircraft Data EC-ACB, 1936 Miles M3C Falcon Six C/N 231".airport-data.Retrieved14 March2019.
^Jackson 1988, p. 58.
^Brown 1970,p. 80

Bibliography

Amos, PeterMiles Aircraft – The Early Years – The Story of F G Miles and his Aeroplanes, 1925–1939.Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 2009.ISBN 978-0-85130-410-6.
Brown, Don L. (1970).Miles Aircraft Since 1925.London: Putnam & Company Ltd.ISBN 0-370-00127-3.
Comas, Matthieu (September–October 2020). "So British!: 1939–1940, les avions britanniques dans l'Armée de l'Air" [So British!: British Aircraft in the French Air Force 1939–1940].Avions(in French) (236): 38–61.ISSN 1243-8650.
Cooper, Peter.Farnborough:100 years of British aviation.Hinkley: Midland 2006.ISBN 1-85780-239-X
Jackson, A.J.British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 3.London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1988.ISBN 0-85177-818-6.
Mondey, David.The Hamlyn Concise guide to British Aircraft of World War II.London: Chancellor press, 2002.ISBN 1-85152-668-4.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985)Orbis Publishing

[1] Jackson 1988, pp. 147–50

[2] Jones, D. The Time Shrinkers: the Development of Civil Aviation between Britain and Africa Rendel 1971 pp175-8

[3] Mondey.2002.p. 167.

[4] ttp:// members.aol /warwicaeo/milesaircraft)/aircraftm0afhis.htm^{[dead link‍]}

[5] Cooper 2006, p. 204.

[6] The Shuttleworth Collection – Miles FalconRetrieved: 2 March 2017

[7] "Aircraft Data EC-ACB, 1936 Miles M3C Falcon Six C/N 231".airport-data.Retrieved14 March2019.

[JacksonIII_p58-8] Jackson 1988, p. 58.

[brown70p80-9] Brown 1970,p. 80

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