Miles Master
| Master | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Miles M.27 Master III (W8667), No.5 SFTS | |
| Role | Advanced trainer |
| Manufacturer | Phillips and Powis Aircraft Ltd |
| Designer | F. G. Miles |
| First flight | 31 March 1939 |
| Introduction | 1939 |
| Status | retired |
| Primary users |
Royal Air Force Egypt South African Air Force Turkey |
| Number built | 3,250 |
| Variants | Miles Martinet |
The Miles M.9 Master was a British two-seat monoplane advanced trainer built by Miles Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. It went through a number of variants according to engine availability and was even modified as an emergency fighter during the Battle of Britain. It was a fast, strong and fully aerobatic aircraft and served as an excellent introduction to the high performance British fighter aircraft of the day: the Spitfire and Hurricane.
The M.9A Master I was based on the M.9 Kestrel trainer that was first demonstrated at the Hendon Air show in July 1937, although it never entered production. The M.9 Kestrel, powered by the 745 hp (555 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel XVI V-12 engine, could reach 296 mph (477 km/h). The Air Ministry had selected the de Havilland Don as its advanced trainer, but this proved to be a failure, and the RAF placed a £2 million order for 500 examples of a modified version of the Kestrel, the M.9A Master. Miles rebuilt the prototype M.9 to form a prototype for the Master, fitting a lower-powered (715 hp (535 kW)) Rolls-Royce Kestrel XXX engine, of which there were large surplus stocks available, with extensive revisions to the airframe, which included a new cockpit canopy, a modified rear fuselage and tail, also moving the radiator from under the nose to under the centre-section of the wing. These modifications significantly reduced the aircraft's speed, but it remained one of the fastest and most maneuverable trainers of its day. The first true production Master I made its maiden flight on 31 March 1939. The Master entered service just before the start of the war, and eventually 900 Mk. I and Mk. IA Masters were built. This total included 26 built as the M.24 Master Fighter which were modified to a single-seat configuration, and armed with six .303 in machine guns for use as an emergency fighter, but did not see combat.
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