George Miles concepts 1956

[Schneiderman]

I don't think these two patents have been posted here before. Both are concepts patented by George Miles, of F.G.Miles ltd, in 1956
GB844614 is basically an extension of their earlier Libellula tandem-wing concept for high speed jets
GB831978 is a composite aircraft bomber, a concept that would not look out of place amongst Derek Meddings' designs for Thunderbirds

 

[hesham]

Wow,thank you Schneiderman.

 

[TsrJoe]

hmm just musing, could this be FG. Miles thoughts on OR.330 ?

cheers, Joe

 

[Schneiderman]

Probably not as this was designed purely as a bomber. The rear portion, carrying the bomb load, was to be disposable; either dropping the bombs and then crashing or carrying the bomb onto the target under radar guidance.

 

[CJGibson]

R.156T was issued in October 1954 and RB.156D was issued in May 1956. A bomber version of the original R.156 was being looked at (by the RAE) well before RB.156 was issued, so Joe's musings could be on the right track. Avro had designs for two-stage reconnaissance UAVs around the same time.

Chris

 

[Schneiderman]

Not totally out of the question but without any real use as a reconnaissance asset it would appear unlikely. The disposable part of the composite is a load carrier, the manned part a 'get-the-hell-out-of-there-pronto' aircraft

 

[CJGibson]

Hmmm...very interesting, a variation on Blue Moon and the Minimum Conventional Bomber. Payload a 20000lb Special Weapon I suppose?

Chris

 

[Schneiderman]

Well its a patent, so deliberately short on specific details regarding load, range etc. The load-carrier component was to be of simple and cheap construction with short-life engines, maybe to include rockets.
As ORs by their very nature were confidential documents how widely would they have been circulated and discussed? F.G.Miles were a very small operation in the mid 1950s so would they have been included in those briefed on the OR? I know little about what they may have been involved in beyond the aircraft they built, Sparrowjet, Student and Aerovan, but were Fred and George well regarded at the cutting edge of design and likely to have been consulted?

 

[zanenobbs]

Here's a little gem that's been in my stash for a decade or more. It's the Miles M.77 Sparrowjet in 1/72 by Jean-Pierre Dujin in resin format. It took so long because of the research required to be sure it is accurate. This model was from when the resin was still in the thin wafers. I made the nose from brass tubing and rod. The tail wheel is from a round toothpick with piano wire to connect it to the fuselage. It came together pretty well!
The Miles M.77 Sparrowjet was a modification from the Miles M.5 Sparrowhawk, a piston engine airplane. In the late 1940s an owner of a Sparrowjet, Mr. Fred Dunkerley, asked F G Miles, Ltd. to see if a jet version was feasible. To make this happen, the piston-propeller engine was removed from the front, the cockpit moved forward, and two Turbomeca Palas turbojet engines were installed in the wings, one on each side near the fuselage. This new aircraft took flight in 1953. The Sparrowjet went on to win two air races in the United Kingdom, including the SBAC Challenge Cup, and the King's Cup Race. After setting some new speed records, the Sparrowjet was stored at RAF Upton until a fire broke out in 1964. Fortunately, the airframe was salvaged and components saved. Currently, the Sparrowjet is undergoing restoration by an aviation enthusiast group near Bristol, England.