Miles Messenger

The Miles M.38 Messenger is a British four-seat liaison and private owner aircraft built by Miles Aircraft.

Design and development
The Messenger was designed to meet a British Army requirement for a robust, slow speed, low maintenance, air observation post and liaison aircraft. The aircraft designed was a cantilever low-wing monoplane with fixed tailwheel powered by the de Havilland Gipsy Major 1D in-line engine. Fitted with retractable auxiliary wing flaps enabling a wing loading of around 12.5 lb per square foot, the Messenger featured triple fins and rudders in order to maintain sufficient controllability down to the very low stalling speed of 25mph. The prototype was converted from a Miles M.28 Mercury and first flew at Woodley on 12 September 1942. The aircraft had a good short field performance. However the Ministry of Aircraft Production had not been involved in the process and official resistance led to only a small order placed by the British Royal Air Force for the Messenger I as a VIP transport plane.

Wartime users of the aircraft included Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery and Marshal of the RAF Lord Tedder.

Production and operations
After the war the Messenger 2A was built for the civilian market. The production aircraft were built at Newtownards in Northern Ireland and flown to Woodley for final fitting out. After 71 aircraft were built, production of the aircraft by Miles ceased in 1948. Several examples were sold to Australia and others to Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Egypt and South Africa.

During the war a prototype aircraft was built as the M.48 Messenger 3 with fully retractable electrically-operated split trailing-edge flaps and a 155 h.p. Cirrus Major III engine. This model was not further developed as it did not provide any advantage over the other variants.

When the RAF retired surviving Messenger 1 aircraft in 1948 they were in good condition and most were converted for civilian use as the Messenger 4A. They were flown by private pilot and business owners.

The aircraft was a popular touring and racing aircraft during the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1954 Harold Wood in G-AKBO won the King's Cup Race air race at 133 mph.

Several examples were still flying in the United Kingdom in early 2011 with private owners and flying groups.

Variants

 * Messenger 1
 * Military production aircraft for the Royal Air Force powered by a Gipsy Major ID, 23 built.


 * Messenger 2A
 * Civil production aircraft powered by the Blackburn Cirrus Major 3, 65 built.


 * Messenger 2B
 * Three-seat variant of the 2A powered by the Blackburn Cirrus Major 3, one built.


 * Messenger 2C
 * Same as the 2A but powered by the de Havilland Gipsy Major 1D, one built.


 * Messenger 3
 * Dual-control variant of the 2A powered by a Blackburn Cirrus Major 3, one built later re-designated the M.48.


 * Messenger 4
 * Same as the 2A but powered by the de Havilland Gipsy Major 10, three built.


 * Messenger 4A
 * Civil version powered by the de Havilland Gipsy Major 1D, one built and 19 converted from Mk I.


 * Messenger 4B
 * One 4A modified with a de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 engine.


 * Messenger 5
 * One I modified with a Blackburn Bombardier 702 engine.


 * M.38A Mariner
 * The prototype Messenger was fitted with an arrester hook for trials as a carrier-based anti-submarine aircraft.


 * Handley Page HP.93
 * One Messenger was used by Handley Page (Reading) for test flights using Dufaylite wings at Woodley.

Operators

 * Royal Air Force
 * Boston Air Transport
 * Patrick-Duval Aviation
 * Tyne Taxis Ltd
 * Ulster Aviation
 * Ulster Aviation