Miles Magister

(Alan Wilson Photos)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Miles Magister (Serial No. N3788), Reg. No. G-AKPF,
The Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden, Bedfordshire.

The Miles M.14 Magister is a two-seat monoplane basic trainer aircraft designed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Miles Aircraft It was affectionately known as the Maggie. It was the only low-wing cantilever monoplane to ever be authorised to perform aerobatics.

The Magister was developed during the 1930s in response to Specification T.40/36, and had been deliberately based on Miles' civilian Hawk Major and Hawk Trainer aircraft. The first prototype conducted the type's maiden flight on 20 March 1937. It quickly became praised for its handling qualities, increasing the safety and ease of pilot training, while also delivering comparable performance to contemporary monoplane frontline fighters of the era. Having suitably impressed British officials, the Magister was promptly ordered and rapidly pushed into quantity production.

Entering service barely a year prior to the start of the Second World War, the Magister became a key training aircraft. It was the first monoplane designed specifically as a trainer to be induced by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Amid the war, it was purchased in large numbers, not only for the RAF but also for the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and various overseas military operators. It was an ideal introduction to the Spitfire and Hurricane for new pilots. Its sister design, the Miles Master, was an advanced trainer also designed and produced by Phillips & Powis at Woodley. During the postwar years, surplus Magisters were exported in large numbers, often following a conversion to suit civilian uses. Wikipedia

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Harold A Skaarup Web Page