View source for Engineering:Miles Falcon

{{Short description|1930s British three- or four-seat cabin monoplane aircraft}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox aircraft
  |name = M.3 Falcon
  |image = File:Miles M.3A Falcon G-AEEG (6738412215).jpg|caption = Miles M.3A Falcon Major ''G-AEEG'' at Old Warden
  |type = Cabin monoplane
  |manufacturer = Miles Aircraft Limited
  |designer = Frederick George Miles
  |first_flight = 12 October 1934
  |introduction =
  |retired =
  |status =
  |primary_user =
  |more_users =
  |produced =
  |number_built =  36
  |developed_from =
  |developed_into= [[Engineering:Miles Merlin|Miles M.4 Merlin]]
  |variants =
}}

The '''Miles M.3 Falcon''' is a 1930s British three/four-seat cabin [[Engineering:Monoplane|monoplane]] [[Engineering:Aircraft|aircraft]] designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.<ref>Jackson 1988, pp. 147–50</ref>

==Design and development==
The '''M.3 Falcon''' was a clean, single engined low-wing monoplane with trousered main undercarriage and fixed tail-wheel, designed in 1934. It was structurally similar to the earlier [[Engineering:Miles Hawk Major|Miles M.2F Hawk Major]] family, but had side-by-side seating for two behind the pilot in a glazed cockpit. It was powered by a {{convert|130|hp|abbr=on}} de Havilland Gipsy Major piston engine. The prototype, ''G-ACTM'', built by Philips and Powis first flew at Woodley Aerodrome on 12 October 1934.

The first production aircraft (designated '''M.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 {{convert|200|hp|abbr=on}} de Havilland Gipsy Six engine.

The '''M.3C Falcon Six''' was a four seater with dual controls. The '''M.3D''' was strengthened to allow an 11% increase in all up weight compared with the M.3B. The final versions were the '''M.3E''' and '''M.3F'''.

An enlarged five-seat version was developed as the [[Engineering:Miles Merlin|M.4 Merlin]].

==Operational history==
[[File:Miles M.3D Falcon Six G-ADTD Yeadon 05.55.jpg|thumb|right|Miles M.3D Falcon Six ''G-ADTD'' wearing racing colours at Leeds (Yeadon) Airport in May 1955]]
The prototype was fitted with extra fuel tanks and entered into the MacRobertson Race from England to Australia in October 1934. It took 27 days to reach Darwin, but returned in a record time of 7 days 19 hours 15 minutes, including one stage of {{convert|1800|mi|km}} non-stop from Jodhpur to [[Place:Basra|Basra]].

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 1935 King's Cup Race, and piloted by Tommy Rose won with a speed of {{convert|176.28|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}. In 1936 Rose, with the same aircraft, reduced the U.K to Cape passage record to 3 days 17 hours and 38 minutes.<ref>Jones, D. The Time Shrinkers: the Development of Civil Aviation between Britain and Africa Rendel 1971 pp175-8</ref>

Pre war, three Falcon Sixes appeared in RAF garb at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) for trials of a variety of wings and aerodynamic innovations. At the outbreak of the war three aircraft remained civilian as communications aircraft with various companies but, like so many civil aircraft ten others were impressed into service by the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Swedish air force. Six Falcons survived the war, one of which was used by the RAE to test the wing of the [[Engineering:Miles M.52|Miles M.52]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mondey|title=2002|page=167}}</ref>

==Variants==
Production numbers from<ref>http://www.members.aol.com/warwicaeo/milesaircraft)/aircraftm0afhis.htm </ref>
;M.3
:Prototype three-seat version with a 130 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major engine. 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 200hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. 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''.<ref>Cooper 2006, p. 204.</ref>
;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==
;{{AUS}}
*Royal Australian Air Force 3 aircraft.
;{{flag|South Africa|1928}}
*South African Air Force
;{{SWE}}
*Royal Swedish Air Force 1 aircraft.
;{{UK}}
*Royal Aircraft Establishment 3 aircraft.
*Royal Air Force 5 aircraft.
*Royal Navy 1 aircraft.
;{{flag|Spain|1931}}:
*Spanish Republican Air Force

==Surviving aircraft==
*In Great Britain, ''G-AEEG'', a privately owned M.3A based at The Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden is on display at the Collection and flies regularly. It spent much of its life in Sweden as ''SE-AFW''.<ref>[http://www.shuttleworth.org/collection/milesfalcon/ The Shuttleworth Collection – Miles Falcon] Retrieved: 2 March 2017</ref>
*In Australia, M.3A ''VH-AAT'' is still airworthy with a private owner, based at Lilydale, Victoria.
*In Spain, a M.3C registered ''EC-ACB'' is also active. This aircraft participated in the Spanish Civil War.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/EC-ACB.html |title=Aircraft Data EC-ACB, 1936 Miles M3C Falcon Six C/N 231 |work=airport-data.com |access-date=March 14, 2019}}</ref>
*In Australia, there’s a [[Engineering:Miles Falcon#Surviving aircraft|Miles Falcon]] at the [https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=Nelson%20Aeroplane%20Company&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#lpg=cid:CgIgAQ== Nelson Air Company] in Nelson, Victoria.

==Specifications (M.3A)==
[[File:Miles M.3 Falcon.svg|350px|right]]
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units? = imp
|ref=''British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972: Volume III''<ref name="JacksonIII p58">Jackson 1988, p. 58.</ref>
|capacity=Three
|length ft=25
|length in=0
|span ft=35
|span in=0
|height ft=6
|height in=6
|wing area sqft=174.3
|empty weight lb=1300
|gross weight lb=2200
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=de Havilland Gipsy Major piston engine
|eng1 hp=<!-- prop engines -->130
|max speed mph=145
|cruise speed mph=125
|range miles=615
|ceiling ft=15000
|ceiling note=<ref name="brown70p80">{{harvnb|Brown|1970|p=80}}</ref>
|climb rate ftmin=750
}}

==See also==
{{Aircontent
|similar aircraft=
|lists=
* List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force
* List of aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force
* List of aircraft of the Spanish Republican Air Force
|see also=
* [[Engineering:Miles M.52|Miles M.52]]
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*Amos, Peter ''Miles 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}}.
* {{cite book |last=Brown |first=Don L. |title=Miles Aircraft Since 1925 |year=1970 |location=London |publisher=Putnam & Company Ltd. |isbn=0-370-00127-3}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Comas|first1=Matthieu|title=So British!: 1939–1940, les avions britanniques dans l'Armée de l'Air|journal=Avions |date=September–October 2020 |issue=236 |pages=38–61 |trans-title=So British!: British Aircraft in the French Air Force 1939–1940|language=French |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

{{Miles aircraft}}
{{Swedish military aircraft designations}}
{{Spanish liaison aircraft}}
{{ADF aircraft designations}}

[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]

{{Sourceattribution|Miles Falcon}}