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Developed from the M.3B Falcon
Six, the M.7 Nighthawk, of which
five civil examples were built,
was intended for use as a
trainer and three-seat
communications aircraft, and was
eventually ordered by the RAF as
the M.16 Mentor.
Both peace and war demand that
air pilots shall be able to find
their way safely and surely over
long distances by night, and
that they must be capable of
flying straight and level when
all land and sky marks are
blotted out by fog or heavy
weather. In the early days of
aviation this type of flying was
either carefully avoided and
left to the birds, or undertaken
only by the toughest of
aviators.
However, with the coming of
long-distance air lines a new
technique was initiated, known
as blind - or instrument -
flying, and this was later
brought nearer perfection by
military necessity.
Intensive blind-flying
instruction became an increasing
feature of R.A.F. training as
the outbreak of war began to
gather and, in 1936 the Miles
organisation produced the
aptly-named Nighthawk, basically
a development of the famous
Falcon Six, but with dual
controls and instruments and
side-by-side seating. A black
canvas hood was arranged to fit
over the left-hand seat, which
was occupied by the pupil, this
limiting his vision to the
instrument panel only.
Developed from the M.7
Nighthawk, the Miles M.16 Mentor
was designed to meet the
requirements of Air Ministry
Specification 38/37 for a
three-seat cabin monoplane for
use in a communications role; it
was required to be suitable also
for instrument or radio training
by day or night. The prototype
(L4932) was flown on 5th January
1938, service testing resulting
in an order for 45 aircraft
including prototypes, This 35 ft
7 in span aircraft was powered
by a 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy
Six I inline engine, providing a
maximum speed of 156 mph at sea
level. Used by the RAF for
communications and training,
only one of them surviving the
war.
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Design Company: |
Phillips & Powis Aircraft Ltd |
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First Flight: |
5
January 1938 |
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M.16 Mentor: |
45 - Phillips & Powis, Woodley |
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Type Specification |
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Applies to: |
Miles M.16 Mentor |
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Type: |
Three seat cabin aircraft for
communications work and
training to specification
38/37 developed from M.7
Nighthawk |
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Wing: |
Low wing cantilever monoplane
of spruce structure covered in
plywood. Centre section has no
dihedral and is of constant
section, outer sections have
dihedral and taper towards the
tip. Split flaps fitted as
standard |
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Fuselage: |
Fuselage of spruce structure
with plywood covering
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Tail Unit: |
Cantilever tailplane with
elevator at top of fuselage
with single fin and rudder
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Landing Gear: |
Fixed main wheels in fairings
beneath wing. Tail wheel
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Power Plant: |
One 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy
Six in nose |
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Accommodation: |
Seats for three in enclosed
cabin |
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Dimensions |
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Span: |
34 ft 9 in |
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Length: |
26 ft 2 in |
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Height: |
9
ft 8 in |
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Wing Area: |
181 sq ft |
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Weights |
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Empty: |
1,978 lb |
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All-up: |
2,710 lb |
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Performance |
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Max Speed: |
156 mph |
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Rate of Climb: |
780 ft/min |
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Service Ceiling: |
13,800 ft |
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