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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0869.PDF
AUGUST 23, 1934. FLIGHT. c.71 fuselage, until the £lue is dry. After this the staples are removed so that a perfectly clear, dean surface is left, helping considerably with the production of that particu- larly high-class finish of all Miles' " Hawks." The fuselage is also of the box type of construction, using spruce and plywood. There is a welded steel tube structure over the spacious cabin, covered with trans- parent celluloid with unbreakable glass in the front. One side of this structure hinges forward, forming a door of ample size for getting in and out of the cabin. The normal seating accommodation, when a " Gipsy Major" engine is fitted, is for three persons, the pilot sitting in front, slightly to the left-hand side, and his two passengers behind him on a well-padded seat, very similar to that found in most modern motor cars. The seat itself and its back rest is right across the fuselage, and has a collapsible arm in the middle. Where it is wished to operate the " Falcon " as a regular taxi machine, or on feeder lines, or from large aerodromes only, it is quite possible to carry another passenger beside the pilot, while still being able to carry a reasonable amount of luggage without exceeding the C. of A. weight. In this case, of course, the operator will not be justified in expecting quite such a good take-off, but in other ways the machine will be no different from the three-seater. When fitted with the "Gipsy Six" engine, a consider- ably better speed is expected. At the time of writing, the " Falcon " has not flown, and the performance figures are not, therefore, included in our table. While not wish- ing to dogmatise on the matter, the designer confidently expects a top speed and cruising speed of 136 m.p.h. and 120 m.p.h. respectively for the "Gipsy Major" engine, and 160 m.p.h. and 140 m.p.h. for the "Gipsy Six." The undercarriage is the same cantilever type as is used in the "Hawk Major," except that medium-pressure tyres will be fitted. Our sketch fully explains how this neat form of landing gear is attached to the centre-section spar. By means of carefully planned fairings over each half of the undercarriage, the drag has been reduced to a very low figure, so low that Mr. Miles is convinced that the cost and weight of fitting a retractable undercarriage is not justified in a machine of this type. As we have said already, one of the chief aims which has been kept in mind in designing the '' Falcon " is to produce a machine which above all things shall be easy to fly, and by a slight increase of the dihedral angle over that of the " Hawk," that is, from 3J deg. to 5 deg., the '' Falcon '' has been made sufficiently stable to fly " hands MILES '• FALCON" > " GIPSY MAJOR " 130 H.P. ENGINE. DIMENSION ft. in. tn Span of wing 35 0 (10,7) Height overall ... ... ... ... 65( 2.0) Length overall 25 0 ( 7,6) Wheel track 8 0 ( 2,*) Mean chord ... ... ... ... ... 5 3 ( 0,6) Aspect ratio . 6.7 to 1 Incidence ... ... ... ... ... 1.5 deg. Dihedral ... ... ... ... ... 5.0 deg. ARKAS * sq. ft. »<" Main plane with ailerons ... ... ... 174.3 (16,17) Ailerons (two) 17.4 ( 1,62) Tail plane 17.2 ( 1,5$) Elevators (two) 8.4 ( 0,7$) Fin 7.24 ( 0,71) Rudder 7.24 ( 0,71) WEIGHTS lb. kg Tare weight 1,300 ( 589,7) Disposable load 1,000 ( 453,6) ka Crew ... 160 ( 7a,6) Fuel ... (33 gall. 150 j) 250 (113,4) Oil ... (3 gall. HI) 30 ( 13,6) : 440 ( 1S9,6) Pay load .. 5(iO ( 254,0) Gross weight 2,300 (1043,3) LOADINGS AND RATIOS Wingloading ll.&lb./sq. ft. (56,15kglm') Power loading 16.1 lb./h.p. ( 7,30 kg/hp) Ratio of gross weight to tare weight ... 1.75 to 1 and feet off'' for long periods, while at the same time retaining ample manoeuvrability for handling while land- ing, or during emergencies, with great ease. In the matter of upkeep, the " Falcon " should be just as good as any other "Hawk." The absence of bracing wires and outside fittings are points in its favour, which, taken together with the robustness of its general construc- tion, make it a machine which "will stand up to a good deal of hard work, and which will only cost a very small sum when the annual renewal of C. and A. is made. Phillips and Powis have now had considerable experi- ence in operating "Hawks" for school work, and their figures show that the type is very economical. The owner of a "Falcon" need not, therefore, expect that because he is getting a larger machine his maintenance costs will go up to any great extent. MILES "FALCON 3-4 SEATER CABIN MONOPLANE 130 h.p. D.H.GIPSY MAJOR ENGINE LENGTH 25'-0* SPAN ..35-0" ' HEIGHT. 6'-6" WING AREA... I74'3 SQ.Ff
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