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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2212.PDF
FLIGHT Nineteenth of the New Recognition Series AIRCRAFT TYPES AND MILES MASTER III THE only material differences between the Masters I, II and III of the celebrated Miles family is that of the engine fitted. All Miles Masters have the same wooden fuselage and wing structure with plywood skins, and a recent modification (which is of prime impor tance to the spotter) is that the wing tips have been clipped. It will be remembered that the wing tips of the Master were rounded, but they are now square, and the span has been reduced by a total of 3ft. 5m. Incidentally, this not only applies to those now being produced; all Masters in service are being modified in the same way. • The object of the alteration is to reduce the flying stresses and so raise the safety factor which, in practice, was found to be a bit below the theoretical one. It has also raised the stalling speed slightly but manoeuvrability has been somewhat improved, while top speed is said not to have been noticeably affected. Ceiling and rate of climb, in fact, are the only aspects of performance which have suffered slightly by the change. Ever since the successful introduction of the Master I, with the Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine, Miles Masters have been the standard advanced trainer for the R.A.F., and, to the potential fighter pilot, the immediate prelude to the handling of operational service types, such as the Hurricane and Spitfire. The Master II, with Bristol Mer cury XX engine of 870 h.p. was faster than the latest Master III, with its Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp Junior engine of 823 h.p., but since the latter has a 14-cylinder radial power unit instead of the previous 9-cylinder radial engine, it is much smoother, and, therefore, more pleasant to fly. Its top speed, however, is 232 m.p.h. at 7,500ft., as compared with 260 m.p.h. at 5,000ft. for the Mercury - engined Master H. At a cruising speed of 185 m.p.h., the range of the Master III is 320 miles and its service ceiling 27,300ft. Chief recognition points for the spotter are the cranked wing (characteristic of all Masters) and the smaller cowling of the Wasp engine as compared with that of the Mercury. One machine-gun is installed in the wing to facilitate firing instruction, and the flying instructor can raise his rear seat when he wants to keep a particularly alert eye on his pupil, say, during landings. SMALL DIAMETER ENGINE DIMENSIONS of Span Length Height Wing ana MASTER III .. 37ft. Jin. .. 30ft. 2in. .. 9ft. 3in. .. 209 sq.ft.
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