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 authorised to perform aerobatics. The first prototype's maiden flight was on 20 March 1937. It quickly became praised for its handling qualities, and was ordered into quantity production.

Entering service barely a year before the start of the Second World War, the Magister became a key training aircraft. It was the first monoplane designed as a trainer to be used by the Royal Air Force (RAF). During the war it was purchased in large numbers for the RAF, the Fleet Air Arm and various overseas military operators. It proved an ideal introduction to the Spitfire and Hurricane for new pilots.

After the war surplus Magisters were exported in large numbers, with many converted for civilian use.

Development

Background

The origin of the Miles Magister was a decision made by the company's management in 1936 to further develop its military trainer range; It was decided to produce a derivative of the Hawk Trainer to satisfy the Air Ministry's Specification T.40/36. The submission ignored the policy of only procuring metal aircraft which the RAF had at the time.

The new type was broadly similar to the Hawk Trainer: the majority of the differences between the two pertained to the cockpit, which was enlarged and had numerous new features to better meet military training requirements. During the following month, the aircraft was named the Magister. During early flights the aircraft exhibited a tendency to spin; this problem was solved by several modifications, including elevating the tailplane by , the fitting of anti-spin strakes to the rear fuselage and the adoption of a taller rudder. The alterations worked so well that the Magister became the first low-wing cantilever monoplane to be authorised by the Air Ministry to perform aerobatics.

Design

The Magister is a low wing cantilever monoplane whose design is derived from Miles' Hawk Trainer. Noticeable differences include the significant enlargement of the cockpit, since a more spacious cockpit was required to reasonably accommodate the presence of parachutes and various training aids, including the provision of blind-flying apparatus. It has split flaps as standard; it was the first RAF trainer to have flaps. It has a fixed tailwheel undercarriage with drag-reducing spats on the main wheels; to reduce the landing distance, the undercarriage was fitted with Bendix drum brakes. The flight controls are cable-actuated; some of the controls, such as the rudder pedals, can be adjusted to suit the individual pilot. Production began in October 1937. Recognising the importance and value represented by the order, the company committed a significant portion of its manufacturing capacity to producing the type, abandoning its plans to produce other aircraft, such as the Miles Peregrine, to concentrate resources on the mass production effort. More than a hundred Magisters were licence built in Turkey.

thumb|right|Hawk Trainer Coupe G-AJRT at Leeds (Yeadon) Airport in May 1955

thumb|right|Many Magisters were exported postwar, this example being registered in Belgium.

The Magister also participated in experimental wartime research, such as to evaluate a long range ground attack platform during 1941. Other aircraft received experimental modifications to evaluate new equipment or aerodynamic features.

Following the end of the conflict, large numbers of Magisters were disposed of, leading to many being converted for civilian use. Such aircraft were renamed the Hawk Trainer III. Amongst its civil uses was air racing; during the 1950 Kings Cup Air Race alone, eight Hawk Trainer IIIs were entered, one of which (a modified cabin version G-AKRV), piloted by E. Day, was awarded first place, having achieved a recorded speed of 138.5 mph while doing so. At least two other aircraft were thus modified.

During the postwar years, many Magisters were exported to overseas customers, including private pilot owners and flying clubs. Countries that purchased the type included Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand and Tunisia.

Variants

;Miles M.14 Magister / Hawk Trainer III

: Initial production version.

;Miles M.14A Magister I / Hawk Trainer III

:Improved variant.

;Miles M.14B Magister II / Hawk Trainer II

:Improved variant with a Blackburn Cirrus II engine

thumb|Hawk Trainer III

;B.F.7

:() Royal Thai Armed Forces designation for the Magister I.

Operators

;

  • Royal Australian Air Force

;

:Royal Canadian Air Force and an ex-Irish Air Corps example at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

One Miles Magister was restored to airworthy in the Aeroclub of San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina. Since 2019, this aircraft has been under Czech ownership and is operated by R.A.F. Station Czechoslovakia at Podhořany airport, in the Pardubice region of the Czech Republic.

ZK-AWY is preserved in the Museum of Transport and Technology, New Zealand.

TC-KAY is preserved in the Turkish Air Force Museum.

Specifications (Miles M.14A)

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Miles Magister and Miles Hawk Trainer IIIs – British Aircraft of World War II
  • Miles Magister Video