Miles Mohawk
| M.12 Mohawk | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Miles M.12 Mohawk flown by Charles Lindbergh | |
| Role | Civil touring aircraft, trainer |
| Manufacturer | Phillips & Powis Aircraft |
| Designer | G.H. Miles |
| First flight | 22 August 1936 |
| Introduction | 1 February 1937 |
| Retired | 1950 |
| Status | On display |
| Primary users |
Charles Lindbergh Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 1 |
The Miles M.12 Mohawk was a 1930s British two-seat, tandem cabin monoplane built by Phillip & Powis Aircraft (later to become Miles Aircraft) to the order of Charles Lindbergh in 1936. After being used by Lindbergh in Europe it was impressed into service with Royal Air Force as a communications aircraft in 1941.
In 1936, after Lindbergh had moved to England, he asked George Miles to build a fast, long-range machine for use between the various capitals. As a result of close co-operation between the pilot and designer, a first-class design was produced.
The M.12 Mohawk followed earlier Miles Nighthawk and Miles Hawcon designs and practice in having a low wing cantilever monoplane design of spruce structure covered in plywood. The centre section had no dihedral and of constant section, with outer sections having dihedral and taper towards the tip. The fuselage was similarly a spruce structure with plywood covering. The M.12 was a conventional taildragger with fixed main wheels, each encased in an aerodynamic fairing beneath the wing and featuring a tail wheel. As a purpose-built aircraft to Lindbergh's specifications and in incorporating an American 200 hp Menasco Buccaneer B6S engine to the classic Miles low-wing configuration, the M.12 was distinctly an Anglo-American machine. A second set of Miles M.12 wings were used in the M.7A hybrid.
The M.12 was registered G-AEKW on 17 July 1936 but it first flew on 22 August 1936, wearing the test serial U8. The Mohawk received its certificate of airworthiness on 28 January 1937 and started a series of test flights, including flights by Lindbergh. On 1 February 1937, the aircraft was officially handed over to Lindbergh at a ceremony at Woodley. As soon as the aircraft was handed over, Lindbergh and his wife departed in it on a trip to India. In the following few years, the Lindberghs flew the aircraft all over Europe until Charles Lindbergh flew it in to Woodley on 4 April 1939, placing the aircraft in storage as Lindbergh returned to the United States.
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