Miles Gemini
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The Miles M.65 Gemini was a British twin-engined four-seat touring aircraft designed and built by
Miles Aircraft Miles was the name used for aircraft and associated businesses of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who, with his wife – aviator and draughtswoman Maxine Blossom Miles, Maxine "Blossom" Miles (née Forbes-Robertson) – and his brother ...
at
Woodley Aerodrome Woodley is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham, in Berkshire, England. Woodley is east of Reading and adjoined to Earley which is to the west of the town and Woodley is from Wokingham. Nearby are the villages of Sonning, Tw ...
. It was the last Miles aircraft to be produced in quantity. Development of the Gemini was conducted at a rapid pace following the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the company being keen to bring its new designs to the postwar civil aviation sector. The speed of development was greatly bolstered by basing the design on the single-engined
Miles Messenger The Miles M.38 Messenger is a British four-seat liaison and private owner aircraft built by Miles Aircraft. Design and development The Messenger was designed to meet an informal request from a group of British Army officers for a robust, slow ...
. First flying on 26 October 1945, the company's confidence in the aircraft was such that sales demonstrations using the prototype started only days later, while efforts to commence large scale production were started immediately. Within its first year of availability, 130 Geminis had been sold, proving its popularity. It performance was such that it became a successful racing aircraft, with one example alone winning numerous competitions. The company endeavoured to introduce numerous improvements upon the type, along with early work to produce a successor to the Gemini. However, these ambitions were cut short by the company's collapse after its
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
in 1947. While efforts to revive production were made, including the development of the improved ''Miles M.75 Aries'', the type was never able to regain momentum.


Development

In the aftermath of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...
relinquished much of its wartime control over the British aircraft manufacturing sector; one such manufacturer,
Miles Aircraft Miles was the name used for aircraft and associated businesses of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who, with his wife – aviator and draughtswoman Maxine Blossom Miles, Maxine "Blossom" Miles (née Forbes-Robertson) – and his brother ...
, was particularly keen to rapidly pursue its own endeavours that were largely orientated towards the civil aviation market. George Miles recognised that there was a vacant niche in this market for a modern twin engined aircraft, and observed that the company could readily develop a derivative of the existing single-engined
Miles Messenger The Miles M.38 Messenger is a British four-seat liaison and private owner aircraft built by Miles Aircraft. Design and development The Messenger was designed to meet an informal request from a group of British Army officers for a robust, slow ...
that could ideally fit the envisioned role. Deciding to proceed, development proved to be relatively straightforward and progress was made rapidly.Brown 1970, p. 316. On 26 October 1945, the prototype Gemini performed its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...
; it was initially flown with a temporary fixed undercarriage, unlike future aircraft that featured a retractable arrangement instead. Pilots reported that the type was pleasant to fly from the onset. There were relatively few issues encountered with the prototype; while there was an airflow issue discovered that negatively affected three point landings, this was rapidly resolved via the addition of leading edge slats between the fuselage and the engine nacelles.Brown 1970, pp. 316-319. Such was the company's confidence that the prototype was first used to perform flying demonstrations to potential customers only days following its first flight.Brown 1970, p. 319. The Gemini was put into large scale production straight away; it was also recognised that the superior performance of the type had eliminated for the Miles Mercury, thus production plans for the latter were abandoned in favour of concentrating the company's resources on the Gemini. Such was the market's positive response to the type that 130 Geminis had been sold within its first year of availability. It would in fact be the last Miles-designed aircraft to attain large scale production. While the company had commenced work on developing a Gemini successor, wider events would derail such ambitions.Brown 1970, p. 324. Miles, recognising the value of the Gemini in its lineup, sought to further develop and improve the type. However, even as the company was finalising work on numerous improvements, including the adoption of new engines, the firm was forced to declare
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
due to the poor state of its finances.Brown 1970, pp. 319-320. Following the collapse of the company during 1947 and the subsequent purchase of the Reading aircraft factory and other assets by rival aircraft manufacturer
Handley Page Handley Page Limited was a British aerospace manufacturer. Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation a ...
, eight aircraft that had not been completed were assembled; two by Handley Page at Woodley in 1950, five by Wolverhampton Aviation at Pendeford Aerodrome in 1951, and one by F. G. Miles Limited at Redhill Aerodrome.Jackson 1988, pp. 86–87.


Design

The Gemini was a four-seat low-wing cantilever
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
developed for civil transport duties. It was primarily built from
plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...
-bonded
plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...
construction. It was furnished with a one-piece wing that was fitted with non-retractable auxiliary aerofoil
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s. Various aspects of the Gemini were shared with the Messenger; while a similar tail unit was one such shared feature, the Gemini had only twin vertical tail units instead of the more complex triple arrangement of the Messenger as the higher wing loading and elevated landing speed raised of the latter made the twin arrangement practical. The flight controls of the Gemini was well-harmonised and remained effective right up to the stall margin; the characteristics of a typical stall were relatively benign as well and free of any tendency to spin while recovery was rapid. The controls were effective to the extent that the final approach could be performed only barely above touch down speed. One of the few adverse handling characteristics was a marked tendency for the aircraft to swing on takeoff, which was easily addressed by the pilot using full
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
and differential throttle settings to counteract.Brown 1970, pp. 316-317. While not typically fitted as such, a handful of Geminis were outfitted with dual controls.Brown 1970, p. 321. Originally powered by 90 hp (67,5 kW)
Blackburn Cirrus Minor The Blackburn Cirrus Minor is a British four-cylinder, inverted, in-line air-cooled aero-engine that was designed and built by the Cirrus Engine Section of Blackburn Aircraft Limited in the late 1930s. Design and development The Cirrus Minor s ...
engines, the later-built Gemini variants were powered by several different engines.Brown 1970, pp. 319-320. To give the aircraft its relatively long range, the aircraft featured a pair of 15 gallon outboard tanks that supplemented the two 18 gallon tanks that the design shared with the Messenger.Brown 1970, p. 317. The Gemini was frequently promoted by its manufacturer as being the "safest light aeroplane in the world".


Operational history

The Gemini quickly proved to be popular with private owners for touring throughout Europe. In addition, large numbers were exported to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and numerous other
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countries. Two-thirds of all Geminis that had been sold to British customers were later sold aboard, the type being fairly desirable upon the secondary sales market. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Geminis were frequently entered in air races; in one example, ''G-AKDC'', flown by J.N. 'Nat' Somers AFC, emerged as the victor of the 1949 King's Cup Air Race (a handicapped event) at ; this aircraft was fitted with
de Havilland Gipsy Major The de Havilland Gipsy Major or Gipsy IIIA is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline engine used in a variety of light aircraft produced in the 1930s, including the famous de Havilland Tiger Moth, Tiger Moth biplane. Many Gipsy Major en ...
engines that were rated at each.Brown 1970, p. 320. Being refitted with even more powerful engines, this same Gemini won several further races, including the Siddeley Trophy in 1953, the Kemsley Trophy in 1954, and the Goodyear Trophy in 1955. The racing motorist Prince Bira of
Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
also opted to buy a Gemini for his own purposes. Several aircraft were used as light business transports by commercial firms, including Shell-Mex & BP,
Fairey Aviation The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes, Hillingdon, Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire that designed important military aircraft ...
and B.K.S Engineering. Other examples were flown by UK independent airlines on light
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...
work within the British Isles and Europe; the
British Overseas Airways Corporation British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the United Kingdom, British state-owned national airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II ...
(BOAC) being one such operator. A number were also purchased by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for licence testing and radio calibration work. During 1951, a pair of aircraft were completed by F. G. Miles that were fitted with
Blackburn Cirrus Major The Blackburn Cirrus Major is a British, inline-four aircraft engine which was developed in the late 1930s, but continued development and production into the 1940s and post war. Design and development The Blackburn Cirrus Major started life as ...
III engines, along with enlarged and heightened fins for better handling during single-engine operations.Brown 1970, p. 322. To reflect the revised design, which gave the aircraft an increased payload amongst other performance changes, they were re-named ''Miles M.75 Aries''. Although quantity production of this model did not occur, a handful of Geminis were retrofitted with some of these changes.Brown 1970, pp. 322-323. The Cinema Museum in London holds extensive footage of one of these planes touring Europe in the 1950s.


Variants

;Gemini 1 :Prototype with two 100 hp
Blackburn Cirrus Minor The Blackburn Cirrus Minor is a British four-cylinder, inverted, in-line air-cooled aero-engine that was designed and built by the Cirrus Engine Section of Blackburn Aircraft Limited in the late 1930s. Design and development The Cirrus Minor s ...
2 engines and fixed landing gear, one built. ;Gemini 1A :Production version with two 100 hp Blackburn Cirrus Minor 2 engines, 134 built, plus one assembled by Handley Page (Reading). ;Gemini 1B :Production version with two 100 hp Blackburn Cirrus Minor 2 engines, one built. ;Gemini 2 :Version with two 130 hp
Lycoming O-290 The Lycoming O-290 is a dual-ignition, four-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally opposed aircraft engine. It was first run in 1939, and entered production three years later. A common variant of the type is the O-290-G, a single-ignition model wh ...
-3/1 engines, 2 built. ;Gemini 3 :Version with two 145 hp
de Havilland Gipsy Major The de Havilland Gipsy Major or Gipsy IIIA is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline engine used in a variety of light aircraft produced in the 1930s, including the famous de Havilland Tiger Moth, Tiger Moth biplane. Many Gipsy Major en ...
1C engines, 1 built, plus one assembled by Handley Page (Reading) and one by F.G.Miles. ;Gemini 3A :Version with 145 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 Mk 1 engines, 2 built plus 5 assembled by Wolverhampton Aviation. ;Gemini 3B :Version with 145 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 Mk 1-3 engines ;Gemini 3C or 7 :Version with 145 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 Mk 2 engines, two built ;Gemini 8 :Early aircraft modified to Aries standard with two 155 hp Blackburn Cirrus Major 3 engines. ;Aries :Version with two 155hp
Blackburn Cirrus Major The Blackburn Cirrus Major is a British, inline-four aircraft engine which was developed in the late 1930s, but continued development and production into the 1940s and post war. Design and development The Blackburn Cirrus Major started life as ...
3 engines driving Miles-Reed propellers.


Operators

; *
Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish , meaning "air fleet") is an Irish airline company which is the flag carrier of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 201 ...
; *
Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...
. ; *
National Airways Corporation National Airways Corporation (NAC) is a commercial aviation company with its head office on the grounds of Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company offers a range of products and services for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopt ...
- One Gemini was owned by NAC. ; * Air Contractors * Blue Line Airways * Culliford Airlines * Derby Aviation * Hornton Airways * International Airways *
Lancashire Aircraft Corporation Lancashire Aircraft Corporation was a major British charter airline after World War II. Its founding father was Eric Rylands. It played an important role in the Berlin Blockade#Start of the Berlin Airlift, Berlin Airlift. It also flew scheduled ...
* Loxhams Flying Services * Sivewright Airways *
Starways Starways was a British airline which operated from 1948 until 1963. The company offered freight transport, passenger charter services and serviced internal and international scheduled routes. History The airline was formed at Blackpool in ...
* Ulster Aviation * Wirral Airways * Wright Aviation


Survivors

Six aircraft are currently registered on the British Civil Aircraft register as of 2017.https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?appid=1 CAA GINFO One Gemini 1A is also active in the Swedish aircraft register. One aircraft, registered ZK-ANT, is on static display in New Zealand at the
Museum of Transport & Technology The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is a transport and technology museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park. The museum h ...
. LN-TAH, Gemini 1A is being restored for static display in the terminal at Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik. This is ex. G-AKKA.


Specifications (Gemini 1A)


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982−1985), 1985,
Orbis Publishing Orbis Publishing Ltd. was a United Kingdom-based publisher of books and partworks. Company history Orbis Publishing Limited was founded in 1970. The company was originally registered on 25 November 1969 under the name Reefdell Limited with t ...
* Jackson, A.J. ''British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972:Volume III''.London:Putnam, 1988, . * Lewis, Cecil. ''Gemini To Joburg''. Harmondsworth: Penguin Viking, 1984. . * Nordeen, Lon. ''Fighters Over Israel''. London:Guild Publishing, 1991.


External links

{{Miles aircraft 1940s British civil utility aircraft
Gemini Gemini most often refers to: * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Gemini (astrology), an astrological sign Gemini may also refer to: Science and technology Space * Gemini in Chinese astronomy, the Gemini constellat ...
Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1945 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Twin-tail aircraft Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear