Post by flyboy on Jul 8, 2018 21:54:17 GMT
The Miles M.57 Aerovan:
The Miles Aerovan was built at Woodley, Berkshire as a low-cost short-haul transport aircraft and made its first flight on January 26th 1945 piloted by test pilot Tommy Rose. Capable of being used to carry a car or used on passenger services this George Miles design was constructed using mainly plastic bonded plywood with some spruce and metal parts.
Being a pod and boom design with a fixed tricycle under-carriage, high wing, twin engines and having a high boom-mounted triple fin tail-plane area, with clam shell doors the aircraft looked at first sight a little like a very mini version of the later Blackburn Beverley, although it was in no way related!!
Two pilots sat side by side under a large clear perspex canopy in the front of the pod/fuselage with up to ten passengers who had a clear view outside offered by four or five windows on either side depending on which model of the aircraft they were being flown in. The aircraft was noteworthy in having a very short take-off and landing run and was able to use a basic landing strip.
Production started in 1946 and in total 52 aircraft were produced before the line was closed in late 1947. Brief military service was seen with small numbers of aircraft going to the armed forces of Israel and New Zealand, but most of the production aircraft were sold for civilian use and operated both in this country and abroad..
One aircraft was converted to test fly with a Hurel-Dubois high aspect ratio wing in 1957 and was then known as the HDM.105.
There were various models produced which are listed below:
Aerovan 1 The first prototype G-AGOZ had a short fuselage/pod with four square windows on each side.
Like models 2,3 and 4power was provided by 2x 150hp (112kW) Blackburn Cirrus Major 111
piston engines.
Aerovan 2 The second prototype G-AGWO was lighter and had an 18 inch longer fuselage/pod with five
round windows a side.
Aerovan 3 Essentially the same as the Aerovan 2. Six registered in UK and one to Belgium.
Aerovan 4 The model 3 with improvements - the main production variant with 4 circular windows.
43 were built with one a conversion from a model 3. With 40 being registered in the UK two
were later converted into the Aerovan 5 and HDM,105. An additional three aircraft built for
export, one to Iraq and two to the Royal New Zealand Air Force which were later placed on
the civil register.
Aerovan 5 One aircraft built and powered by 2x 145hp(108kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 piston
engines. Only one built.
Aerovan 6 Only one aircraft built with 2x 195hp(145kW) Avco Lycoming 0-435-A piston engines.
One built with enlarged fins.
HDM.105 Aerovan fitted with high aspect wings designed by Hurel-Dubois in France which influenced
the design of the Shorts Skyvan.
Specification:
( Aerovan Model 2,3 & 4)
Crew 2
Capacity 10
Length 36ft (10.97m)
Wingspan 50ft (15.24m)
Height 13ft 6in (4.1m)
Wing Area 390 sq ft (36.2sq m)
Weight Empty 3000lb (1.360kg)
Weight Loaded 5,800lb (2,630kg)
Powerplants 2x Blackburn Cirrus Major 11A inline
piston engines, 150hp (112kW) each.
Speed Max 127mph (204 km/h)
Speed Cruise 112mph (180 km/h)
Range 400mi (645km)
Service Ceiling 13,250ft (4,040m)
Rate of Climb 620ft/min (3.1m/s)
Landing Speed 40mph (64km/h)
