Painted in watercolours. 2005. 200mm x 220mm.

‘Southern Martlet’

In 1925, in Sussex, 22-year-old Fred Miles, who would eventually play such an important part in Berkshire’s Aviation Heritage, began his career in aviation. Starting as a ‘barnstormer’, within a few years he had become a Director of a growing company, Southern Aircraft, and the associated Southern Aero Club. He had become a licensed commercial pilot and ground engineer and was involved in buying, selling and maintaining aircraft, as well as being a flying instructor.

While all this was going on, Fred Miles hadn’t forgotten his first dream of being an aircraft designer. Among the aircraft he bought from Avro was a small low-powered biplane known as the ‘Baby’. Pioneer aviator Bert Hinkler had flown it non-stop to Turin a few year earlier. Fred decided to fit it with a more powerful engine and, although his ‘unscientific’ approach to the re-design caused his great friend, Don Brown, some concern, the refurbished aircraft flew well. It seems Fred Miles had an instinctive feel for aircraft design.

His next design project was more ambitious – an even more extensive re-design of the Avro Baby – and it resulted from the desire of one of the Southern Aero Club members, Lionel Bellairs, to have his own aerobatic aircraft. Bellairs had been involved with Fred Miles since the earliest days and had been one of the five original pupils of the Aero Club. Wealthy enough to buy his own aircraft and also generous enough to pay frequent progress payments, Bellairs was even willing to allow the fledgling aircraft manufacturing company to use the first aircraft for demonstrations while he waited for the second to be built.

Fred Miles first flew the new aircraft in the early summer of 1929 and it proved to be an instant success. It was named the ‘Martlet’, after the heraldic bird of the County of Sussex. Although it was designed to be a two-seater if required, the six aircraft that were eventually built between 1929 and 1931, were all single-seaters and were fitted with five different types of engine.

Lionel Bellairs originally took delivery of G-AAYX, the fourth Martlet to be built. During 1934 it was owned by the Reading Aero Club but, after a crash, was rebuilt at Gatwick.  In use until the outbreak of the War, it was then stored in a barn until 1947 when it was restored at Woodley and flown again by Fred Miles, George Miles and Don Brown. By then it had been bought by Billy Butlin for demonstrations at his holiday camps. It still exists today, in flying condition, owned by the Shuttleworth Trust.

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