‘Woodley’s first’Reading Aerodrome had been opened in 1929 by Charles Powis and, by 1932, was flourishing. His company, Phillips & Powis was highly successful in aircraft sales and servicing and also ran a busy flying school. Early in 1932, F G Miles arrived at the airfield in his own latest design of sporting biplane. Already known to Powis, he was about the same age and, in his own way, was another entrepreneur. By that time, Miles had already been involved in aviation for almost ten years. A conversation with Powis that day about the ideal type of training aircraft soon led to Miles and his new wife, ‘Blossom’, moving to Woodley to design a new aircraft, to be built by Phillips & Powis. Late in the afternoon of 29 March 1933, construction of the ‘Hawk’, as it was now named, was complete, apart from its final coat of paint. Miles said he would first test it by taxiing around the airfield. However, when he reached the far side, the few watchers heard him open the throttle and, seconds later, he was airborne. After a circuit of the airfield, he landed and handed the Hawk over to Charles Powis to try. In the next week, over 50 other pilots, of varied skill and experience, flew the Hawk, a testimony to the aircraft’s ease of handling and robustness. In aviation circles, the Hawk was recognised as a significant design breakthrough, with its clean monoplane layout and robust construction, to say nothing of its low cost (it was originally under £400). Over the next two years, more than fifty Hawks were built and, based on its simple basic design, a whole family of Miles types were to follow, culminating in the most famous of all, the Magister. _____________________ |
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Painted in oils on canvas. 1999. 500mm x 750mm. |