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Painted in oils on canvas. 2000. 250mm x 350mm |
‘Nightwork’During 1937 the Air Ministry invited tenders for a 3-seat cabin aircraft for a variety of duties including instrument training, night flying, radio training and communications work. Its requirements included full dual controls, doors on both sides, blind-flying instruments, landing lamps and radio. Phillips & Powis were quickly awarded the contract for an aircraft which became known as the Mentor. To some extent, this was based on a 1935 Miles private venture design, the Nighthawk, itself based on the Falcon. Only a few Nighthawks were built, but their success led the Air Ministry to issue the 1937 specification and, eventually, 45 Mentors were ordered for the RAF. ____________________ |