Miles Aircraft Presents... The Miles Mercury and the Miles Messenger

A c.1944 10-minute black-and-white silent film of the Miles M.28 Mk. IV U-0243 and Miles M.48 Messenger U-0247 designed by George Miles being taxied, in-flight and landing. Curiously the aircraft registrations are shown reversed as if the film footage is back-to-front.
The Royal Aeronautical Society has received the permissions for sharing these videos by Karen Pratt, George Miles’ daughter, and Jeremy Miles, F. G. Miles’ and ‘Blossom’ Miles’ son. For use of videos for non-commercial purposes credit the Royal Aeronautical Society with the respective individuals. For commercial use and for further information on each videos copyright, contact: [e-mail]

[@brittboyette8617]

Miles had some beautiful designs, outstanding aircraft!

[@typhoonhawker6548]

00:23 U-0243 Miles M.28 Mk.IV 'Mercury' FF.10thJul.1944 by Hugh Kennedy. 03:28 U-0247 Miles M.38(later M.48) Messenger Mk.IIIB FF.14thNov.1944 by Hugh Kennedy.

[@Yosemite-George-61]

Nice airplane ! Poor man's Constellation... (or York)... :-)

[@tomdchi12]

Preflight? Runup? Checklists? Nah, let's just hop in and take off! (Great looking planes, and looks like they had pretty nice STOL performance.)

[@spike2000ification]

Blossom Miles happened to be a very good pilot.

[@c150gpilot]

Can anyone ID the people? She's in the left seat -- is she doing the piloting? Slick planes!

[@brittboyette8617]

Look closely, the film is in the projector flipped over. The numbers of the aircraft were mirror imaged.

[@ronaldharris6569]

That inline engine looks so much like a turboprop

[@clyneheretic]

Film definitely reversed. Where is the aerodrome? - looks like Ramsgate.

[@LeechwelGarden]

Most likely Shoreham Airport in West Sussex (Miles base after 1947).

[@administratorlynch6223]

Etagsmar?

[@BrianJ001]

I think you will find it is Woodley or Reading [wartime]. Miles started at Shoreham then teamed up with Powis and moved to 100 acre field Woodley in early thirties I think. If you Google Miles Aircraft Woodley there are some excellent views of a range of Miles beautiful designs. Must have been a great lateral thinker. Plus a superb engineer....

[@pauleveritt3388]

It looks like an Ercoupe!

[@ronaldharris6569]

I bet an urp cup,would go a little faster with one of those inline engines, they look modular like they could bolt on almost anywhere

[@afishcalledwanda]

Nice vid, even without sound. But it's a shame about many historical recordings: Why do these idiots of film editors always have to plaster the last few seconds of films with previews of other videos? Leave this nonsense, you snowberries.

[@garykildea6117]

Yeah, I think I know that film editor. Goes by the name of Al. You're not wrong, he's, a real idiot, every bit a snowberry. Just like the rest of that Gorithm family..

[@leifvejby8023]

It is an unrequested feature from google/youtube, to make people download the videos and watch them without ads.

[@L1V2P9]

Woman passenger: "What are those planes with the black crosses on them? They seem to be headed this way."

[@jamesbugbee6812]

Farting around near the stall just after liftoff made my gut cringe. Similarly, small wheels w/ a murky field.

[@WarblesOnALot]

G'day, Look up the Aeronautical meaning of the word "Chandelle"... A Gently-Banked Climbing Turn on Takeoff..., back in the day it was considered a "Sterling" demonstration of a Flying Machine's Power and STOL Capabilities - and of the Pilot's Courage as well as Flying Abilities. By the late 1970s performing Chandelles on Take-off to impress the Groundlings watching on from the Aerodrome had almost completely faded from fashion..., in favour of straight line Climbouts to a safe Altitude. But, if you watch carefully, you can see that immediately after liftoff she lowered the nose and built up Speed for a second or two in Ground-Effect before climbing out with whatever Speed Margin they had in mind. Also, from the distance shots of takeoff it isn't possible to see who's aboard..., maybe the skinny lady was solo with only 1/3 Fuel for filming the Chandelles ? Marketing Jism is nothing new, y'know. Such is life, Have a good one... Stay safe. ;-p Ciao !

[@erikarneberg11]

“Women: for pity’s sake, don’t fly!”

[@aue82a]

Harry Enfield.