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M.7 Nighthawk
	Miles M.7A Nighthawk wearing racing colours at Wolverhampton (Pendeford) Airport in May 1953
Role	Four-seat training monoplane
Manufacturer	Miles Aircraft Limited
First flight	18 December 1935
Primary users	Royal Romanian Air Force; Royal Air Force
Number built	5
Developed from	Miles M.3B Falcon Six
Variants	Miles M.16 Mentor

The Miles M.7 Nighthawk was a 1930s British training and communications monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.

Design and development

The M.7 Nighthawk was developed from the Miles Falcon Six intended as a training and communications aircraft. The prototype, registered G-ADXA, was first flown in 1935, it was a low-wing monoplane powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine. The prototype crashed during spinning trials at Woodley Aerodrome in January 1937. Four production aircraft followed.^[1]

The design was modified to meet an Air Ministry specification and produced as the M.16 Mentor.^[2] In 1944 a Nighthawk fuselage was fitted with the wings from a Mohawk and fitted with a 205 hp (153 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six Series II engine with a variable pitch airscrew. It was designated the M.7A Nighthawk.^[1] The last Nighthawk to remain airworthy was G-AGWT in the early 1960s. This aircraft was raced in many postwar UK air competitions, but is no longer extant.

Operational history

Two aircraft were delivered to the Royal Romanian Air Force in 1936 and one was delivered to the Royal Air Force in May 1937 with serial number L6846.^[1] It was used as a VIP transport by No. 24 Squadron RAF.^[3]

Variants

M.7: Production version with a 200 hp (149 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine, two built.
M.7A: Four-seat variant built for the Romanian Government, two built.
M.7A (Hybrid): Hybrid version with Nighthawk fuselage and wings from a Mohawk and powered by a 205 hp (153 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six Series II engine, one built.^[1]

Operators

Romania: Royal Romanian Air Force
United Kingdom

Royal Air Force
- No. 24 Squadron RAF

Specifications (M.7)

Data from British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972:Volume III ^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
Empty weight: 1,650 lb (750 kg)
Gross weight: 2,400 lb (1,090 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine , 200 hp (149 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 175 mph (282 km/h, 152 kn)
Cruise speed: 155 mph (250 km/h, 135 kn)
Service ceiling: 23,000 ft (7,010 m) ^[4]
Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s) ^[4]

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Jackson 1988, p.265.
^ Jackson 1988, p.341.
^ Halley 1980, p. 53.
^ ^a ^b Flight 20 February 1936, p. d.

Bibliography

Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-370-00127-3.
Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians), 1980. ISBN 0-85130-083-9.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919. London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.
Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 3. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-818-6.
"Learning in Luxury: The Miles Nighthawk: A Cabin Monoplane Built Primarily for Instrument- and Night-flying Training". Flight, 20 February 1936, Supplement, pp. c–d.