In 1934, the Phillips and Powis Aircraft Co. produced yet another of their brillant series of designs by Frederic George Miles – the M.2W Hawk Trainer. The aircraft was developed from the Hawk Major, and was powered by the popular Gipsy Major 1c engine of 130 hp. The aircraft had prominent ‘trousered’ undercarriage legs, but that didn't stop this trim two-seater reaching 150 mph. It was fully equipped for blind flying, and had vacuum-operated flaps.The company had a history of producing streamlined designs which delivered sparkling performance on not too much horsepower.
The Royal Air Force quite happy with the training syllabus being taught on the beloved de Havilland Tiger Moth, but recognized that using a monoplane capable of 150 mph, and a respectable initial climb rate of 1,300ft/min, rather than the sedate 109 mph of the biplane Tiger, might make for an easier transition to the new Hurricane fighter which was just being developed. Consequently, a small batch of four M.2W Hawk Trainers was ordered, followed by nine M.2X and 13 M.2Y - the later versions differing only in detail. Despite a few aircraft that were acquired by the Royal Roumanian Air Force, and one which found its way to Republican Spain during the Civil War in that unhappy country, most of the M.2 Hawk Trainers served with the RAF, supplementing the Tiger Moth. Eventually, the M.2W was developed further, the trousered undercarriage was removed, and the RAF ordered large quantities of what became the Magister, one of their most important trainers of WW2. After being civilian owned from 1935, when WW2 arrived, the aircraft was taken into service with the identity, 'NF750'. Other M.2 aircraft served in communications and training roles in Australia, South Africa and the Middle East (e.g. 'HK867', in full camouflage, with the spats removed).
This aircraft has been through many hands, including being owned by the private Flying Club of No. 47 Squadron, RAF at Abingdon, who had achieved an excellent record flying the Handley Page Hastings during the Berlin Airlift, (carrying mostly coal!) and were in the process of transitioning to the Blackburn Beverley. During this period, it took part in the National Air Races at Yeadon Airport, near Leeds, Yorkshire. Wearing race number '48', 'Whiskey Tango' was part of a field of 15 in the 'Kemsley Trophy Race', over 10 laps of a 7.5 mile circuit; sadly, she did not place.
G-ADWT was owned in the 1960s by a member of No. 3 Wing, RCAF, stationed at Zweibrucken, Germany – this must have been a huge contrast for the pilots that flew her, for the wing was equipped at the time with CF-104 Starfighters! She was taken to Canada, and put on the Canadian Register as CF-NXT. As such, and painted in a standard, overall 'Miles cream' colour scheme, she appeared at Oshkosh in 1994
Here we see this magnificent survivor, now owned by Brian Morris and Richard Earl of Brentford, Essex, which has been the subject of a superb restoration, ready to depart the Great Vintage Flying weekend, at Hullavington. A truly elegant, classic trainer aircraft.