| M.30 | |
|---|---|
 Miles M.30 X-Minor | |
| General information | |
| Type | Experimental aircraft |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Miles Aircraft |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | February 1942 |
| Variants | Miles M.26 |
The Miles M.30 X-Minor was an experimental aircraft, designed by Miles Aircraft to evaluate the characteristics of blended fuselage and wing intersections.
Design and development
Begun in 1938, the X series of designs was Miles designation M.26, covering a wide range of aircraft designs from small feeder-liners to very large 8-engined transatlantic transports.
To investigate the design philosophy of the blended wing/body Miles was given a contract to design and build a sub-scale flying model of the X.9 design, which emerged as the M.30 X-Minor. The small size of the X Minor made it impossible to follow the buried engine design exactly; the engines were too large and had to be mounted externally, resulting in an aircraft similar in layout but differing in aerodynamics. The X Minor first flew in February 1942, providing Miles with useful data for several years. A larger scale prototype of the X transport was planned but never built.
Specifications (M.30 X-Minor)
Data from Miles aircraft since 1925
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 26 ft 3 in (8.00 m)
- Wingspan: 33 ft (10 m) 38 ft 6 in (11.73 m) when extended later
- Height: 9 ft (2.7 m)
- Wing area: 200 sq ft (19 m)
- Aspect ratio: 5.4
- Empty weight: 2,710 lb (1,229 kg)
- Gross weight: 4,240 lb (1,923 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × de Havilland Gipsy Major 4-cyl inverted in-line air-cooled piston engine, 130 hp (97 kW) each
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers
Performance
- Wing loading: 21.2 lb/sq ft (104 kg/m)
- Power/mass: 0.0613 hp/lb
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
Notes
- Brown, Don L. (1970). Miles aircraft since 1925 (1st ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd. pp. 202–204. ISBN 0-370-00127-3.
Bibliography
- Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-2.
- Brown, Don Lambert (1970). Miles aircraft since 1925 (1st ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd. pp. 202–204. ISBN 0-370-00127-3.
External links
- Museum of Berkshire Aviation - Miles 30 page
- Eight-Engine, 55-Seat Plane to Have a 3,450-Mile Range Popular Mechanics August 1944
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