Miles M.7 Nighthawk

I was a technician at Denham airfield in 1962 when this Nighthawk registered VR-TCM arrived from Africa, I carried out an inspection and found several faults including the cockpit flap hydraulic pump which was irreparable.

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Developed from the Miles Falcon Six this 200 h.p. DH Gypsy Queen engined plane was developed as a training and communications aircraft. The prototype crashed during spinning trials at Woodley Aerodrome in January 1937 but a further 5 were built the last of which was used for air racing in the 1950's and was still extant in the 1960's, however this nor any other survived.

Span 35' Length 25' Gross Weight 2,400 lb
Max Speed 175 mph Cruising speed 155 mph Service ceiling 23,000 ft

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A gentleman called Lovert-Cambell owned a Nighthawk which he kept down at a timber mill in Southern Tanzania and for many years my Father Bill Trollope did the servicing on it in Nairobi. What ever became of this aircraft I have no idea. As a young newly qualified pilot, this aircraft was the very pinikel of aviation during those times in the late 1950's. I believe that very few were built and were built to fly in the Kings Cup air race. Best of luck with your research

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